New sulfur denitrator working great!

[SeaDweller]

How long has your unit been running?

Confused as to what might be causing it. Should I just start over with fresh media and vinegar soak the unit?

Mine has been running for almost two months. Never had the mulm issue you and another few people are having and my effluent can produce 0.0 NO3 IF I run it at like 1-2 drops/sec.

Problem I’m having is I’m stuck at 3-4 drops/sec which gives me 2.0 ppm NO3 effluent, which I’m ok with but I should be able to run it with more effluent coming out, but I can’t because I get incomplete NO3 conversion and get NO2 in my readings...

 

[skr791346]

Mine has been running for almost two months. Never had the mulm issue you and another few people are having and my effluent can produce 0.0 NO3 IF I run it at like 1-2 drops/sec.

Problem I’m having is I’m stuck at 3-4 drops/sec which gives me 2.0 ppm NO3 effluent, which I’m ok with but I should be able to run it with more effluent coming out, but I can’t because I get incomplete NO3 conversion and get NO2 in my readings...

Is it possible that your unit is too small for a 240G? TS-1 is rated only upto 200G and I'm guessing they quoted that for a medium-stocked tank with moderate nitrate.

 

[SeaDweller]

Is it possible that your unit is too small for a 240G? TS-1 is rated only upto 200G and I'm guessing they quoted that for a medium-stocked tank with moderate nitrate.

It’s possible but my NO3 is now 10 ppm. Might not even be an issue once my corals grow, but I find it strange with 1.5L worth of media that I can only get 3-4 drops max.

To answer your question, I’m not sure if you should start over cuz then it’ll be back to square one. Not sure what kind of bacteria you have to be causing such a bad biofilm?

 

[SeaDweller]

Yeah this thing works. I have it streaming at 70ml/min and processing 26.6 gpd. Effluent is clear as day. 0.0 ppm NO3 and my tank is a constant 2.5 ppm. I’m going to open it full bore. And just a couple of weeks ago I was like 3-4 drops/sec. Incredible.

 

[mmotown]

Guys I am glad I found this thread and I read through it hoping my issue would have been addressed but it hasn't. I have a Koralin SD and I have been running it for well over a month and I am at a drip rate of 1 dps. I have a 150 gal mixed reef with a nice fish load. My current NO3 level per Salifert is 25/2.5. The effluent coming out of my SD is 0 with a very light and I mean a very light hue of pink between 0 and 1. At what point do I up the drip rate? When I put tank water in the test tube to see how it registers against the color chart, it is clear! When I actually test the effluent like I said is between 0-1. I am feeding my SD with a Kamoer peristaltic pump. At what point do I start upping the drip rate and what do you consider registering NO3 on the test kit? Please advise!!!!!

 

[SeaDweller]

Guys I am glad I found this thread and I read through it hoping my issue would have been addressed but it hasn't. I have a Koralin SD and I have been running it for well over a month and I am at a drip rate of 1 dps. I have a 150 gal mixed reef with a nice fish load. My current NO3 level per Salifert is 25/2.5. The effluent coming out of my SD is 0 with a very light and I mean a very light hue of pink between 0 and 1. At what point do I up the drip rate? When I put tank water in the test tube to see how it registers against the color chart, it is clear! When I actually test the effluent like I said is between 0-1. I am feeding my SD with a Kamoer peristaltic pump. At what point do I start upping the drip rate and what do you consider registering NO3 on the test kit? Please advise!!!!!

You can up it now (if you haven’t done so). I eventually went full bore.

 

[SeaDweller]

So my SD is working TOO well. I have 0.20 ppm NO3 MAX and that’s me feeding heavily 2-3 times/day, feeding 8 tangs and 22 anthias amongst some smaller fish too.

If I drop the effluent rate (or I guess I could decrease the inflow to the reactor), is there any harm in this, and in doing so it should INCREASE my available NO3 right? I might be seeing some cyano so I want a measurable 2-5 ppm NO3.

These things work TOO well.

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

After it has cycled you should not reduce the flow. It will cause it to produce Hydrogen Sulfide gas which is very dangerous to fish even in small quantities. Although HS is a gas and does not mix well in water but as we know fish use their gills to separate gas from water to survive, they do pick up HS gas and which causes them to look drunk or loopy at low levels, and soon after cause death.
I would increase the flow so bacteria doesnt have enough time to consume all the nitrates coming in.

 

[SeaDweller]

After it has cycled you should not reduce the flow. It will cause it to produce Hydrogen Sulfide gas which is very dangerous to fish even in small quantities. Although HS is a gas and does not mix well in water but as we know fish use their gills to separate gas from water to survive, they do pick up HS gas and which causes them to look drunk or loopy at low levels, and soon after cause death.
I would increase the flow so bacteria doesnt have enough time to consume all the nitrates coming in.

Sounds great. Thanks!

