biodenitrator

[CoryDude]

Went ahead and bit the bullet and ordered a Korallin s-1502 denitrator today. Anyone have any experience w/this or similar units?

I read Don_N_Sa's thread from a few years back and looked at some other threads at different groups' websites, and the reviews seem generally positive.

If anyone has any hands on experience w/sulfur denitrators, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks!

[SoLiD]

I thought Brian aka GreenMako had one on his tank at one time. You might give him a pm.

[CoryDude]

I checked his sight out to see exactly that. Plus, knowing him, he's got a deltec denitrator. It looks like it uses a diff. process that requires feeding the anaerobic bacteria. I'll pm him anyways, since he's such a good resource for info.

I'f anyone's wants, I'll post future results on hopefull NO3 reductions.

[SoLiD]

Yes, Keep us updated. I've always wondered if they really work.

-David

[CoryDude]

No prob. I'm hoping it shows up before the weekend.

[LoneStar]

I've heard mixed reviews on these. They seem to work but it all depends on what kind of system you are running.

If I remember correctly, Donny used one to help with his nitrate problems. After virtually every trick in the book, this denitrator worked but did not lower his nitrates significantly.

On Brians tank, the unit worked almost too well. Running a bare bottom tank was the reason perhaps. It ended up doing more harm than good.

Maybe either one can chime in here and correct me (Donny, Brian).

[don-n-sa]

Sorry that I did not return your pm , just noticed it.

Short answer...they work great with nitrates 100ppm or UNDER. I ran one on my 240g and it did not work. I had well over 100ppm.

[CoryDude]

Sorry that I did not return your pm , just noticed it.

Short answer...they work great with nitrates 100ppm or UNDER. I ran one on my 240g and it did not work. I had well over 100ppm.

Thanks Don. I followed your progress on your old thread but wasn't sure about the results 2 years later. Sounds like it might work for me since my tank is under 100ppm and is only 90 gallons. I'll keep posting results as they are available.

[CoryDude]

Unit arrived on Friday as scheduled. First impression is that the unit is very well put together. Schedule 80 pvc, heavy duty fittings, etc. Second impression, is the smell. Ughhh! The sulphur beads smell like fresh pvc cement.

Got everything together w/no leaks on the first try. Yea! The gate valve to control h2o flow is a little finicky, but good first impression all around. Got the effluent drip started and will test it next week.

Starting parameters for tank are normal for PH, Alk, Mg, Ca, Phos, except NO3 which is at 80ppm.

[CoryDude]

Ive been running the denitrator for 1 week and have now cut back to drip rate from 2 drops/sec to 1 drop every 2 secs, as directed. Sulphur beads are becoming spaced apart in the reactor. This is supposed to mean that anerobic bact. are starting to colonize the media and the spacing is due to the production of nitrogen (from what I've read). Effluent nitrate is slightly less than h2o going in w/only 7 days under it's belt. I'm excited and should see more results next week. See y'all next week!

Cory

[SoLiD]

Thanks for the update :wink_smile:

[CoryDude]

Side note. I've been going over equip and tank set-up to find the source of nitrates and I think I've finally found it. I tested new salt water for NO3 and found it to have 20ppm! Shouldn't be that high since I have a ro/di unit. Well I inspected the h2o filter and noticed it was producing h2o very fast. Never noticed before since the h2o container has a float valve.

I spoke w/kent marine support (very nice and helpful) and checked a few items they suggested. Turns out in the ro membrane housing, a small groove had developed in the postwell housing which was allowing some h2o to bypass the membrane layers. I've ordered a new housing, tfc membrane, pre-filters and di cartridge.

Once they arrive I'll do large h2o changes to get the tank to around 50ppm NO3, then I'll let the dinitrator take it from there. Needless to say, I'll be ordering a TDS meter to monitor future h2o production.

[CoryDude]

In case anyone's still interested, here's the latest on the Korallin 1502 biodenitrator.

Effluent has been at 1 drop every 2 secs for 1.5 weeks now. Effluent NO3 is reading 50ppm while the tank is still hovering around 100ppm.

I didn't realize that so much Nitrogen would be produced so early into the reactor's life. I'm bleeding off excess N every night. However, this coupled w/the "pitting" I'm seeing on the sulphur media, seems to indicate everthing is progressing as it should.

Since the unit takes 4-6 weeks to become fully utilized, I'm expecting exponential bacterial growth which should result in even better results. Will post again next week w/update.

[SoLiD]

Yes, I'm following your posts. Keep'em coming.

[CoryDude]

Getting a little discouraged. The reactor is reducing nitrates and is producing a lot of nitrogen, but the effluent NO3 has been stuck on 50ppm for a few weeks now. I've adjusted effluent rate from 1 drop every 2 secs to every 3 secs to see if this helps. That is the one drawback so far on these filters, they require daily maint. If you're looking to set something in your tank and forget about it, then this isn't the equipment for you.

Solid, or anyone else, if you've seen any articles on adjustments to these filters, please pass on the link to me. I'd appreciate it greatly. Thanks.

[SoLiD]

Hmmm. I will start looking around.

[SoLiD]

Check these out:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=626360


http://mars.reefkeepers.net/USHomePage/USArticles/SulphurDenitrator.htm

[CoryDude]

Thanks Solid. I'll start perusing them after this.

