New Nitrate Removal Korallin Sulfur-Based BioDenitrator - Page 9

capt. insano · #**201** 12/27/2005, 09:25 AM

HVF21221-
where did you buy the sulphur beads for your DIY reactor??

Cbicop-
any pics of your setup??

HVF21221 · #**202** 12/27/2005, 11:30 AM

Aquatic Eco.

capt. insano · #**203** 12/27/2005, 11:37 AM

are you running this on your 120?? Have you seen any shift in the nitrates yet?

How much did this DIY cost you and how hard was it??

TIA

HVF21221 · #**204** 12/27/2005, 01:19 PM

I am running mine on my new 250 tank which already has high nitrates.
I think mine is cycling slow due to lower than normal temps. My equipment is on the other side of the wall in my basement which is cooler. The reactor output levels are about 1/3 less then the main tank so I think I am on the right track.
This is not that hard to build if you are a DIY kind of person, I ordered most of my stuff from US plastics.

prezioso73 · #**205** 12/27/2005, 04:12 PM

I am going with a RDSB (remote deep sand bed) for denitration.
Supposed to lower nitrates...low cost...easy setup.

Check it out:
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...31#post6365631

capt. insano · #**206** 12/27/2005, 05:49 PM

per Cbicop's post, I read up on Caribsea's new products, LSM and No-No3

extremely hard to find as they are so new, but I did manage to find one online store carrying them

Caribsea Granulated Sulphur
No-No3

At $15 and $25 a pop......I think its worth a try. I like the idea of using the cheaper Phosban reactors in a chain, but what do you guys think about a good fluidized bed reactor, like the lifegard 600 for a larger size tank??

I was thinking of running two of the 600's chained together. One would be filled with the new caribsea No-No3 media and the other with ARM media (to help re-buffer the effluent from the first one)
Lifegard Fluidized bed filter

$65 @ Drsfosterandsmith.com

Thoughts??

capt. insano · #**207** 12/29/2005, 07:26 PM

well, I will let you all know about my experiences with Caribsea's new medias

I have ordered a Rainbow 600 fluidized bed filter, which I will fill with LSM, then No-No3, and then some aragonite media. It will have a 250 gph pump

Avi · #**208** 12/29/2005, 09:29 PM

Well, Caps...I'm gonna watch because I think you're on to something, so please give us some updates...thanks.

ReefAddict1 · #**209** 12/29/2005, 09:32 PM

HVF21221 -- Awesome DIY reactor job! Hope it works out well for you.

cbicop · #**210** 12/30/2005, 07:22 PM

im still seeing no nitrates, no algae, 450 on my calcium, 8.3 on ph and normal alk... no adverse effects as of yet.

capt. insano · #**211** 01/05/2006, 06:28 PM

.

hahnmeister · #**212** 01/05/2006, 07:09 PM

Well, I got my DIY reactor up and running. Got the Milwaukee ORP on the outlet (in a foam cup) and a slow rate going in. I used an old eheim 2217 filter I had laying around, looped it into itself, and spliced inlet/outlet lines off of this.

Well see how it goes.

Oh, BTW, you can get the carib-sea stuff through custom aquatic...they have a deal where carib ships direct when you pay custom aquatic.

carpetride · #**213** 01/05/2006, 07:28 PM

Anyone else having similar results as cbicop?

cmc5dc · #**214** 01/05/2006, 10:39 PM

cbicop,

Glad to hear you are having results but in your previous statement you mentioned you were not having any nitrate problem for 3 years. Did you apply this DIY to rid your algae problems?

capt. insano · #**215** 01/05/2006, 11:10 PM

I got the reactor up and going - I think its going to work

I had never used a fluidized bed filter before, but this lifeguard 600 is pretty decent. I will be receiving the caribsea LSM and No-NO3 tommorrow

This thing is the perfect height for my sump. Like it was custome made for this rubbermaid

it is being run on a 300 gph submersible pump. Like I said earlier, I plan to put the No-no3 at the bottom, then the LSM, then some ARM media to buffer the pH of the effluent

hahnmeister · #**216** 01/05/2006, 11:26 PM

Crushed Shells works better because they dissolve easier unless your pH gets reaaally low...which you dont want.

HVF21221 · #**217** 01/06/2006, 06:33 AM

Capt.

