DIY Sulfur Denitrator

[KingTurtle]

Built this about 6 weeks ago. After 3 weeks of operation it started producing zero nitrates!

I decided to build this to control my nitrates on my 29 gal mixed reef that I love to overfeed.

All the commercial options are far too big. This thing is working great. My nitrates are now staying around 1 ppm at about 2 drips per second. I have not noticed any sulfur smell whatsoever. Water is crystal clear.

I used a 1/2” tap to thread in the PVC street 90s.

Happy to answer any questions.

Material List:
3” clear PVC pipe (eBay)
1” clear PVC pipe (eBay)
3” PVC cap
3” PVC female adapter
3” HDPE threaded plug w/ gasket (Farm & Ranch Store)
2x 1/2” PVC threaded nipples
2x 1/2” PVC unions
1/2” PVC tee
1/2” PVC female adapter
1/2” PVC street 90 (MNPT x socket)
1/2” PVC street 90 (MNPT x FNPT)
2x 1/4” John Guest x 1/2” MNPT
2x 1/4” John Guest valve
1/4” RO tubing
Sicce 0.5 pump
1/4” acrylic drilled as spacer plates
Sulfur media (hard to find)
Calcium reactor media (crushed coral)

 

[Larry L]

Looks very cool. What kind of sulphur media did you use? Does it rely on a bacteria population to reduce the nitrates? If so, do they need to be fed regularly (like with carbon dosing)?

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Very nicely done. Word of advice, keep an eye on your alkalinity as this will consume alkalinity during the denitrification and you will need to adjust the alkalinity to keep your Calcium and Magnesium balanced.

Dennis

 

[bala murugan 00500]

I think ..... You took this too complicated...... just take a look to this

Poor Man's Nutrients Control - Donovan's Nitrate Destroyer

Hello fellow reefers!. I have been in the hobby for more than 3 years, the first 2 years was tough. Cyno, diatom, nuisance algae, high NO3 (120ppm at one time) and ich/velvet. I have tried several nutrient control method (poor man, so most of it were DIY project). GFO, water fall scrubber...

www.reef2reef.com

it worked for me ........ simple

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I make my own too. Similar to your, not as nice. Yours is very nice. Just keep an eye on water perimeters, you'll be fine.
I have simple one too,when I need to use, does the trick

 

[KingTurtle]

Looks very cool. What kind of sulphur media did you use? Does it rely on a bacteria population to reduce the nitrates? If so, do they need to be fed regularly (like with carbon dosing)?

I do carbon dose but I do not believe it is required for the anaerobic bacteria. I bought the sulfur media from marine depot. It was sold as a refill for a Korallin reactor.

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Looks very cool. What kind of sulphur media did you use? Does it rely on a bacteria population to reduce the nitrates? If so, do they need to be fed regularly (like with carbon dosing)?

I do carbon dose but I do not believe it is required for the anaerobic bacteria. I bought the sulfur media from marine depot. It was sold as a refill for a Korallin reactor.

Correct. Carbon is not required as the energy source for these types of bacteria is sulfur. The sulfur media is consumed over time. The mechanisms of control for these reactors is the water flow volume and the volume of media. You need to make sure that the water flow is low enough to remove all the nitrate (and nitrite) that passes through the reactor, but high enough to prevent hydrogen sulfide from being produced. Hydrogen sulfide is a by product of not enough available nitrate for a given volume of media.

Media volume may need to be reduced for situations where a large amount of nitrate was reduced over time and a large population of hungry bacteria are still in need of nitrate. Speeding up the waterflow can provide a big window of adjustability in these circumstances, but eventually removing some of the media may be required to bring the filter capacity more in line with the tank nitrate production. The acceptable range of filter capacity and nitrate production is fairly broad and is pretty forgiving.

However it sounds like the OP already has his filter capacity and nitrate generation well matched.

Dennis

 

[KingTurtle]

I think ..... You took this too complicated...... just take a look to this

Poor Man's Nutrients Control - Donovan's Nitrate Destroyer

Hello fellow reefers!. I have been in the hobby for more than 3 years, the first 2 years was tough. Cyno, diatom, nuisance algae, high NO3 (120ppm at one time) and ich/velvet. I have tried several nutrient control method (poor man, so most of it were DIY project). GFO, water fall scrubber...

www.reef2reef.com

it worked for me ........ simple

Perhaps but I needed a small footprint and I suppose I could have built something with an old peanut butter jar, however if I went ghetto on my tank, the engineer part of me would have to commit harikari for dishonoring the family.

 

[KingTurtle]

I watch my water parameters very closely. I did adjust alk and mag dosing slightly after this thing settled into its routine.

 

[ca1ore]

I think ..... You took this too complicated...... just take a look to this

Poor Man's Nutrients Control - Donovan's Nitrate Destroyer

Hello fellow reefers!. I have been in the hobby for more than 3 years, the first 2 years was tough. Cyno, diatom, nuisance algae, high NO3 (120ppm at one time) and ich/velvet. I have tried several nutrient control method (poor man, so most of it were DIY project). GFO, water fall scrubber...

www.reef2reef.com

it worked for me ........ simple

How is that less complicated LOL …...

 

[ca1ore]

Very cool build. I just bought a used reactor plus media (media was the real appeal given how hard it its to find now) though have not set it up yet. Do you find that the pump maintains the correct drip/flow level?

 

[KingTurtle]

Very cool build. I just bought a used reactor plus media (media was the real appeal given how hard it its to find now) though have not set it up yet. Do you find that the pump maintains the correct drip/flow level?

The pump does not handle the effluent flow. It is only used to recirculate within the unit to allow additional contact time and proper pH buffering.

 

[ca1ore]

So how are you moving water into and out of the unit; assumed you were using suction from the sicce based on how you have the blue lines run?

 

[KingTurtle]

So how are you moving water into and out of the unit; assumed you were using suction from the sicce based on how you have the blue lines run?

I have a 1/4” John Guest tap off of my main return pump.

 

[ca1ore]

Ahh …..