Tested the effluent NO3 last night after leaving the drip at 1:3sec and it showed on Salifert to be 25ppm. With a drop ratio of 1 to 1/12ml it should take a little less than 10 days to filter aprox 90 gal. So we'll see if it works.

[CoryDude]

Finally, some progress to report. Slowed effluent drops/sec ratio to 1:5 earlier this week. Salifert kit showed effluent No3 at 2ppm! Tank No3 is now testing at 50ppm on Salifert. Last week it tested at 100ppm. I did a 15 gallon h2o change, but that would only account for a 16% reduction. So, the No3 filter seems to be working.

So far I have not noticed too many detriments with this type of reactor. There has been a slight lowering in ph from 8.3-8.2, which I've read can be the result of the increased sulphur in the water. The unit does need to have excess nitrogen blown off ever couple of days.

I'll retest effluent in a couple of days. Then I'll do NO3 tests every couple of days to track any futher reductions over the next week or so, and post the results.

[SoLiD]

That is too cool, Cory. I knew it was only a matter of time before that thing took off. There are too many good reviews out on these things. Keep us posted. :thumbs_up:

[CoryDude]

Thanks for the support Solid. Yeah, I'm starting to notice better polyp extension and growth from my acros and digi. My turqouise staghorn and sunset mili are coloring up (less brown) and calcium consumption has increased. So yeah, I'm pretty happy and impressed w/this type of filter so far.

[Dee]

Does anyone have one they don't need? LOL.

[CoryDude]

Does anyone have one they don't need? LOL.

Actually, if you find someone selling an old calcium reactor, then you can convert it to a denitrator very easily.

Quick update. I can't plot a day by day reduction graph since the salifert kits have a larger range at higher levels. But, tested today and it's not quite 25ppm but is less than 50ppm. So, the tank has seen successive weeks w/50% drops in NO3 levels. This reactor is really starting to kick some *** and take some names!

[CoryDude]

I must confess and admit that I did a huge h2o change this past week. NO3 levels before the massive h2o change were between 25-50ppm on salifert and 40ppm on API. After the h2o change, NO3 readings were at 15-25ppm on Salifert and 20ppm on API. This lower NO3 level has allowed me to increase the effluent drip rate to 1 drop per second on the reactor. Since the effluent drip rate change, Salifert has shown a 5ppm NO3 drop in the last 5 days! Current reading as of this afternoon was 10ppm on Salifert!

On that subject, I need to revise my estimate on how many days it would take to completely cycle the h2o thru the reactor. I know I said it would take a little over a week to cycle the tank at 1 drop every 4 secs. That was because I converted my gallons to litres by dividing by 3.5 instead of multiplying. Reactor should take about a month and a half to cycle the tank at the current rate.

[SoLiD]

You know I've been reading every word you've posted here. I have never had any Nitrate issues but I have always been interested in denitrators and their results. Thanks for all your hard work... :applause: :)

-David

[greenmako]

sorry just saw the thread I used the same one as Don-N-SA used and like Lonestar said it did some harm on my barebottom tank. BUT...it did work just took all the nitrates out and didn't let any at all back in. I ended up losing several clams but nothing else livestock wise.

[CoryDude]

sorry just saw the thread I used the same one as Don-N-SA used and like Lonestar said it did some harm on my barebottom tank. BUT...it did work just took all the nitrates out and didn't let any at all back in. I ended up losing several clams but nothing else livestock wise.

Yes, I'd heard that you had some problems w/too little nitrates and was wondering what the net result was. Clams would make sense. Don't think I'll be having any issues like that for a least a while, but I'll keep an eye on my croceas.

[CoryDude]

Well, since the tank's NO3 levels again tested below 10ppm today, I'm going to quit commenting in this thread. It appears that the NO3 problems are almost solved. David, I really appreciate you commenting and making me feel like this was worthwhile. I'm really hoping someone in the future can use this discussion as well as the many others out there to help them decide if a biodenitrator is right for them.

Final Opinion:

Yes, a sulphur based biodenitrator does work. There's just too many people reporting the same results to not believe they work. Here's some caveats:
1) Tank nitrate levels must be below 100pm or better yet, 50ppm, in order to work effectively. If your tank is above these levels, you'll need to do massive h2o changes to help the reactor out.
2) Like a calcium reactor, they need constant tweaking. Nitrogen gas needs to be bled off and drip rates need to be checked each night. Daily NO3 testing of the effluent is a MUST.
3) You still need to verify that your NO3 source is not active. These reactors filter h2o very slowly, so if you're adding nitrates faster than your taking them out, then you might as well stop using the denitrator.
4) These filters WILL NOT replace skimmers or good reef-keeping practices. You still need to change your h2o and practice good maint. routines.

I know I left some things out and maybe didn't cover every aspect of these types of filters, but they are worth the $$$ and will help you get your nitrates under control if you give them time and a little help.

Thanks everyone,

Cory

[CoryDude]

Since I'm tired of reading discussions that bash local fish stores, I started looking at past discussions and saw this one.

The NO3 reactor is doing great and in fact, I'm getting ready to convert it over to a Ca reactor. The tank NO3 levels are consistantly < 5ppm. Reactor maint. dropped considerably once the NO3 levels stayed low (less gas venting, effluent fine tuning/testing, etc).

I did finally find the excess nutrient source that was causing all of this mess, and you won't believe what it was............CATS!!!

I'm doing a somewhat controlled test right now to verify this finding. I'll post those results w/pics once completed.

[SoLiD]

Cat Fish??? :)