Update 4/20/24:
At the end of March, I installed a sulfur denitrator (sulfur reactor) as a last resort for nitrate control. This being a predator tank, my nitrates were always elevated in the 60s or 70s and nothing I was doing was able to reduce them long-term. I tried carbon dosing for a bit as well as adding a turf scrubber and nothing seemed to help lower them. Large water changes were a hassle and expensive on a tank this size and only worked for a few days before going right back up. That’s when I discovered this sulfur rector available on BRS:
It was easy to install and I attached it to an extra port off the return manifold.
After just a few weeks of running it, my nitrates have dropped SIGNIFICANTLY!
This thing is a beast and requires virtually 0 maintenance. All I did was add the sulfur and some calcium media in the beginning and let it run. I WILL need to make some adjustments shortly or else I will bottom out my nitrates (something I never thought I’d say).
**Now full disclosure, I also went fallow on 3/8/24 due to an ich outbreak following the addition of a new fish, so the tank has been fishless, foodless, and dark while still running the protein skimmer and roller in addition to the reactor.**
It’s almost time to return the fish to the display tank so I’m curious to see how the reactor will handle a “real” bioload. So far I am loving this reactor and would recommend it to anyone struggling with high nitrates.
More to come!