Poor Man's Nutrients Control - Donovan's Nitrate Destroyer
- Thread starter Donovan Joannes
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So I have decided to give this a shot because like many people on here the nitrates in my tank have been consistently high 80-100+ basically since I started the tank two years ago.
Here is the reactor I built. Hopefully it would make Donovan proud!
It's 3 inch pvc in 24" sections so I didn't have to cut them! The media inside is all one inch ceramic rings with some rubble rock at the bottom of each chamber. I just started the vodka dosing yesterday (5ml broken into 4 doses throughout the day).
I am having a bit of trouble dialing the flow down low enough. Part of that is because I teed off my reactor pump plumbing with a 3/4" ball valve which is not ideal for adjustment. I have a 3/8" valve coming to get better adjustment.
I am also wondering if my effluent line is a tad too large? Especially the barb attached to the reactor.
Final question would be do I need a strong seal at the top? Right now I have caps on the top but they aren't glued down. Wondering if that is sufficient to keep an anaerobic zone?
Here is the reactor I built. Hopefully it would make Donovan proud!
It's 3 inch pvc in 24" sections so I didn't have to cut them! The media inside is all one inch ceramic rings with some rubble rock at the bottom of each chamber. I just started the vodka dosing yesterday (5ml broken into 4 doses throughout the day).
I am having a bit of trouble dialing the flow down low enough. Part of that is because I teed off my reactor pump plumbing with a 3/4" ball valve which is not ideal for adjustment. I have a 3/8" valve coming to get better adjustment.
I am also wondering if my effluent line is a tad too large? Especially the barb attached to the reactor.
Final question would be do I need a strong seal at the top? Right now I have caps on the top but they aren't glued down. Wondering if that is sufficient to keep an anaerobic zone?
Colin_S
Active Member
I did the excat same here. 1ml per 24hr and my 1/4" rodi vale is fully open. My No3 went to 0, but now back up at 5ppm, target 10ppm.
I'm leaving mine installed so i have something ready if needed.
So I have decided to give this a shot because like many people on here the nitrates in my tank have been consistently high 80-100+ basically since I started the tank two years ago.
Here is the reactor I built. Hopefully it would make Donovan proud!
It's 3 inch pvc in 24" sections so I didn't have to cut them! The media inside is all one inch ceramic rings with some rubble rock at the bottom of each chamber. I just started the vodka dosing yesterday (5ml broken into 4 doses throughout the day).
I am having a bit of trouble dialing the flow down low enough. Part of that is because I teed off my reactor pump plumbing with a 3/4" ball valve which is not ideal for adjustment. I have a 3/8" valve coming to get better adjustment.
I am also wondering if my effluent line is a tad too large? Especially the barb attached to the reactor.
Final question would be do I need a strong seal at the top? Right now I have caps on the top but they aren't glued down. Wondering if that is sufficient to keep an anaerobic zone?
i would reduce the effluent to 1/4" rodi, easy to get hold of a reducer and a 1/4" valve to control the flow. This will prevent air gettin back into the anerobic side
Colin_S
Active Member
i would see if you could get a fitting to allow a screw top or something, just incase pressure builds up, but it looks like a good build.
How long you been running it and have whats your no3 in DT and reactor?
How long you been running it and have whats your no3 in DT and reactor?
I am actually not too far off from that size. I have 3/16 ID tubing. RO tubing is 5/32. I have it at a steady trickle today. I think at the barb there is no air getting in but it's tough to tell.
I was thinking of using a silicon grease or something like that to create a seal but not permanent.
NO3 in the display is around 100. I haven't checked the reactor yet as it has only been running 4 days and I just started dosing vodka yesterday so I figured it would be too soon to see a nitrate reduction yet.
Colin_S
Active Member
before you change anything, give it a day or 2, test the reactor. if the reactor drops from your DT then you're on the right track. For me my reactor dropped slowly but a decrease was a decrease so i was happy. Flow really is the key. The more mature the reactor the better the performance.
if it starts to smell of sulphate (eggs) increase the flow a bit. i would recommend placing the effluent in a filter sock to catch the bacteria slime.
if it starts to smell of sulphate (eggs) increase the flow a bit. i would recommend placing the effluent in a filter sock to catch the bacteria slime.
