Sulphur reactors out dated?

[Uromastyx]

Hi there
I have been reading a fair bit online regarding sulphur reactors but my LFS says they are outdated! Can I just get some clarification?
I see a fair bit on sale in the states but in Australia I can’t seem to find any for sale like the Korallin or aqua medic, thinking I might DIY.
I’m running the waterbox 220.3 with a mixed reef, got a bit of stock, dosing triton and getting good results, but noticing that nitrates have been creeping up.
Tried No pox but the slime seems be a deterrent for me. I have seen some articles and forums but I just wanted some reassurance that people are still running sulphur reactors?

thanks in advance

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Welcome to R2R. I've only been in the hobby for 3 years, so I'm definitely not an old school reefer. I use a sulfur denitrifier with very good results. It is by far the easiest way I've found to be able to feed heavy and still keep nitrates to a consistently low level. For me, it was a great addition to my equipment.

 

[ca1ore]

What does ‘outdated’ mean? Old, old fashioned, tried and true, obsolete ...... dunno. Sulfur reactors have been around for a while, like skimmers, calcium reactors, centrifugal pumps .... are those a outdated too LOL. The sulfur reactor has certainly fallen out of favor .... maybe that’s what your LFS meant. Truth be told, not sure they were ever all that popular. CaribSea stopped selling the LSM media because there wasn’t much demand. There are other, easier ways to manage nutrient levels, carbon dosing as an example. Sulfur reactor requires attention, but works really well.

 

[Uromastyx]

Welcome to R2R. I've only been in the hobby for 3 years, so I'm definitely not an old school reefer. I use a sulfur denitrifier with very good results. It is by far the easiest way I've found to be able to feed heavy and still keep nitrates to a consistently low level. For me, it was a great addition to my equipment.

Thank you so much! This is essentially what I wanted to hear!

What does ‘outdated’ mean? Old, old fashioned, tried and true, obsolete ...... dunno. Sulfur reactors have been around for a while, like skimmers, calcium reactors, centrifugal pumps .... are those a outdated too LOL. The sulfur reactor has certainly fallen out of favor .... maybe that’s what your LFS meant. Truth be told, not sure they were ever all that popular. CaribSea stopped selling the LSM media because there wasn’t much demand. There are other, easier ways to manage nutrient levels, carbon dosing as an example. Sulfur reactor requires attention, but works really well.

Thank you for your input! Much appreciated. Yes I suspect they mean fallen out of favour.
I will give it a go regardless and post the results! Thank you team

 

[ca1ore]

Spelling suggests you’re in the UK?

 

[Uromastyx]

Spelling suggests you’re in the UK?

Haha I’m definitely in Australia
I think we use both over here but I can be totally wrong

 

[Thespammailaccount]

However they are very efficient you can nuke your tank and the gas can be harmful to your health

 

[tehmadreefer]

Yes outdated by modern standards but they work very well.

 

[tehmadreefer]

However they are very efficient you can nuke your tank and the gas can be harmful to your health

just false

 

[ca1ore]

Haha I’m definitely in Australia
I think we use both over here but I can be totally wrong

ah, that works too lol .... was the extra U in favor.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

As far as the amount of attention my denitrifier needed, as soon as I was able to cycle it and dial it in (no harder than dialing in a calcium reactor) I never had to touch it again.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Here's my diy, made from RO pre-filter canisters, only moving parts is a 1/4" shutoff valve, I let water from return pump trickle out, it will self adjust on consumption of NO3. Clear canister pre-filter, second one is sulfur last coral sand. No issuses

 

[Reeffraff]

I used one for a while. They definitely work. No doubt about that. However, I found the cycle time to be quite long in my system and the model of sulfur denitrator I was using required very frequent manual gas buildup removal. Ultimately, I took it offline and went with an algae turf scrubber which does and great job of both nitrate AND phosphate removal.

 

[shnapper20]

parkers reef on you tube does a review on them and has had success for quite a long time with them. Ive been using a nitrate reactor and unless your vigilant with biopellet level and flows they can cause nitrate fluctuations in the tank. After watching the review on parkers reef I intend to set one up on my next tank.