Sulfur denitrator experiment - Page 3

Delphinus · #21 12-12-2006, 05:11 AM

Good idea, thanks .. I'll have to see if I have a testkit that can tell me nitrite. I think I had one at one point but I think it might have been my Seachem testkit and I've finished that one a long time ago.

Hate to buy ANOTHER test kit (have I ever mentioned I hate test kits?) but that may be what I have to do..

Psyire · #22 12-12-2006, 06:25 AM

I'm guessing your still cycling the reactor. Exactly 2 weeks would be about the time Nitrate spikes. (give or take 1/2 week)

I wouldn't do anything rash except maybe slow down the flow through the reactor if it's faster than a drip/second.

If you are still showing such high nitrate a week from now, then I would start to worry.

Double check to make sure your recirc. pump is running properly.

danny zubot · #23 12-12-2006, 05:05 PM

I might be coming into this a bit late Tony, but I have a pintpoint monitor that you can borrow if it will help.

I'm curious about something. This sulpher denitrater media, isn't it supposed to absorb NO3 kind of like a PO4 sponge? If so, why would there even be a cycle at all. I understand that it acts as a biological bed so technically there should be a cycle, but in removing NO3 from the equation shouldn't you eliminate the cycling process? Or, is it merily a substrate for concentrated colonies of anerobic bacteria to denitrify the water?

Delphinus · #24 12-12-2006, 07:14 PM

It's the latter case Danny, i.e., it's a substrate for anaerobic bacteria to take hold. I expected it would take some time for the bacteria to take hold, but I didn't expect that it would take hold with the nitrate-producing bacteria (which I thought was aerobic) first. The pH in the reactor went down within 2 days so I thought that meant it was an anoxic zone at that point, meaning from that point forward it would be the anaerobic bacteria colonizing the sulfur beads. I guess it's going to progress through various spikes but now I wonder if I should move the reactor off my tank and instead run it off a bucket of old water change water just to make sure I'm not dumping NO3 and NO2- into my tank unnecessarily (which I assume is not so good for the tank inhabitants!)

I'll send you a PM about the monitor. Thanks!

andresont · #25 12-12-2006, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delphinus

It's the latter case Danny, i.e., it's a substrate for anaerobic bacteria to take hold. I expected it would take some time for the bacteria to take hold, but I didn't expect that it would take hold with the nitrate-producing bacteria (which I thought was aerobic) first. The pH in the reactor went down within 2 days so I thought that meant it was an anoxic zone at that point, meaning from that point forward it would be the anaerobic bacteria colonizing the sulfur beads. I guess it's going to progress through various spikes but now I wonder if I should move the reactor off my tank and instead run it off a bucket of old water change water just to make sure I'm not dumping NO3 and NO2- into my tank unnecessarily (which I assume is not so good for the tank inhabitants!)

I'll send you a PM about the monitor. Thanks!

http://deltecaquariumsolutions.com/d...actors_000.pdf

Deltec is indicating that you need 3 month to cycle the Denitrator!
Quote from manual.
"Note that the flow rates shown above maximum rates and are only achievable when the reactor has been fully
matured for over 3 months and is operated in full automatic mode with a water temperature of 20-30 C."

Delphinus · #26 12-12-2006, 11:26 PM

Wow 3 months. I was reading through the instructions for the Midwest Aquatic's version as my guide. If there's mention of a cycle time that long in there then I've overlooked it.

I guess it makes sense to take a long time for the right bacterias to colonize...

Wow though, that's a long time to wait .. Guess I'll stop posting my updates every few days that's just not gonna work out as an interesting thread.

"Day 300 reading ... everything is the same as before"

andresont · #27 12-13-2006, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Wow 3 months. I was reading through the instructions for the Midwest Aquatic's version as my guide. If there's mention of a cycle time that long in there then I've overlooked it.

I guess it makes sense to take a long time for the right bacterias to colonize...

Wow though, that's a long time to wait .. Guess I'll stop posting my updates every few days that's just not gonna work out as an interesting thread.

"Day 300 reading ... everything is the same as before"

It has been very interesting, hope to see this project going.!
keep us up dated.
thx

Psyire · #28 12-13-2006, 03:28 AM

Midwest Aquatic's Sulphur comes with bacteria pre-installed. 'so to speak'

I should have my new unit soon, and I plan to just add some bacteria from my 'Polyplab Reef-resh' kit directly to my reactor in order to speed things up a bit.

Psyire · #29 12-13-2006, 03:28 AM

3 months does seem excessive though...

Would it take this long for DSB anerobic bacteria to establish themselves?

Delphinus · #30 12-13-2006, 03:41 AM

I imagine it might.

3 months .. I had no idea. I thought reeferaddict saw results sooner than that, so I'm still hoping there's hope.

Seriously if I have to wait 3 months to see an effect, I'd be better off doing a 100% water change and taking this thing offline. 75ppm is WAY too high to live with. Tank looks like crap too .. I dunno. Feeling a bit bummed out about this..

I didn't realize the Midwest unit came with bacteria seeded media. I missed that. I should have used that stuff instead of the LSM then.