Why the choice was made to use a sulfur denitrator to reduce nitrate? Nitrate is a safely stored usable nitrogen reserve which can be used up.Hi, my nitrates are around 25 at the moment , searching info about sulphur reactors I've found an info if I want to go down from 25 o around 2-3 , it should be set up for around 1-2 drops per second ,that's why I've set it up like that
I can change it anytime if needed , I have 0 nitrates from reactor outlet , I've never had any issues with my nitrates in 12 years in this hobby , I had an ich in my tank and Ive been feeding my fish a lot of different types of food for around 3 weeks , ich is gone but I have a nitrates spike from 1 to 23 , from that time they are on the same level
Nitrate management starts with the C/N ratio of the feed, the proteïn content may not be above 35% , The food must be of marine origine( carbon source). The higher the proteïne content, the more nitrate must be produced for reducing released ammonia. it can be corrected using low protein food +- 30%.
Your effluent was 0 at one drop/sec. Why reducing the flow with 50%!!!!! to reach only 1drop/2seconds? The availability of nitrate for denitrification is reduced by 50%! This way heterotrophic remineralization and sulphate reduction ( HS production) needing anoxic conditions is promoted. The reactor is starved.
To increase the population of T.denitrificans ( sulfur bacteria) more nitrate must be entered The flow must be increased slowly until some nitrate is still present in the effluent. ( nitrite production) if one works with a drop/sec, increasing to 2 drops/s is increasing the flow with 100%, the bacteria present must double, this is only one cell division if enough T.d are present. This is not the case as they have been starved. I advise to start as it was a new project. You must decide if you want to make a BADES System. A BADES reactor is NOT kept anoxic by limiting the flow.
Increasing the flow means not only more nitrate but also more oxygen is entered, which has to be consumed . Take your time.
A BADES reactor with 5l sulfur can easily handle a flow of 10l/h till 25l/h keeping a 0 Nirate effluent. We do not recomend a 0 nitrate effluent. The effluent must always be aerated.