New Nitrate Removal Korallin Sulfur-Based BioDenitrator

[Avi]

Originally posted by Geddex
Unfortunately that rapid change seemed to put my tank out of balance with unwanted algae growth and coral death for a period of time. Once the algae outbursts stopped the tank has worked perfectly and very stable.

Grazie mille for that response, Geddex. That's exactly the kind of info I'm looking for so that there aren't any surprises if I get a biodenitrator. I've been doing a series of water changes to see if I can get this nitrate issue under control. The strange thing is, that I have no algae issues at all and none of the coral or other invers are showing any stress of other problems. That report about coral death and unwanted algae when you installed your biodenitrator in your reef troubles me because, like I said, everything seems good, so obviously I don't want to chance the kind of experience that you had...even if it was temporary.

Do you have any theory on why algae did appear and the water quality was affected to the point that coral actually died once you installed the denitrator? Did anything show up in your water testing at that time? Do you know why the denitrator apparently serves as a friendly place for algae to grow in if there's light on around it?

Mi dispiace to bother you with all these questions but the biodenitrator was kind of my best hope of beating these elevated nitrates.....Alan

[Geddex]

Unfortunately I can not properly answer any of your questions. Maybe someone else can.

I do not have proof that my problems were caused by the denitrator but it was likely to think so since the problems appeared when the denitrator was introduced. However, again, that is only an opinion of mine.

This is a thread from that time
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=398240

As always most changes done to a reeftank should be done slowly and gradually, so I would recommend you lower your nitrates that way.

[Avi]

Even though it was short, it does shed a little light on the issue. Seems to me that the small problem you had with the green hair algae and the coral setback was due to the high nitrates that you had. The brown stuff seems, as mentioned there, to have been cyano. You didnt mention if you tested for silicates, but also as mentioned in that thread, the brown stuff was probably able to capitalize on those to outcompete with the green algae for some reason when the nitrates dropped. It was most likely, an unforeseen water balance thing that caused the brown cyano. I doubt that it means that the same thing would happen in any reef to which a sulfur denitrator might be added. As Randy pointed out it might, but it's unlikely that the sulfur and silicates are related. Ane, THANKS again, Geddex, for posting here.

[ReefAddict1]

Geddex -- does the algae growthin in your denitrator look similar to the pics I posted in this thread?

[Geddex]

ReefAddict1, the algae growth shown in your pic looks very similar to what I have seen in mine and other sulfur based biodenitrators.

[jacmyoung]

I want to ask some of you who used the denitrators with success, how have our reefkeeping routine changed before and after? Do your tanks look much better? Do you clean the glass less frequently? Have you reduced water changes? Do you think you can even get ride of the skimmer? Can you finally kick back and let the tank do things all on its own, just enjoy the view?

Of course yes to only one of the questions would be good enough.

[HVF21221]

Any updates on how the sulphur is working out? I just finished my reactor and I am waiting for the bacteria to colonize.

[cbicop]

Hello All,

I just wanted to drop a note saying dont spend alot of money on one of the commercial units... I took two phosban reactors and filled them with no-no3 and run the effulent through my calcium reactor to buffer the acidic water and presto chango after a month I have NO algae in my tank WHATSOEVER.

My PH is stable at 8.3 and I DO NOT have to use CO2 on my calcium reactor anymore as the product water from my cheap version of a sulphur reactor has replaced the CO2. My calcium levels FOR ONCE are stable at 500.... can I get a hallelujah!?!

My corals are flat out LUVIN it... my frogspawn is jutting out new branches for the first time in 3 years.

My macro algae in my refugium is not having to compete with microalge and is flourishing... I might actually have to trim it.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY... do it yourself!!! This was very easy to do.

I took one powerhead (the cheaper and slower the rate the better) and hooked it to my phosban like normal, then chained that phosban to another phosban. I put a water flow regulator before the first phosban so as to not create back pressure in the reactor. I took the product water from my second phosban reactor and used a $0.79 cent universal hose connector from autozone to connect the hose from my sulphur reactor to my calcium reactor and then adjusted my drip rate like normal out of my calcium reactor.

I am happy!!! VERY HAPPY!

cop.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Did you have elevated nitrate before adding the no-NO3? How do you know it is doing anything for nitrate? Maybe it is binding phosphate or something else? Or nothing??

Who makes that product?

[cmc5dc]

Interested w/ your response towards Randy, also do you have any pics of your set-up...sounds interesting

[cbicop]

Believe me I am soo excited I actually have something to contribute back to this site after all I have gleened off of it.

NO-NO3 is manufactured by CaribSea... it is very new.
www.carib-sea.com
Ft.Pierce, Florida
772-461-1113

Randy I have not been able to measure any nitrates or phosphates in my tank for the last three years... I have been plagued by every kind of algae that I have read about on reef central. Through doing everything suggested on reef central I managed to get the algaes down to just hair algae... but it just would not go away.

The LFS and I believe the only reason why I cant measure any phosphates, silicates or nitrates is because of the microalgae and macroalgae in my tank and refugium is consumeing it.

I promise I will post a pic of the sulphur reactor I made... it isnt much... was very easy to make. I am soo excited! The microalgae in my tank over a period of a month turned white, fell to the sand, disintegrated and was consumed out of my tank!