Quote:

it is being run on a 300 gph submersible pump.

Is that too much flow through the reactor? I'm not sure it will create an anoxic environment for the bacteria. Maybe you planning to put a valve on the effluent once your media is in there to dial it back.

capt. insano · #**218** 01/06/2006, 09:17 AM

good idea, I will do that. I thought I might be able to get away with a few more gph since this unit is over twice as tall as the Korallin unit

hahnmeister · #**219** 01/06/2006, 12:58 PM

But thats recirculating right? Your actual throughput should be a drip.

capt. insano · #**220** 01/07/2006, 12:07 AM

alright, here is what I have so far

The entire denitrator as it is now

The effluent bypass from the recirculating pump

Feed-inlet

diagram of how I hope it will work

From what I have read, the effluent should be kept at 1 drop per second for 2-3 weeks, then can be increased to 2 or 3 drops per second there after. Ther recirculating pump will hopefully decrease the likelihood of stagnant areas within the media.

Things I like about the setup so far.....price (cheap), easy to plug together, sturdy build

Things I don't like: I had never worked with one of these fluidized filters before and had assumed the top came off. well, it does't. So that is going to make getting the media in there fun, but I will make do. It has a 1" hole that you pour the media into, the plug it up.

I will fire this thing up as soom as the LSM and No-NO3 medias arrive and I will keep you all posted as to the results. My current nitrates hover around 50-60 ppm on a 400 gallon total system

hahnmeister · #**221** 01/07/2006, 12:43 AM

Something just popped in my head when I saw that last pic. It looks like a nice setup, but you are right...you cant get the top off. DONT DO IT. Make a chamber, or use an old cannister filter.

Here's why: The sulphur will turn into a sludge as it breaks down. The arag will also melt and they will turn into a solid block of crud after time that you will never be able to remove through that little port.

Sorry I didnt think of this earlier, but its very important to have a whole removble lid here.

Also, the problem with the pump on that FB is that it will fluidize the sulpher and arag, mixing them and preventing the proper reactions from happening. The two need a clear divide. Or they will create a solid brick. Look at the korralin or other models...they all are set up like this.

A phos-ban reactor would be good, but too small. Maybe two hooked up in a loop, with one for sulphur and the other for crushed coral.

Not sure BTW why you NO-NO3 media in there. This type of reactor wont need it.

capt. insano · #**222** 01/07/2006, 09:32 AM

hahnmeister-

good points! That is why I post here, because I appreciated scrutiny of my design and constructive criticism.

I may still use this model, with only caribsea's new No-NO3 media in it. If you are unfamiliar with this stuff, it is sulphur bound to aragonite. In this way, I wouldn't get the mixing of the two separate medias and with the fluidized action, I should be able to avoid the aragonite hardening. Also, I believe that even with the fluidized bed "stirring" everything up, it should be a very low oxygen environment, as the filter will only recirculate to stir the media, and new water will only be added by drops from the aqualifter

I may fashion something else for the LSM media......*starts to think*

capt. insano · #**223** 01/07/2006, 09:36 AM

just remembered! I have two 6" diameter x 12" tall pieces of acrylic tubing that I just bought off ebay (very cheap!)

I will get some flanges from JDMtechnologies.net, some uniseals, and voila, my LSM/aragonite media chambers will be next!

hahnmeister · #**224** 01/07/2006, 10:12 AM

Im not worried so much about the flow through the unit...as its only recirculating and you could have 500gph going through there and as long as the throughput is only 1 drop per second or close, you have nothing to worry about.

That media is going to turn into mush and solidify, no matter if its sulpher, mixed with arag, or whatever...or even if you seperate it. You need the full clearance of a complete lid to work on the stuff.

I have two of those FB900 filters, and a FB300 still in my basement from my african cichlid fry growing vats (one of the FB900s on a 300g rubbermaid vat can grow alot of fry), and havent found a use since. Maybe carbon/phosban.

cbicop · #**225** 01/07/2006, 10:31 AM

"cbicop,

Glad to hear you are having results but in your previous statement you mentioned you were not having any nitrate problem for 3 years. Did you apply this DIY to rid your algae problems?"

I wasnt showing nitrates because of all the algae consumming it... the do it yourself denitrator turned all of this around. Now I have no alge AND I also have no nitrates