Sulfur denitrator

[ScottF]

Anyone have any experience or tips for setting up a sulfur denitrator? It doesn't seem like anyone still sells recirculating sulfur denitrators. I'm guessing that I will have to purchase a calcium reactor instead and cap the CO2 port.

I have been dosing vinegar saturated with calcium hydroxide, but my tank hasn't seemed as happy since I started doing that. I figure maybe getting all of that aerobic bacteria out of the water column and replacing it with anaerobic bacteria in a sulfur reactor is worth a try.

It also seems more "set it and forget it" than carbon dosing.

 

[Sean Clark]

I have been running one for a decade. I wouln't set up a tank without one. You can purchase them from PacificSun and have it shipped. Expensive but very nice stuff.

You can also purchase them from Geo's Reef.

 

[JumboShrimp]

You might want to do an R2R search of my threads-- back when I set this up on my 150-gallon FOWLR I tried to document some of the challenges I ran into. One day I might get bored and give it another go. (I even have a second never-out-of-the-box unit that was supposed to be for my second 150. Maybe one day I'll sell it.)

 

[ScottF]

I have been running one for a decade. I wouln't set up a tank without one. You can purchase them from PacificSun and have it shipped. Expensive but very nice stuff.

You can also purchase them from Geo's Reef.

I'm guessing that with the PacificSun unit, you would use one chamber for the sulfur beads and the other for aragonite?

 

[Sean Clark]

I'm guessing that with the PacificSun unit, you would use one chamber for the sulfur beads and the other for aragonite?

Correct. That is how I have mine setup. The aragonite helps buffer the pH back up a bit.

 

[Miami Reef]

Sulfur denitrators avoid the excessive bacterial growth high doses of organic carbon can cause. It will deplete alkalinity and reduce pH, and the extent of that depends on how much nitrate is reduced.

I was considering it myself, but I ultimately went with an algae scrubber + NP Bacto balance, and it seems to working very well for me.

 

[ScottF]

Sulfur denitrators avoid the excessive bacterial growth high doses of organic carbon can cause. It will deplete alkalinity and reduce pH, and the extent of that depends on how much nitrate is reduced.

I was considering it myself, but I ultimately went with an algae scrubber + NP Bacto balance, and it seems to working very well for me.

Doesn't the respiration of the aerobic bacteria from carbon dosing also reduce the pH? I wonder which has a bigger hit to pH.

I have been fully saturating vinegar with calcium hydroxide to try to negate the pH hit, but it seems like it is still lowering my pH.

 

[ScottF]

Correct. That is how I have mine setup. The aragonite helps buffer the pH back up a bit.

Is your Neptune AFS feeding into your return pump chamber? If so, any issues with pellets settling to the bottom without getting sucked into the return pumps? I've thought about moving my AFS to the sump like that.

 

[Miami Reef]

Doesn't the respiration of the aerobic bacteria from carbon dosing also reduce the pH? I wonder which has a bigger hit to pH.

I have been fully saturating vinegar with calcium hydroxide to try to negate the pH hit, but it seems like it is still lowering my pH.

Yes. Both will lower the pH except for the kalkwasser + vinegar, but that will raise alk and Ca, unfortunately.

I believe, but could be wrong, that the CO₂ generated from either carbon dosing or sulfur denitrators is dependent on how much nitrate is removed. I think they are equal in that regard.

 

[Sean Clark]

Is your Neptune AFS feeding into your return pump chamber? If so, any issues with pellets settling to the bottom without getting sucked into the return pumps? I've thought about moving my AFS to the sump like that.

Yes it is, I have three of them all dropping into the return chamber. I have a small power head in the return chamber that keeps everything suspended off of the bottom. It all makes it into the pump and up into the display.

 

[X-37B]

Just took my Deltec no3 reactor offline.
I pulled through the unit with a Kamoer, no reserc pump. Very easy to keep no3 @ any number you want.
I also run a carx so taking the no3 offline helped ph.
I now does Kalk 24/7 @ 2ml a minute. This has kept low ph at 7.9. Prior was 7.6 at night. Got a bump from 8.1 day to 8.2.

I am getting 6.5 out of my carx and 6.7 out of my no3 reactor.

Corals have responded well to the increased ph.

 

[ScottF]

Yes. Both will lower the pH except for the kalkwasser + vinegar, but that will raise alk and Ca, unfortunately.

Raising alk and calc is a feature. Between the 55 gallon brute can of normal kalkwasser dosing at my evaporation rate and the jug of "kalk-gar", most of my calc/alk is covered. I only have to dose a tiny bit of two part.

 

[ScottF]

Correct. That is how I have mine setup. The aragonite helps buffer the pH back up a bit.

Have you purchased from Pacific Sun? I am trying to order their SR-200, but their "PayU" payment system is giving me an inconsistent currency error. I emailed them and they will invoice me, but I would feel better about sending $600 to some random website in Poland if I know they are legit.

 

[Sean Clark]

Correct. That is how I have mine setup. The aragonite helps buffer the pH back up a bit.

Have you purchased from Pacific Sun? I am trying to order their SR-200, but their "PayU" payment system is giving me an inconsistent currency error. I emailed them and they will invoice me, but I would feel better about sending $600 to some random website in Poland if I know they are legit.

Yes, I purchased a reactor from them. They are legit. I had the same worries when I ordered. I used a credit card. I don't think they had the PayU system when I ordered.

 

[ScottF]

Yes, I purchased a reactor from them. They are legit. I had the same worries when I ordered. I used a credit card. I don't think they had the PayU system when I ordered.

What sulfur beads do you use? I saw on one thread where someone thought that they were using media that was too fine. Do you just use something like Reborn for the Aragonite?

 

[CHSUB]

Have you purchased from Pacific Sun? I am trying to order their SR-200, but their "PayU" payment system is giving me an inconsistent currency error. I emailed them and they will invoice me, but I would feel better about sending $600 to some random website in Poland if I know they are legit.

They have been around a while , had their lights in 2012 and customer service was fine even from Poland. Still have some recourse if purchase goes bad, imo.

 

[X-37B]

What sulfur beads do you use? I saw on one thread where someone thought that they were using media that was too fine. Do you just use something like Reborn for the Aragonite?

I used Geos sulfer. Looks like small flakes.

 

[Sean Clark]

What sulfur beads do you use? I saw on one thread where someone thought that they were using media that was too fine. Do you just use something like Reborn for the Aragonite?

Sulfur pearls from the hydroponics store. Just make sure they are 100% sulfur and don't use clay as a binder. I use seachem reactor media. It is a bit harder than reborn. Any aragonite will work.

 

[ScottF]

Yes, I purchased a reactor from them. They are legit. I had the same worries when I ordered. I used a credit card. I don't think they had the PayU system when I ordered.

I had to jump through a bunch of hoops to make the payment, but I've finally received the reactor. Any recommendations on a feeder pump? It looks like it's using John Guest/RODI fittings and tubing.

 

[Sean Clark]

I had to jump through a bunch of hoops to make the payment, but I've finally received the reactor. Any recommendations on a feeder pump? It looks like it's using John Guest/RODI fittings and tubing.

Kamoer FX-STP