DIY sulphur denitrator

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Ive ran 3 DIY sulfure denitrators at one time, one aquarium. Just keep an eye on calcium, alkalinity, nitrates, Etc..... youll be fine. I never had H2S into tank , increase flow in relation to nitrates. Add pre filters where water enters filters, to avoid issues. If you look at some of the professionally-made filters, you will see pre filters.

 

[robert]

Thanks for the reply! I didnt think you would still be checking on threads this old.

1. Have you ever found the H2S toxic to any of the tank inhabitants during the times it was dumped into your system by the reactor? Some of the posts I read blame the H2S for nuking their tanks and killing off livestock and making the water cloudy.

No... the volume of the sulphur denitrator is a very small fraction of the system volume. You could dump the whole thing into the system (and I have) and other than the odor, nothing seems particularly bothered (except the wife).

2. When the H2S is dumped in as well, how do you manage the tank? Do you like a massive water change or do you just leave everything there and let the tank fix itself? How often does your reactor get clogged as well? Like how many times a year?

When I used the 1/4" tubing it clogged fairly frequent. With the 1/2" inch PVC and gate valve - it never happens - every three or four months I MIGHT adjust it a little but that is it.
If the entire contents of my sulphur denitratior were released into my system, the only thing I would do is open a window. No water change - nothing.

3. How do you correct the flow issues that occur in the reactor when it gets clogged? Do you take it out and clean it or do you just run it full bore for an hour or so? Do you also correct this the moment you notice the flow even slightly is slower than normal?

It doesn't have to be that exact. A little slower or faster makes little difference. If it clogs - no worries - I just use the gate valve to get the flow going again. Anything from a slow drip to a steady trickle works.

4. Have you read the other thread on here by Belgian Anthias about the BADESS system where he runs the reactor with a higher flow rate where the reactor does not become anoxic and is still effective at controlling nitrates? What do you think about running this?

No but I will - if you read my post above my last one I also have found that a higher flow also works. The output does not have to be nitrate free in a single pass. Even at the higher flow you develop local anoxic regions within the media so its still effective.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/sulphur-in-the-reefaquarium.492492/page-2#post-5311945

Thanks for the link - I'll check it out.

I was planning to run my reactor a little faster than normal. I dont need zero nitrate in the effluent(but of course it would be nice). Just a nitrate level that is lower than my main tank is good enough. Would this lower the chances of the reactor getting clogged since its running a bit faster?

That's right, also I think it helps to run a little fast initially to get the denitrator seeded and running effectively.

Sorry for asking so many questions! Just wanna be sure before I run another thing on my reef.

Get it running and you'll wonder why everyone doesn't use one. Its cheap, dead simple and effective and is (IMHO) safer than any other denitrator methodology.
Keep an eye on your alk and keep your pH above the buffer point of the substrate (>7.8) and you can probably ditch the GFO too. (except a tiny bit to seed the iron precipitation if you want to run the two stage system to take out excess iron).

Not too many questions - happy to answer.

 

[ryanuy]

I might modify my calcium reactor and drill a bigger hole for the effluent to follow your style as well to avoid the clogging which is the only issue for me right now. What feed pump do you use for your reactor?

Yeah, he also does state that even at higher flow rates, the media does develop anoxic regions even though the whole reactor is not anoxic. I think this will make the reactor even safer.

Actually, the more i read up on it, the more surprised I get that this isnt more popular with the whole community. It seems significantly safer than carbon dosing or biopellets which I used to do in my old system which crashed which I think was because of the bacteria load.

 

[robert]

I might modify my calcium reactor and drill a bigger hole for the effluent to follow your style as well to avoid the clogging which is the only issue for me right now. What feed pump do you use for your reactor?

I'm not too sure what type of pump I'm using but its pretty tiny. Definitely less than 100gph. It's probably something I picked up at harbor freight...just make sure you mount it outside the denitrator so you can service it without taking the denitrator apart. I like the gate valve better than a ball valve for controlling flow as it is easier to adjust but either will work.

A bigger hole for the effluent is probably the most important thing so it won't clog with bio-film.

Yeah, he also does state that even at higher flow rates, the media does develop anoxic regions even though the whole reactor is not anoxic. I think this will make the reactor even safer.

One of the coolest things about sulphur denitrators is that once running, you have positive control over how aggressively you remove nitrate and its "out of the system" in its own chamber so if a pump or the power fails, it can't damage the system. They're very very safe.

Actually, the more i read up on it, the more surprised I get that this isnt more popular with the whole community. It seems significantly safer than carbon dosing or biopellets which I used to do in my old system which crashed which I think was because of the bacteria load.

I'm not a fan of carbon dosing. I've written a bunch of posts that explain why.

Thanks for the link to Belgian Anthias'es BADESS thread.
I haven't read it carefully, but what I did read I agree with - he put a lot of work into explaining everything and providing sources. Much appreciated.