Is my nitrate too low to cycle a nitrate reactor?

[jasonrusso]

I've had my DIY sulfur denitrator online for about 6 weeks. I have another large reactor on my big tank for about 2 months and it is working ok. The NO3 on the big tank is around 75ppm.

The NO3 on the small tank (with this reactor) is around 10. I tested the effluent and it is also 10. Is this because the NO3 isn't high enough to provide the food for the bacteria in the reactor?

 

[Lasse]

10 ppm should be enough as energy source. Slow down the flow through the reactor as much as you can - wait a while and when you finnaly can read near 0 - turn the flow up untill you will have the outgoing NO3 level at the concentration you prefer.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[laverda]

I agree with Lasse.
I does not sound like the one on your big tank is doing ok, unless your nitrates were much higher before.

 

[jasonrusso]

I agree with Lasse.
I does not sound like the one on your big tank is doing ok, unless your nitrates were much higher before.

Effluent on the big tank reactor is 10ppm

 

[Lasse]

Lower the flow in the big tank´s reactor - you will have lower NO3 output IMO.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[jasonrusso]

Lower the flow in the big tank´s reactor - you will have lower NO3 output IMO.

Sincerely Lasse

It's only at a drip right now. I actually think that NO3 is lower, but I am still getting a trace of NO2 which is skewing the test

 

[Lasse]

Probably yes - these filters is known to produce NO2 in certain situations
Sincerely Lasse

 

[jasonrusso]

Probably yes - these filters is known to produce NO2 in certain situations
Sincerely Lasse

Will the NO2 stop eventually? At first I was thinking it wasn't cycled yet, but I am getting dark regions of very low O2 areas.

 

[Lasse]

Yes it will but rhey can be tricky to use

Sincerely Lasse