Biodenitrator question

[Wildreefs]

I set up a used koralin 3002 biodentrator about 3 weeks ago.

Yesterday while doing water change, I noticed the Eheim pump stopped working. Tool pump off and opened it up and saw the magnet cracked in half, and there was like a blackish, brownish rust around the impeller.

I ordered a new pump today, who knows when it will be here. Right now , being the pump is off the unit, I have the valve closed going in, therefore nothing running thru it. Just sitting there with water in it.

Assuming the pump gets here by thursday, can I just install it, and run it for a few hours dripping into a bucket and then out back on line into sump, or should I start over ?

I can also just get some half inch line,
Loop the two pipes together that normally hook up to the pump ports, and trickle water thru it until the pump arrives.


Thanks

 

[Lasse]

What´s your NO3 levels? Are they above 10 ppm?

This is tricky .

In normal heterotrophic denitrification canisters when the water will stay in the canister without recirculation - the first that will happen is that all NO3 in the canister will be denitrified. When NO3 is zero in the canister - Hydrogen sulphide will be produced (of other bacteria) in the canister (smell rotten eggs). In time - it can be a lot. When you start the filter - new NO3 will com in and the production of hydrogen sulphide will be suppressed by the denitrifying bacteria but the hydrogen sulphide in the canister will come out. If you still have the same flow as before - it will take rather lot of time before the denitrifying bacteria compete out the hydrogen sulphide producers. Therefore a higher flow - can be used for flushing the canister and have an even spread of NO3 in the canister.

However - you have a sulphur based denitrification reactor - it means that it is a total other group of bacteria that is responsible for the denitrification - but still the normal hydrogen sulphide producers are there and they are still inactivated by NO3. In your filter - you have much sulphur and - it will be hydrogen sulphide in your canister.

In spite of another type of denitrification filter compared with the one I used of - I would still recommend to flush the filter until you do not sense the smell. But - please do it outside. it is a large filter and hydrogen sulphide is very toxic (deadly) to human (and other animals). It is also that way that you feel the gas for around 60 seconds - after that - your brain adapt and you do not sense the smell as much - but the gas i still there. Even if you chose to rinse the filter totally - do it outside.

The other problem with a sulphur based filter is that it will produce a lot of N02 if you have to high flow. You need the high flow in order for flush the filter from hydrogen sulphide but when you go back to normal flow - you probably will have NO2 in the outcoming water for a while.

Hope this will help

Sincerely Lasse