AquaMaxx Sulfur Denitrator TS-1

Jongalt26

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yuup and it only takes a couple of days for the hydrogen sulfide to show up.
(I learned that the hard way)
 

Joeganja

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Good to know guys. I think the biggest tip I learned is don't let the reactor sit without running and then turning it back on after a couples of hours to a day.
 

Jongalt26

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Good to know guys. I think the biggest tip I learned is don't let the reactor sit without running and then turning it back on after a couples of hours to a day.

This isn't specific to just the denitrator but all reactors in general as well as any 'used' saltwater. (as in not freshly made). It's a PITA cleaning the sulfide at the bottom of a reactor lol.
 

OverHauler

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So I'm considering adding one of these reactors to my reefer 250 since I have a rather heavy bioload. I'm still on the fence though, my nitrates are sticking at about 50ppm with weekly 10% water changes.

Honest opinion, TS-1, an algae reactor or both? Total newb btw and I have no clue what the potential downsides of either choice would be...
 

Jongalt26

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Is your tank fish only? If so, do you have a lot of algae growth in the tank? If you dont have algae growth in your tank and its a fish only 50ppm isnt horrible.
regardless, i would add a refugium or automatic turf scrubber (ATS) first. then go on from there.
 

hart24601

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Although I am sure some will inevitably disagree, with carbon dosing ($100 BRS dosing pump/timer/vodka) and/or chaeto reactors IMO sulfur denitrators are a bit obsolete, although they do work.
 

OverHauler

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Its a mixed reef, not FOWLR. I don't have a ton of algae growth but those nitrates are creeping up on me and I want to get ahead of it. All my corals are doing just fine but an ounce of prevention as they say...

I'm going to give a Cheato reactor a shot and see how that goes. Thanks guys.
 

Jongalt26

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If it's a mixed reef then your nitrates are very high. Cheato will help, be sure to clean filter socks every three days or less. Im assuming your skimmer is working properly. Carbon dosing / bio pellets can help a lot as well but may cause a cyano outbreak.
If your sandbed is greater than 2" thick and less than 7" thick then i'd suggest removing sand so it is between 1.5 - 2" thick.
When i was battling high nitrates on a previous tank i installed a remote deep sandbed (over 9" thick) started dropping nitrates very quickly and after a month i had nitrates stable at 5ppm.
 

OverHauler

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My tank is a Redsea Reefer 250. I'm planning on turning the stock ATO reservoir into a fuge with several inches of miracle mud and rubble rock. Figure I can grow pods in there and in the cheato reactor, as well as utilize the mud as a remote deep sand bed. It's only 2.5 gallons in the ATO but I figured on about 4 to 6 inches of miracle mud... What do you guys think?
 

Jongalt26

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The rubble rock wont provide any benefit, miracle mud is suggested to only be 1" thick when settled (1.5" when dry). If you go the miracle mud route put it in 2 trays which will make it easier in the future you're supposed to change out 50% per year i think. I suggest wrapping the trays in plastic wrap until you get them places into the bottom of the ato and unwrap them after water is added. When you add chaeto you want the flow rate to cause it to tumble.
I did the miralce mud + chaeto combination and it helped. However the comparison to a deep sand bed to miracle mud was night and day. Similar concept, you can use 2 containers, each filled with 7" of oolitic sand (you can add a bit of larger particle sand on top to help stabilize the sand). You can also run the deep sand bed in a 5 gallon bucket. This style of sand bed is great considering it's a dead sand bed just to grow anaerobic bacteria.
 

hart24601

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My tank is a Redsea Reefer 250. I'm planning on turning the stock ATO reservoir into a fuge with several inches of miracle mud and rubble rock. Figure I can grow pods in there and in the cheato reactor, as well as utilize the mud as a remote deep sand bed. It's only 2.5 gallons in the ATO but I figured on about 4 to 6 inches of miracle mud... What do you guys think?

Personally I would run only the chaeto. Plenty of systems run chaeto only for export now, I suspect the majority of systems actually, and the mud and rubble just adds complexity and other potential issues. When it comes time to deep clean my system every few months it's nice to snag the buckethead vac and remove every piece of detritus in the sump.
 

screef

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Hi guys. I just set up my denitrator but left it offline for 2 weeks so that I can get my alk up. Now can I just flush it out with clean saltwater? Or do you recommend removing the media, washing it, then reinstalling? There are some black spots on the sulfur pellets but nothing major. Thanks...much appreciated.
 

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Hi guys. I just set up my denitrator but left it offline for 2 weeks so that I can get my alk up. Now can I just flush it out with clean saltwater? Or do you recommend removing the media, washing it, then reinstalling? There are some black spots on the sulfur pellets but nothing major. Thanks...much appreciated.
People will disagree but I just run the effluent and fill a 5 gal bucket with the feed pump wide open.

It's doesn't have to be 100% Hydrodgen sulfide free....

I had an opps and dumped the whole 2 gal into my tank.

ORP tanked...

