AquaMaxx Sulfur Denitrator TS-1

[kboogie]

You need to test for nitrites first. You will see a spike, like off the charts. Some people even dump the effluent into another bucket as no one wants that much nitrite in your tank. All depends on your tank size but I dumped mine.

You keep the reactor as it is until there are 0 nitrites. When they are 0, then can you test for nitrates. And only when you see nitrates dropping out of the effluent can you increase the flow. Like 1 drop to 2 drops per second for a week or two, then 3 drops for another week or two.

This is how to properly set up a denitrator correctly. How you set up yours is up to you but we are just trying to give advise as there are a lot of reefers who are unable to get positive result with them, or have delayed results by trying to speed up the process.

I'm at the point where I'm trying to raise my nitrates by increasing the flow to 100ml per minute and it still eats all the nitrates. It's insane. I'm going to try bringing it down to 40ml per minute but at that low of a setting I get slight sulfur smell.

They are finicky reactors but work better than any other method for lowering nitrates.

I forgot to mention in the previous post that I also test the effluent for nitrites and it was also zero. I will test both NO2 and NO3 on Sunday and see where they are at.

With 350 gallons of total water volume, I would love to get to 100ml per minute.

 

[kboogie]

I have good news and bad news.

The bad news is I got excited on Friday and messed with my flow rate trying get one more drop per second. I ended up going from 12ml per minute to 40ml per minute. When I tested the next day the effluent NO3 equal to the DT level versus the less than half it was the day before. I corrected my mistake and tuned it to 16ml per minute.

The good news is I tested the effluent this morning and it is 3.2!!! While it is not zero it is 88% lower than Friday before I screwed it up. Part of me wants to up the flow a tad to 20ml to 25ml per minute but I might wait until I get a zero NO3 reading before doing that. I also tested NO2 and that is still zero. No smell to the effluent but it is noticeable warmer than the DT or Sump. Could be the recirculation pump or it could be bacteria.

 

[jasonrusso]

I have good news and bad news.

The bad news is I got excited on Friday and messed with my flow rate trying get one more drop per second. I ended up going from 12ml per minute to 40ml per minute. When I tested the next day the effluent NO3 equal to the DT level versus the less than half it was the day before. I corrected my mistake and tuned it to 16ml per minute.

The good news is I tested the effluent this morning and it is 3.2!!! While it is not zero it is 88% lower than Friday before I screwed it up. Part of me wants to up the flow a tad to 20ml to 25ml per minute but I might wait until I get a zero NO3 reading before doing that. I also tested NO2 and that is still zero. No smell to the effluent but it is noticeable warmer than the DT or Sump. Could be the recirculation pump or it could be bacteria.

My belief is that as long as the effluent is below the DT, it is working. It doesn't HAVE to be zero.

Yes, I have noticed that the Sulfur reactor is warmer than the tank water. I figured it was the pump and the bacterial activity inside the reactor.

 

[Sean Clark]

My belief is that as long as the effluent is below the DT, it is working. It doesn't HAVE to be zero.

Yes, I have noticed that the Sulfur reactor is warmer than the tank water. I figured it was the pump and the bacterial activity inside the reactor.

I agree. I think that ideally, once you have reached your target level in the display, you should adjust to just below that level in your effluent. This way you manage the additional daily input without depleting your system any further.

 

[kboogie]

My belief is that as long as the effluent is below the DT, it is working. It doesn't HAVE to be zero.

Yes, I have noticed that the Sulfur reactor is warmer than the tank water. I figured it was the pump and the bacterial activity inside the reactor.

I agree. I think that ideally, once you have reached your target level in the display, you should adjust to just below that level in your effluent. This way you manage the additional daily input without depleting your system any further.

I believe you two are saying it would be OK if I bumped up my flow rate a tad and see if I'm still getting NO3 readings of the effluent which are less than the DT's NO3 reading? I'm going to try to get between 20ml and 25ml per minute. If I can get to 25ml that would be equivalent to a 10% water change every three to four days. My true goal is 40ml to 80ml per minute with a NO3 reading of less than 5PPM.

This tuning activity is so much easier with a variable-speed dosing pump but I'm cool using my little valve.

I'll keep everyone one posts on my progress! This is exciting!!!

 

[sczlars]

I made a mistake with mine a couple days ago; turned the flow down a lot, and ended up with sulfur smell and cloudy water inside. Some of that water made it back into the tank, and the next day my lysmata (cleaner) shrimp was acting very weird (disoriented) and has now disappeared, likely gobbled up by the worms. I know these shrimp can be pretty sensitive, and I'm wondering if this caused it.

 

[jasonrusso]

I believe you two are saying it would be OK if I bumped up my flow rate a tad and see if I'm still getting NO3 readings of the effluent which are less than the DT's NO3 reading? I'm going to try to get between 20ml and 25ml per minute. If I can get to 25ml that would be equivalent to a 10% water change every three to four days. My true goal is 40ml to 80ml per minute with a NO3 reading of less than 5PPM.

