DIY denitrator - anyone build one?
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Jenn
Maxi jet pushes the water thru but what pump does it use for recirculation?
Maxi jet pushes the water thru but what pump does it use for recirculation?
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It actually shouldn't be too hard to use one of those as a recirc; mount the pump on top and tap a hole to let the effluent out which you could run through another 2LF reactor with aragonite media.
Do Aqualifters hold up under pressure? Could use one as a feed pump.
Do Aqualifters hold up under pressure? Could use one as a feed pump.
It doesn't recirculate within the reactor. Slow flow through.. through sulfur media first, then into the aragonite chamber, then back into the sump.
It's not inline so all of the system water does not go through it - just whatever it draws from the sump and returns to the sump.
Jenn
It's not inline so all of the system water does not go through it - just whatever it draws from the sump and returns to the sump.
Jenn
I've got about a hundred questions about these setups...
*is there any way or any adverse issues with running a system that's much larger than needed? (would your 700 gallon system also work on my 90 gallon system?)
*could you use a single TLF reactor and stack the media within the single chamber?
*are there any other drawbacks to using the denitrator (any other compounds that are removed or added to the system)?
I too can feed mine off of the return pump (I've added a Tee and plug for future expansion) but as far as flow, how do you know what flow should be used?
I'll think of more by the time these are answered..
Well I'm hardly an authority on any of this - we've done this more or less as an experiment. I don't have "hard science" on this stuff - it's purely anecdotal based on our experiences with it, and with the other reactor that a former employee of mine built a few years ago.
Brian found some articles online about them, which prompted him to build this one - he had no prior experience with them.
As I mentioned, the reactor is offline right now - and late last week we downsized that system - but for the few months we ran it on the full sized system it worked quite nicely. When we get it back online, the system will be approximately 350 gallons (we took 4 tanks down - supporting structure was compromised - rust!)
I don't know if you could use one reactor and stack the media. I would think so, but I don't know. I've seen folks do that with larger reactors. Whether it would be effective or not, I do not know.
The drawbacks... can drop pH, which is why we run it through aragonite, to counteract that.
The articles Brian read also said to monitor for a sulfur smell - which can cause problems - he's not experienced that either. I believe that if there's a sulfur smell, flow-through is too fast.
Jenn
Brian found some articles online about them, which prompted him to build this one - he had no prior experience with them.
As I mentioned, the reactor is offline right now - and late last week we downsized that system - but for the few months we ran it on the full sized system it worked quite nicely. When we get it back online, the system will be approximately 350 gallons (we took 4 tanks down - supporting structure was compromised - rust!)
I don't know if you could use one reactor and stack the media. I would think so, but I don't know. I've seen folks do that with larger reactors. Whether it would be effective or not, I do not know.
The drawbacks... can drop pH, which is why we run it through aragonite, to counteract that.
The articles Brian read also said to monitor for a sulfur smell - which can cause problems - he's not experienced that either. I believe that if there's a sulfur smell, flow-through is too fast.
Jenn
You know... another option (just had a small brainwave from another thread I'm in)...
You could always do a reactor with Seachem De*Nitrate. One reactor, no concerns about sulphur smell, pH... those reactors are designed to use that type of stuff.
The Kent model suggests their brand of Nitrate Sponge which is a similar type media to the Seachem product.
I'm headed to work soon - I'll take a look at what I've got and see if the stinkin' instructions in the reactor boxes talks more in depth about that option.
Jenn
You could always do a reactor with Seachem De*Nitrate. One reactor, no concerns about sulphur smell, pH... those reactors are designed to use that type of stuff.
The Kent model suggests their brand of Nitrate Sponge which is a similar type media to the Seachem product.
I'm headed to work soon - I'll take a look at what I've got and see if the stinkin' instructions in the reactor boxes talks more in depth about that option.
Jenn
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The type that I have and I think Acroholic has is a stacked media. Like Jenn said the ph is dropped in the reactor and is somewhat buffered throught the argonite. Sulpher Denitrators work well but have to be tunned in to match the no3 load of the system.
It is a proccess that takes several days if not a few weeks, You have to give the reactor time to colonize the anerobic bacteria. which means you start with a slow drip rate. Once the effluent reads 0 on nitrates you increase the drip rate, give it 2to 3 days to colonize more, check for 0 nitrates in the effluent increase again until the effuent reads zero .You keep increasing until the effulent will not zero out on no3 anymore then you dial it back a little to the last drip rate that it did zero out on.
Your feed water needs to be absent of any bubbles since it is anerobic bacteria that you are trying to colonize. For the first few days you will have to bleed off nitrogen in the reactor that is produced in the chamber.If your effuent starts to smell like sulpher then your drip rate is to slow and needs to be increased. I have had no issues running mine besides not tuning it to the increased bioload and my nitrates start to climb.Readjust and nitrates back down<2 to undetectable
It is a proccess that takes several days if not a few weeks, You have to give the reactor time to colonize the anerobic bacteria. which means you start with a slow drip rate. Once the effluent reads 0 on nitrates you increase the drip rate, give it 2to 3 days to colonize more, check for 0 nitrates in the effluent increase again until the effuent reads zero .You keep increasing until the effulent will not zero out on no3 anymore then you dial it back a little to the last drip rate that it did zero out on.
Your feed water needs to be absent of any bubbles since it is anerobic bacteria that you are trying to colonize. For the first few days you will have to bleed off nitrogen in the reactor that is produced in the chamber.If your effuent starts to smell like sulpher then your drip rate is to slow and needs to be increased. I have had no issues running mine besides not tuning it to the increased bioload and my nitrates start to climb.Readjust and nitrates back down<2 to undetectable
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Sorry misspelled anerobic should be anaerobic.
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fyi for the diy people
It takes about one cup of sulpher media per 100 gallons of water volume .
It takes about one cup of sulpher media per 100 gallons of water volume .
I think that I've got it worked out... I'm thinking a http://www.marinedepot.com/Two_Little_Fishies_Phosban_Reactor_150_Phosphate_Reactors-Two_Little_Fishies-TL4311-FIFRISPR-vi.html">TLF phosban reactor</a> filled less than 5" with the [IMG]http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/denitrate.html">Seachem Denitrate</a>.. (1L per 100 gal) the TLF phosban reactor measures approximately 4" ID and at 5" will yield 62.8 cubic inches (which is approximately 1.02 L)
at a flow rate through the reactor of less than 50gal/hr both Anaerobic denitrification and Aerobic filtration can occur (according to Seachem's website)
at a flow rate through the reactor of less than 50gal/hr both Anaerobic denitrification and Aerobic filtration can occur (according to Seachem's website)
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Most are set up pretty close to equal parts.
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How about September 12 a week from this Saturday? Rsvp and total water volume one more time as I will have to order some materials for us. Shoot a pm titled <u>diyd</u></em> and I can seperate from the rest. I will print out instruction sheets for setup and tunning as well.
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Thanks Jenn
I will get a total on media volume( sulpher and aragonite) and maxijets.
I think we are going to build the pvc in sump type so we will not need canisters.
I will get a total on media volume( sulpher and aragonite) and maxijets.
I think we are going to build the pvc in sump type so we will not need canisters.