I threw a massive industrial strength bubler (don't ask why I have one) in full mode with 5 separate strands of of tubing to airstones and turned on my ozone wide open...an hour later most of the Hydrodgen sulfide was oxidized.

Nothing died.

.....i don't recommend repeating my experiment.
 

mattcoug

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tldr; jump to Solution.

I am testing a new TS-1 to add to my fowlr and got extremely annoyed that the reactor design doesn't seem to be built to get air out efficiently. So I fixed it. I have another reactor running on my reef for a few years, and I never had to think about air bubbles there, because on that design bubbles get 'trapped' at the output hose and are the first thing that get pushed out, keeping the reactor free of bubbles.

On the TS-1 however, bubbles get sucked right past the output, though the pump and get chopped up like a skimmer and recirculated, or get trapped in a vortex going down the center downward tube that pushes water to the bottom. This design only lets bubbles out when the reactor pump is off.

I am feeding the reactor with water that recently exited the skimmer, meaning it is likely supersaturated with air. In the first night of my test, the reactor went from mostly bubble free, to having ~50ml of air trapped in the vortex. I am feeding it 1 drop per second from my tank and letting the effluent go down the drain.

So, onto my very simple solution. Forgive me if it has been presented elsewhere - I didn't find it when I was searching.

Solution
1. Swap the hose on the output with the bubble release.
2. Install a short (~2" in my case, not optimized) 1/4" tube in the bottom of the push connect fitting on the new output.
3. Enjoy bubble free reactor.
IMG_3131.JPG 2017-10-08 14.23.23.jpg



Explanation
The reason this works, is because bubbles that are flowing though the system tent to get trapped in a vortex in the center downward tube. At ~2", the currents are stable enough for an air pocket to form immediately after the physical obstruction that my new 1/4" tube provides. The means, when the water is pushed out of the reactor, it will take the air bubbles out first.
2017-10-08 14.56.21.jpg



Cautions
1. Make sure the new 1/4" tube is secure, the water current is strong and if it gets pulled out and stuck at the bottom of the reactor, you will have to tear the reactor apart to get the tube out. I was able to use vinyl tube and RODI tube together to make a snug fit, but a reef-safe epoxy or solvent glue would be much more secure.
2. Make sure your feed pump is pressurized and unidirectional. The forces in this setup will try to suck water backwards from the return. If your input is unpressurized, water will just flow out the input, and air or water will get sucked into your output. If your feed pump could ever fail or turn off while the reactor pump is still on, please add a check valve to prevent a reactor crash.

Enjoy.
 

Newb73

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tldr; jump to Solution.

I am testing a new TS-1 to add to my fowlr and got extremely annoyed that the reactor design doesn't seem to be built to get air out efficiently. So I fixed it. I have another reactor running on my reef for a few years, and I never had to think about air bubbles there, because on that design bubbles get 'trapped' at the output hose and are the first thing that get pushed out, keeping the reactor free of bubbles.

On the TS-1 however, bubbles get sucked right past the output, though the pump and get chopped up like a skimmer and recirculated, or get trapped in a vortex going down the center downward tube that pushes water to the bottom. This design only lets bubbles out when the reactor pump is off.

I am feeding the reactor with water that recently exited the skimmer, meaning it is likely supersaturated with air. In the first night of my test, the reactor went from mostly bubble free, to having ~50ml of air trapped in the vortex. I am feeding it 1 drop per second from my tank and letting the effluent go down the drain.

So, onto my very simple solution. Forgive me if it has been presented elsewhere - I didn't find it when I was searching.

Solution
1. Swap the hose on the output with the bubble release.
2. Install a short (~2" in my case, not optimized) 1/4" tube in the bottom of the push connect fitting on the new output.
3. Enjoy bubble free reactor.
IMG_3131.JPG 2017-10-08 14.23.23.jpg



Explanation
The reason this works, is because bubbles that are flowing though the system tent to get trapped in a vortex in the center downward tube. At ~2", the currents are stable enough for an air pocket to form immediately after the physical obstruction that my new 1/4" tube provides. The means, when the water is pushed out of the reactor, it will take the air bubbles out first.
2017-10-08 14.56.21.jpg



Cautions
1. Make sure the new 1/4" tube is secure, the water current is strong and if it gets pulled out and stuck at the bottom of the reactor, you will have to tear the reactor apart to get the tube out. I was able to use vinyl tube and RODI tube together to make a snug fit, but a reef-safe epoxy or solvent glue would be much more secure.
2. Make sure your feed pump is pressurized and unidirectional. The forces in this setup will try to suck water backwards from the return. If your input is unpressurized, water will just flow out the input, and air or water will get sucked into your output. If your feed pump could ever fail or turn off while the reactor pump is still on, please add a check valve to prevent a reactor crash.

Enjoy.
Some of the gas will trap in the effluent line and bleed off.

Once every few months if I see a significant amount in there I will put the effluent in a 5 gal bucket and run it wide open which bleeds most of the rest off.

That does however result in the meed for 4 or 5 days of recycling or a mini cycle though.
 

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