This tuning activity is so much easier with a variable-speed dosing pump but I'm cool using my little valve.

I'll keep everyone one posts on my progress! This is exciting!!!

I just use the adjustment screw it came with.

 

[kboogie]

I’m now running at 22ml per minute. That is 8 gallons per day.

 

[Sean Clark]

This tuning activity is so much easier with a variable-speed dosing pump but I'm cool using my little valve.

I ran mine on a gravity siphon for years before I even entertained a pump.
I used the Kamoer fx-stp. I switched to the Versa for a while but the maintenance and interface were too much of a hassle. I switched back to the Kamoer fx-stp. Just simpler and easier without the consumables of the versa.

 

[kboogie]

@Sean Clark I saw you discussing BADES with someone in another thread. I'm confused, is BADES something different with sulfur and bacteria that works with high flow? I couldn't understand what the BADES proponent was trying to say and the links they provided required a login for anything more than the very high-level summary information.

 

[Sean Clark]

@Sean Clark I saw you discussing BADES with someone in another thread. I'm confused, is BADES something different with sulfur and bacteria that works with high flow? I couldn't understand what the BADES proponent was trying to say and the links they provided required a login for anything more than the very high-level summary information.

I was talking about sulfur denitrators and the thread was derailed by someone pushing a BADES setup. IDK. It does sound familiar though.
There is someone on here this pushes the BADES system but I know nothing about it.
Maybe it works maybe not.
I don't have any experience with it.

I use a lot of sulfur so I can maintain a high flow rate. Seams pretty simple to me. No acronyms required.

 

[kboogie]

I was talking about sulfur denitrators and the thread was derailed by someone pushing a BADES setup. IDK. It does sound familiar though.
There is someone on here this pushes the BADES system but I know nothing about it.
Maybe it works maybe not.
I don't have any experience with it.

I use a lot of sulfur so I can maintain a high flow rate. Seams pretty simple to me. No acronyms required.

Thank you. I wanted to make sure I wasn't the only one who wasn't sure what the person what talking about.

 

[kboogie]

I just tested my effluent after increasing my flow from 16 to 22ml per minute. My effluent NO3 is 17.7 up from 3.2 and way lower than the DT which is 54. I’m going to see if this holds steady or comes down. If so I will leave it. If it goes up, I will decrease the flow.

 

[kboogie]

Great news! I just tested my effluent (with my Hanna Checker) and it reads 0PPM!! That is down from 17.7ppm it read yesterday after increasing my flow 16ml per minute to 22ml per minute. I'm going to see if I can get away with 30ml per minute. My effluent has no smell so that is good too!

I’m wondering what is the highest flow rate people are achieving with an effluent NO3 reading of zero?

 

[Sean Clark]

I’m wondering what is the highest flow rate people are achieving with an effluent NO3 reading of zero?

I can max out my Kamoer pump at 120 ml/min and still get zero. I have a lot of sulfur in mine though.

 

[kboogie]

I can max out my Kamoer pump at 120 ml/min and still get zero. I have a lot of sulfur in mine though.

Wow! I have 15 lbs of sulfur in mine. I wonder if I will be able to reach those levels? It will be interesting to see.

 

[Sean Clark]

Wow! I have 15 lbs of sulfur in mine. I wonder if I will be able to reach those levels? It will be interesting to see.

Yeah, I was thinking 6-7 pounds was a lot. You have twice that.

 

[kboogie]

Yeah, I was thinking 6-7 pounds was a lot. You have twice that.

LOL.. Instructions said to fill it with a 3:1 ratio of sulfur and bio media (preferably aragonite). I read in another thread that people were using matrix for the surface area so I did the math and that worked out to three 5lb bags of sulfur prills and one 4L bucket of Seachem Matrix. I wish I used Reef Reactor LG instead of Matrix but I plan on adding a cheap reactor to the output of the TS-3 and filling it with Seachem Reef Reactor LG or something similar.

 

[stephanjupillat]

I have the smaller t1 reactor for a 60gal and have 4lbs of sulfur. I’m gonna have to open it up and remove half of it. Maxing out the kamoer at 100ml and I still get near 0 nitrate, so dt no3 is getting too low. At 60ml now and still smell sulfur. 15lbs is insane. Lol. I was running at 15ml for months with no problems. Then it just started smelling like sulfur and had to keep raising the ml per min. Now it just works too well.

 

[Sean Clark]

Monitoring the ORP inside the sulfur chamber will allow you to eliminate any hydrogen sulfate problems.
-250 is supposed to be ideal for bacterial production.
I have had 0 no3 at +250 and zero hydrogen sulfate at -800.
There are so many variables to consider.