I tested this morning and no change in NO3. If anything it looks higher (which I believe is a good sign from somewhere I read in this thread.)
I also realized I can't even seal part of the reactor as I need to add the bacteria (I'm using seachem stability).
Hopefully when I return from my trip next week I will see a difference.
Colin_S
Active Member
I remember reading as well, the no3 can increase when it's "cycling". Try and keep the flow at 10% per 24hrs, this seems very slow, it was a quick drip for me.
The 3/8” valve is much more helpful in controlling the flow rate than a 3/4” ball valve so I’ve got a slow trickle going now. It will probably even slow a bit more as bacteria builds up. There was already a little sludge on the end of the effluent tube yesterday.
Right now the flow appears to be about 90-120 ml/min which is close to 10% for my 350 gallon system. Hopefully there will be a nitrate reduction when I test after I return from my trip this week!
Right now the flow appears to be about 90-120 ml/min which is close to 10% for my 350 gallon system. Hopefully there will be a nitrate reduction when I test after I return from my trip this week!
Small update. The flow rate has definitely decreased over the past week. It's currently at about 50ml/min. There is a sludge hanging off the output of the effluent line (lovely I know!)
I think there has been a reduction in nitrate on the effluent. I have a difficult time reading the high end of the salifert test so it's not the easiest for me to tell. It looks closer to 50ppm now vs what was almost certainly over 100ppm. I'm going to have to take photos for reference going forward I guess. Fortunately it's very easy to tell when nitrates are on the low end because the water looks much clearer.
Edit: Also when should I consider upping my carbon dose of I'm not getting the desired nitrates?
I think there has been a reduction in nitrate on the effluent. I have a difficult time reading the high end of the salifert test so it's not the easiest for me to tell. It looks closer to 50ppm now vs what was almost certainly over 100ppm. I'm going to have to take photos for reference going forward I guess. Fortunately it's very easy to tell when nitrates are on the low end because the water looks much clearer.
Edit: Also when should I consider upping my carbon dose of I'm not getting the desired nitrates?
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Colin_S
Active Member
Good news for the reduced flow/bacteria build up, means your on the right track. Try and avoid it blocking up. I used the API nitrate for High readings, really easy to use and to seeing the different colours. then once it drops to less than 10ppm I switched to salifert.
test your dt and reactor at the same time and compare the results. The OP said to test 1hr after dosing, I however liked to test just before dosing to see what the reactor is running at.
If u test 1 hr after dosing you will know if the reactor is working or not.
The slower the flow the better the performance the more bacteria build up.
test your dt and reactor at the same time and compare the results. The OP said to test 1hr after dosing, I however liked to test just before dosing to see what the reactor is running at.
If u test 1 hr after dosing you will know if the reactor is working or not.
The slower the flow the better the performance the more bacteria build up.
It looks like I am on track. Here are my nitrate readings from today. Looks like the reactor is working! Now how would I go about determining a maintenance dose? I am still doing the 5 mls over 4 doses throughout the day.
The vial on the bottom is the reactor effluent. The top one is my tank.
Colin_S
Active Member
Good to hear. It looks like you pretty much got it where it should be. You don't want the dt 0, so depending on what you no3 target is. 10ppm is a good target and by the picture it looks to be that.
give it a week and if the DT hasn't dropped further you could either try and get the reactor closer to 0 by either slowing the flow or increasing the dose.
For me the flow was the key. keep an eye on the effluent that it doesn't block, but the slower the flow the better the performance. As long as no air goes into the anaerobic chamber. As the reactor matures further you should be able to increase the flow and lower the dose.
its just a balancing act
give it a week and if the DT hasn't dropped further you could either try and get the reactor closer to 0 by either slowing the flow or increasing the dose.
For me the flow was the key. keep an eye on the effluent that it doesn't block, but the slower the flow the better the performance. As long as no air goes into the anaerobic chamber. As the reactor matures further you should be able to increase the flow and lower the dose.
its just a balancing act
Yes I assumed this would be a lot like tuning my calcium reactor. The feedback is just a bit slower though. I agree I've got about 10ppm effluent and 5-10 is where I would like my tank to be.
This was very helpful. I plan on setting my flow rate to the one Donovan recommended of 10% of water volume per day. Then adjust the carbon dose for an effluent between 5-10.
Your help is much appreciated!
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