 

[SeaDweller]

So if my tank is literally 0.0-0.2 ppm NO3 on salifert and I don’t take the reactor offline, do I run the risk of bacteria eating the sulfur beads and causing an issue for my acro only tank? Are there harmful byproducts if there’s no NO3? Or does water just pass thru the reactor and they chew up whatever NO3 may be present? I feel like leaving it online so I have the assurance, but please educate me

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

So if my tank is literally 0.0-0.2 ppm NO3 on salifert and I don’t take the reactor offline, do I run the risk of bacteria eating the sulfur beads and causing an issue for my acro only tank? Are there harmful byproducts if there’s no NO3? Or does water just pass thru the reactor and they chew up whatever NO3 may be present? I feel like leaving it online so I have the assurance, but please educate me

If my tank I'd shoot for 5 ppm NO3, you would need to offline when you hit 5 ppm, when I have offline SD I would have a reservoir with salt water and potassium nitrate and let my SD run through that until I needed it again. Reservoir could be 2 gallons or 5 gallons. Just so you know I'm not one of them but some members here are running their tanks 80 ppm+ with no issues. Also keep an eye on your water parameters with time mine were low like alkalinity calcium Etc more than the usual. But I wouldn't trade my SD for anyting

 

[SeaDweller]

If my tank I'd shoot for 5 ppm NO3, you would need to offline when you hit 5 ppm, when I have offline SD I would have a reservoir with salt water and potassium nitrate and let my SD run through that until I needed it again. Reservoir could be 2 gallons or 5 gallons. Just so you know I'm not one of them but some members here are running their tanks 80 ppm+ with no issues. Also keep an eye on your water parameters with time mine were low like alkalinity calcium Etc more than the usual. But I wouldn't trade my SD for anyting

I was shooting for 2.5-5.0 ppm but this SD is so efficient it ate thru all my NO3. When it began to kick in I had like 25-37.5 ppm NO3. I don’t want to dose NO3 to keep the levels up, I’m thinking of taking it offline, but I am feeding my 30+ fish ALOT and it’s not doing anything to keep NO3 up.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I was shooting for 2.5-5.0 ppm but this SD is so efficient it ate thru all my NO3. When it began to kick in I had like 25-37.5 ppm NO3. I don’t want to dose NO3 to keep the levels up, I’m thinking of taking it offline, but I am feeding my 30+ fish ALOT and it’s not doing anything to keep NO3 up.

If possible take offline, determine how long it takes to hit 4ppm, then don't do anything out of the ordinary, you'll know when to reuse, but let SD run in a reservoir with potassium nitrate, till needed.

 

[SeaDweller]

If possible take offline, determine how long it takes to hit 4ppm, then don't do anything out of the ordinary, you'll know when to reuse, but let SD run in a reservoir with potassium nitrate, till needed.

I get what you’re suggesting now. So you keep it offline but passively running still. Got it. Luckily I plumbed it where I can take it offline and reinstall easily.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Great piece of equipment, have one lined up for my new build.

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

If you leave sulfur reactor of line without circulation it will form Hydrogen sulfide gas and nasty black stuff will grow all over in the reactor and will smell like sewage. When you bring it back online all that crap will end up in your tank.
If it's off line without circulation you will need to clean it out by running saltwater through it for a while till it all turn clear or physically open and clean sulfur media then recycle it.
If you use a solenoid to turn its water inlet on and off for few hours during day and night is better solution.

 

[skr791346]

How much of a drop in alk have you guys noticed while using a denitrator?

I didn't notice much a drop while effluent was few drops per second but now that I have effluent full stream, alk dropped sharply and I'm nearly double the amount of alk I used to dose. Just wanted to check and see if this was normal?

 

[jasonrusso]

Mine has been running for almost two months. Never had the mulm issue you and another few people are having and my effluent can produce 0.0 NO3 IF I run it at like 1-2 drops/sec.

Problem I’m having is I’m stuck at 3-4 drops/sec which gives me 2.0 ppm NO3 effluent, which I’m ok with but I should be able to run it with more effluent coming out, but I can’t because I get incomplete NO3 conversion and get NO2 in my readings...

How long until you stopped getting NO2? My reactor is cycled (I can change the ORP readings drastically in an hour either way. I have black bacteria in the reactor telling me I am starving it if NO3, but I still get NO2 in the tests. I can't tell what the NO3 reading is because the NO2 is giving a false positive reading.

I also have air circulating inside (I'm sure it is N2 gas because the bubbles form in the sulfur pellets. Regardless of the gas, my ORP is still -200. Does the N2 matter? If I increase flow from a few drops, the air cycles out. This should take care of itself if I ever open the thing up.

 

[SeaDweller]

How long until you stopped getting NO2? My reactor is cycled (I can change the ORP readings drastically in an hour either way. I have black bacteria in the reactor telling me I am starving it if NO3, but I still get NO2 in the tests. I can't tell what the NO3 reading is because the NO2 is giving a false positive reading.

I also have air circulating inside (I'm sure it is N2 gas because the bubbles form in the sulfur pellets. Regardless of the gas, my ORP is still -200. Does the N2 matter? If I increase flow from a few drops, the air cycles out. This should take care of itself if I ever open the thing up.

It took a few weeks, but I honestly didn’t keep track of how long or actually test for it. I knew it was there because my test immediately became dark pink, when my DT levels were below 10-25. How fast are you dripping it at this point? Mine is full bore, my DT levels are 0.2 ppm and I don’t have black anything in my reactor, detritus, but not black sulfur anything.

I just systematically went from 1-2 drops, then 3-4, stayed there for a while, once I got clear effluent readings, I increased it more, left it a day or two, tested, increased more, etc.

I think you should be at the point where you can go with more effluent.

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

I would increase the flow a little then wait few days increase more. Continue to increase little by little every week till you start to register no3 then cut back little to last days flow where you didnt have any no3.