angel not fish November 6, 2009 Share November 6, 2009 It is deal of the day at marinedepot.com I am having nitrate problems for a long time. Does somebody know this product ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k November 7, 2009 Share November 7, 2009 snake-oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country November 7, 2009 Share November 7, 2009 I agree, snake oil. I tried it one time and it didn't do anything for my tank either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luan67 November 7, 2009 Share November 7, 2009 Sulfur reactor works great for me. My reading was off the scale and after 2 months, it went down to close to 0. It is deal of the day at marinedepot.comI am having nitrate problems for a long time. Does somebody know this product ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angel not fish November 7, 2009 Author Share November 7, 2009 Sulfur reactor ? Does somebody else used it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boret November 7, 2009 Share November 7, 2009 (edited) I haven't but I have been thinking about it... mostly to lower my Alk which hovers above 12. LINK to DIY article Edited November 7, 2009 by Boret Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boret November 8, 2009 Share November 8, 2009 I got interested on the article I posted and looked at the list of materials and found all of it in the HD next to my house. I now have a Sulfur Reactor (denitrator). I will snap some pics with the phone and post them. I was wondering if any LFS sells the media.... CaribSea L.S.M. Live Sulfur Media 1 Gallon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boret November 8, 2009 Share November 8, 2009 Here it is: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boret November 8, 2009 Share November 8, 2009 Nevermind that picture, this is the right one, on the first attempt I placed the pump upside down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boret November 8, 2009 Share November 8, 2009 Some labels: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angel not fish November 8, 2009 Author Share November 8, 2009 Do you think if I just buy the media and live it (without reactor) it will work any way ? Just keeping eyes open on ph. My tank is just 34 g. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbuf November 8, 2009 Share November 8, 2009 Great work Boret!!! Out of curiosity, why not just have the water outflow coming out of the top? So there won't be a need for the de-gassing valve? Back when I used my old Koralin Sulfer reactor, I just used the degassing line as the outflow and it worked just fine. Those sulfur reactors DO WORK. They eliminated my nitrates almost to zero. It did however have a negative impact on my pH. It lowered it significantly. Although I was also suffering from CO2 depression in my basement, which was also contributing to my low pH. If you run a sulfur reactor, or a CA reactor for that matter, I would suggest finding a way to run an air hose to the outside of your house so you can bring in fresh air to prevent excess CO2 accumulation. I did this by hooking up the hose to the air intake of my skimmer, and I had my pH rise over .4 points in a couple days. Also, here is a neat way to run these sulfur reactors. Just like how you run a CA reactor with a pH controller, you can run one of these sulfur reactors with an ORP controller. Trick is finding an ORP controller that will read negative numbers. You need to control the inflow of water into the reactor with one of these: http://www.autotopoff.com/solenoid/ When the ORP gets too high, the controller will shut off the inflow of water, and the water inside the reactor circulates and stays low in oxygen which helps support the anaerobic bacteria that feeds off the sulfur and eats up the Phosphates and Nitrates. When the ORP gets too low, then the controller will let in fresh water to be "cleaned" of nitrates and phosphates. Hope this helps Boret Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boret November 8, 2009 Share November 8, 2009 Great info James. I will look into your ideas. I was also wondering the same with the outflow and degass valve. I was going to use a solenoid for the degass, but might need to look into you idea. If you close the output, I think gas builds up, so it might make sense to keep the top valve anyway. There are degass valves that will automatically release the air when pressure builds up. Low pH is an issue in my setup, but since I connected the air intake for the skimmer to the outside (the garage) it is working great. I don't keep the car in there, and I always turn on the bike outside so no issue with fumes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boret November 9, 2009 Share November 9, 2009 Do you think if I just buy the media and live it (without reactor) it will work any way ? Just keeping eyes open on ph.My tank is just 34 g. I am not sure I understand what do you mean.... It is not that difficult to build the reactor. If you have a MaxiJet the whole thing will cost you about $50. So about $75 if you need the pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami November 9, 2009 Share November 9, 2009 (edited) It is deal of the day at marinedepot.comI am having nitrate problems for a long time. Does somebody know this product ? Never used it. By this review, http://www.fishchannel.com/saltwater-aquar...lternative.aspx, and from other reading on the product, the tank's reaction seems to indicate that it's a carbon source - possibly sugar, vinegar, alcohol, or a mix. Do you think if I just buy the media and live it (without reactor) it will work any way ? Just keeping eyes open on ph.My tank is just 34 g. No. A sulfur reactor works by cultivating anaerobic bacteria that consume elemental sulfur and which obtain their metabolic oxygen by stripping it off of a nitrate ion. If you just used the media in an aerobic environment, it would do no good for your nitrate problem. Read this article for some background: http://www.fishchannel.com/saltwater-aquar...ur-reactor.aspx. The product of the bacterial metabolism creates sulfate ions and a hydronium (acid) ion. That's why the device impacts tank pH. Some people run the effluent through calcium reactor media (calcium carbonate), or include it in the reactor (as the DIY link shows) to help consume the acid and to release additional calcium and alkalinity into the tank. Do you have any idea why you have a nitrate problem in the first place? Are you feeding too much? Is your tank, and thus your biological filter, still very young? Is your tank overpopulated? Do you not have enough biological filtration (live rock, sand and/or macroalgae)? Are you using RO/DI water to mix up your salt water? If you could locate the source of your high nitrates, you may find that you don't need a high tech solution like a sulfur denitrator. Here's another article worth reading: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm Edited November 9, 2009 by Origami2547 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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