CaribSea makes two kinds of media one that is crushed sulphur and one that is a combination of crushed sulphur with crushed araganite to buffer the acidity of the product water. I first saw this product in Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine and absolutely drove my LFS (Aquatic Critter) insane until they got a huge canister of both types of media in. They gave me both since they were samples!

I went with the combination one but have no reservations on using the pure sulphur when I run out of combo as running it through the calcium reactor before it hits my sump at 3 drops a second buffers it completely.

Man i used to have to mess with getting my bubble rate right and that would affect my ph.... back and forth omg. Not now... I actually have correct params and my corals are healthy and happy.

I am soo excited!

All i did was take a powerhead and connect it to a phosban reactor like you normally would, then run the out into the in of a second reactor, and the out from the second into the water in of my calcium reactor. I have a valve restricting the water flow before the first phosban reactor and finally the normal water valve restrictor of the effluent comming from the calcium reactor.

I was checking my refugium for aptasia tonight and found that im getting calcious algae in my fuge... This has been a prob for me to grow for years but with that acidic water omg I get 500 for calcium easy... way better than co2.

I feel like im just rambeling so I will shut up now.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

OK, thanks for the info.

I'm glad it seem to be helping your tank.

How did you decide what was an appropriate flow rate?

[Avi]

Originally posted by cbicop
CaribSea makes two kinds of media one that is crushed sulphur and one that is a combination of crushed sulphur with crushed araganite to buffer the acidity of the product water.

All i did was take a powerhead and connect it to a phosban reactor like you normally would, then run the out into the in of a second reactor, and the out from the second into the water in of my calcium reactor. I have a valve restricting the water flow before the first phosban reactor and finally the normal water valve restrictor of the effluent comming from the calcium reactor.

Can you explain the reason why you have the water coming from the second phosban reactor going into your calcium reactor? If the CaribSea combo is used would you still have to use the calcium reactor in the process? Hey, thanks cop, for this idea.

[cbicop]

I ran the second one through my calcium reactor because it stated on the canister that the product water would be acidic... so since all of the suphur reactor articles I found online were using a pile of aragonite to buffer the product water I thought... Hey I wonder if this product water can save me money if I push it through my calcium reactor.


Randy I am an intermediate reefer at best... I just set the water comming out of my reactor to 3 drips per second because if I do that my calcium was registering at 500 stable.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Sulfur reactors may require more attention than that. An inappropriate flow rate may cause formation of hydrogen sulfide, so be careful.

[Avi]

Originally posted by cbicop
I ran the second one through my calcium reactor because it stated on the canister that the product water would be acidic... so since all of the suphur reactor articles I found online were using a pile of aragonite to buffer the product water I thought... Hey I wonder if this product water can save me money if I push it through my calcium reactor.

Sorry, but I'm not certain that I understand fully....which canister says that...the container that the combo product comes in? I thought that the combo is an admixure of the no-nitrate and aragonite which would do the buffering. Or, do you think that a calcium reactor is essential to the use of this product if you don't use it in a bio-denitrator?

[cmc5dc]

cbicop
Any pics would be appreciated

[Avi]

cbcop...If I were to use the "Combo" would I still need to run the water coming out of the reactors though a calcium reactor like you do to buffer the water?

[prezioso73]

I second that emotion...

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, passing the effluent from such a reactor over CaCO3 (or through a reactor) may help bring up the pH some, but it does not alter the fact that the method depletes alkalinity relative to calcium.

If you use it and do not pass it over CaCO3, alkalinity and pH decline.

If you pass it over enough CaCO3 to maintain alkalinity, pH will still be a bit low, though perhaps not as low, and calcium may rise.

It is not a chemically balanced method in therms of alkalinity, unlike nitrate export via macroalgae, DSB, etc.

[Avi]

Randy...I very much appreciate your explanation. Can you shed a little more light on the adviseability of using this KIND of product (the "combo")? Basically, I'd like to know if it will result in a kind of radical drop in the alkalinity and pH that you mentioned...or...is it a small and slow drop that could be easily adjusted with constant water testing and the use of such products as, say, Seachem's Reef Builder. Again, thanks for your help on this.

[cbicop]

well I used the combo aragonite/sulphur mix and it has a note on the side of the canister stating that the product water can be acidic. So I figured I would run it through my calcium reactor just to be safe... This was good as it must be acidic because it is converting the aragonite to calcium without me adding co2.

Sorry I havent taken a pic yet... will try to.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I'd like to know if it will result in a kind of radical drop in the alkalinity and pH that you mentioned...or...is it a small and slow drop that could be easily adjusted with constant water testing and the use of such products as, say, Seachem's Reef Builder.

Unless you start with high nitrate that you drop rapidly, you can keep up with this sort of method just fine by adding an appropriate buffer to replace the lost alkalinity. It just makes calcium and alkalinity no longer a set it and forget it proposition, as one might have using a balanced calcium and alkalinity additive method and other means of nitrate control.

[Avi]

I believe I've got a much better understanding of this thanks to you Randy...and thanks, cbicop, for raising this issue.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Good luck and let us know how it works out.