Sulfur Denitrator Technical Thread
- Thread starter cvermeulen
- Start date
Done a bunch more reading (Thanks mosthated, that's a good read). I started cutting acrylic tonight - maybe if I don't spend too much time working on the car this weekend I'll actually finish the acrylic part of this. I also ordered a 100gph pump that will serve as my recirc and feed pump (hopefully my plumbing works out OK here.)
I also did some calling around today for sulfur pellets. Pothead hydroponics shop sells it for $10/lb (!!!). I found a garden supply wholesaler that sells the same product in 55lb sacks for $23/sack. (1/20 the price of the burnout shop).
using the 1% of tank volume thing mentioned in some other threads, I'm making my sulfur chamber capacity around 3 gallons, and I'll fill it only partway in case I want to add more.
two questions I still have at this point are:
1) what if I put too much sulfur in?? is this like nitrifying bacteria, and only as much will grow as can be fed with the available nitrates, or will my reactor overpopulate and cause some toxic effects?
2) Where do the sulfates go? Do they precipitate out in my CaCO3 reactor, or will my tank be full of sulfate salts?
I've read a few horror stories of people's fish dying and stuff when they first started their reactors up... maybe I'll set up a 50gal outside with a few hundred feeders in it to test this before I hook it up to my main tank.
I also did some calling around today for sulfur pellets. Pothead hydroponics shop sells it for $10/lb (!!!). I found a garden supply wholesaler that sells the same product in 55lb sacks for $23/sack. (1/20 the price of the burnout shop).
using the 1% of tank volume thing mentioned in some other threads, I'm making my sulfur chamber capacity around 3 gallons, and I'll fill it only partway in case I want to add more.
two questions I still have at this point are:
1) what if I put too much sulfur in?? is this like nitrifying bacteria, and only as much will grow as can be fed with the available nitrates, or will my reactor overpopulate and cause some toxic effects?
2) Where do the sulfates go? Do they precipitate out in my CaCO3 reactor, or will my tank be full of sulfate salts?
I've read a few horror stories of people's fish dying and stuff when they first started their reactors up... maybe I'll set up a 50gal outside with a few hundred feeders in it to test this before I hook it up to my main tank.
I'm also trying to set the record for ugliest denitrator ever made, but that aside, I put together the tank part of the two-part CACO3 and sulfur reactor this weekend:
The acrylic is recycled from another project, and it was recycled at that point already, so it's ugly as crap. The joints are good though. Tomorrow I'll fill it and make sure it doesn't leak. The pump should be here next week and I can start plumbing.
The acrylic is recycled from another project, and it was recycled at that point already, so it's ugly as crap. The joints are good though. Tomorrow I'll fill it and make sure it doesn't leak. The pump should be here next week and I can start plumbing.
lol. come on. No comments on my amazing acrylic work? Are you telling me that thing is not the cleanest, most lovely looking thing anyone has ever made with recycled plexiglas from Expo 86? 
Subscribing...catching up later
Sea water is 8% (by weight) SO4. Start up effects won't be an issue with marine tanks. I am just curious about the effectiveness (if there is a diminished effectiveness in SW tanks).
In freshwater tanks, a source of magnesium ions will greatly reduce the toxicity of the SO4 and SO2 if there is a potential of reaching the tank. However, magnesium sulfate has its own negative effects in high quantities.
Sea water is 8% (by weight) SO4. Start up effects won't be an issue with marine tanks. I am just curious about the effectiveness (if there is a diminished effectiveness in SW tanks).
In freshwater tanks, a source of magnesium ions will greatly reduce the toxicity of the SO4 and SO2 if there is a potential of reaching the tank. However, magnesium sulfate has its own negative effects in high quantities.
I tend to go for recycling materials when cosmetics are not important. So I gotta say that that isn't all that uglycvermeulen;1741367; said:
Lol, that's only cuz I random orbital sanded it and flame polished for that shower-door lookCHOMPERS;1742765; said:I tend to go for recycling materials when cosmetics are not important. So I gotta say that that isn't all that ugly
. the methylene chloride stains on the inside are another story tho .As for the SO4, I'm really curious to see what happens here. there are some anecdotes I've found of people successfully using these on freshwater recirculating systems, and they are used in wastewater treatment, so unless in those applications there is another reactor, it seems like it should work. I think for testing this setup though I'm going to use a spare 50gal with a hundred feeders or something in it rather than my main tank. Then I can keep tabs on the effluent levels without risking my main tank.
Right, I never did get around to hooking this up. Bit of a convoluted story: the return plumbing from my w/d started to leak, and since it's between the tank and the wall, I couldn't fix it, I just had to disconnect it and the tank is running on an FX5 right now.
Maybe when I finish building my 500+ plywood tank.
Maybe when I finish building my 500+ plywood tank.
