I have had this system up and running for a month now and all I can say is I am unsure this was even worth the $$. The effluent coming out of the drip back to the sump is darker color than the tank water in the NO3 test. Here's a photo of the test.
The drip rate is almost none existent, 1 drip per sec. or less.
The right is the effluent from the drip, the left is the tank.
There are is a bunch of air in the reactor but it won't go away...
Any ideas?
Holy ****, Fudsey, is that you?? This is Rags ! I didnt realize it was you who was the OP.
Can you take a couple more pictures of your unit (the nitrate reactor that is). I want to compare how you set yours up to make sure i did it right lol. (you can send them via FB if you'd like)
I pulled out my remote deep sand bed last week or so and did a 25% water change. I was expecting nitrates to climb over the last week or so.
I was able to get my nitrate reactor online a couple of days ago. I used a 70/30 split and I have about 2" of void above the calcium.
It's been quite successful at lowering the ph of my tank, so much so that yesterday i turned off both the aqualifter and main pump until i get kalkwasser online (which should be tonight). Im using a doser to add kalkwasser which will help counteract the ph lowering. If not i will adjust my sulfur / calcium percentages.
I have about 2-3 drops per second coming out of the nitrate reactor.
It did take awhile to purge most of the air out of the system, there is still some in there though but it doesnt seem to be bothering anything. To help purge the air i just tilted the unit over about 30 degrees or so and most of it came out.
As far as nitrates are concerned, i did my water testing yesterday and my nitrates were between 1ppm and 3 but closer to 1 (nyos test kit). I was shocked by this low number. I had a nitrate spike a few weeks ago (hit between 12-15) so i was definitely thinking my nitrates would raise after pulling out the sand bed. I have a 4" thick marinepure block, im guessing that it has finally seeded and is pulling nitrates out of the water. Makes me question if i have enough nitrates to get the reactor seeded. (If not i can use it on my other tanks)
Anyways, i would stay the course on this. A nitrate reactor isn't a new concept. I had just finished reading about nitrate reactors in julian sprung's The Reef Aquarium book when marine depot had their sale. You've had yours running for only been 4 weeks or so, and jsin mentioned it took 6 for his to get rolling. (I've read 6 to 8 elsewhere as well). I recommend increasing the output to 2-3 drops per second, letting that settle in for a bit then re-running the nitrate tests. Also, be sure to run the test before any water changes. Since the reactor recirculates it will take awhile to get the old water out.
Jason
