sulphur denitrators

[thekingfish]

Does anyone have experience with one of these units and how do you like them? Nuisance algae is the least favorite part of keeping a tank for me and I'm wondering if a sulphur denitrator can give me the upper hand.
I do the usual water changes and limit the feeding but want something more.
I can't do chaeto cause I can't light my sump and GFO's are not an option for me.

 

[shallowreef]

On RC their tank of the month last month ran a sulfur denitrator on his SPS tank and it looked like it did the trick. I would try it if i didn't have a fuge.

 

[DonW]

Does anyone have experience with one of these units and how do you like them? Nuisance algae is the least favorite part of keeping a tank for me and I'm wondering if a sulphur denitrator can give me the upper hand.
I do the usual water changes and limit the feeding but want something more.
I can't do chaeto cause I can't light my sump and GFO's are not an option for me.

Why are GFO,s not an option. GFO dose not do the same thing as a denitrator. GFO removes the phosphates that the algae is feeding on.
Sulfer denitrators will help only if you have high nitrates but will do nothing for high P.

Don

 

[thekingfish]

Oh, just meant GFO's are not an option for me as I had a bad experience with them once. I know tons of people use it safely but I'd rather not risk it.
I was just viewing GFO's as a different way of attacking algae growth.
But I wonder if denitrators will help even if nitrates are low.
I know I get algae growth even with my nitrates register close to or at zero. It seems the algae will uptake the nitrates too fast to register with tests.

 

[steve-s]

Alga's feed on nitrogen and phosphorus compounds to thrive. Alone, neither of those products will rid you of the problem. Of the two though GFO's are the easiest and cheapest along with water changes. A decent sulfur system will run you about $500.00 + the need for replacement media. With all the GFO's hitting the market, prices and availability are getting better and better. Limiting what's added to the tank in the first place is a lot easier than taking it out later.

FWIW, a cheap coil denitrator would do you just as well.
http://w3page.com/fishline/gif/denit.gif?

 

[DonW]

Alga's feed on nitrogen and phosphorus compounds to thrive. Alone, neither of those products will rid you of the problem. Of the two though GFO's are the easiest and cheapest along with water changes. A decent sulfur system will run you about $500.00 + the need for replacement media. With all the GFO's hitting the market, prices and availability are getting better and better. Limiting what's added to the tank in the first place is a lot easier than taking it out later.

FWIW, a cheap coil denitrator would do you just as well.
http://w3page.com/fishline/gif/denit.gif?

You can also turn just about any ca reactor into a denitrator reactor. Funny how you pay more for the denitrator than the ca reactor and get less.

Don

 

[Vicki]

What is a GFO?

I just added a Sulphur DeNitrifier to my 360 system a few days ago.
It is still in the cycling process, so I don't know much about them yet.

I'm curious how you can convert a calcium reactor into a denitrifier too.
I don't know thing one about a calcium reactor and have stayed away from them because of the C02 *stuff*.

Vicki

 

[-=dieseldave=-]

well you can convert this
Calcuim Reactor
to one, with this.
Conversion Kit
and that gives you this.
Sulphur DeNitrifier

 

[DonW]

What is a GFO?

I just added a Sulphur DeNitrifier to my 360 system a few days ago.
It is still in the cycling process, so I don't know much about them yet.

I'm curious how you can convert a calcium reactor into a denitrifier too.
I don't know thing one about a calcium reactor and have stayed away from them because of the C02 *stuff*.

Vicki

GFO (granular ferric oxide), Rowa phos and phosban are examples. Basicly just phosphate removers.
Sulfer Denitrifier is really nothing more than a ca reactor without the co2. The media is replace by sulfer media. Some add a little calcium carbonate to help buffer the solution. Some even sell conversion kits, Koralin is one that sells a simple kit to convert their ca reactors to a denitrator.

Don

 

[Vicki]

Guess I already have a GFO reactor then, though I run carbon in mine.

With the Koralin CA reactor plus conversion kit, the cost is greater than just a Koralin Denitrifier.

Now I understand.

Vicki

 

[DonW]

Guess I already have a GFO reactor then, though I run carbon in mine.

With the Koralin CA reactor plus conversion kit, the cost is greater than just a Koralin Denitrifier.

Now I understand.

Vicki

You really dont even need a ca reactor. Two phosban reactors one for sulphur and the other for calcium carbonate will do just fine. The hard part is finding the media. I had to order it from Au. to get the decent schuran pearls which is the same as the aquamedic pearls.

Don

 

[thekingfish]

Hey Don,
What or where is Au.?

And to those that keep clams- I think I read somewhere that clams will consume nitrates.
I'm wondering if they will uptake it fast enough to outcompete algae?

 

[DonW]

Hey Don,
What or where is Au.?

And to those that keep clams- I think I read somewhere that clams will consume nitrates.
I'm wondering if they will uptake it fast enough to outcompete algae?

Au = Australia, I keep mostly clams and I couldnt say Ive never had nitrates since my tank cycled. There is a study but its kind of deceptive since the clams were 20+ pound monsters.

Don

 

[gas4544]

You really dont even need a ca reactor. Two phosban reactors one for sulphur and the other for calcium carbonate will do just fine. The hard part is finding the media. I had to order it from Au. to get the decent schuran pearls which is the same as the aquamedic pearls.

Don

Similarly, I suppose that a Dual Reactor from Bulk Reef Supply could also be set up as a sulphur denitrator.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/Carbo...UAL"-GFO-and-Carbon-Reactor/product_info.html

Just put sulphur media in the first chamber and calcium carbonate media in the second chamber. Would this work?

Gary

 

[packer]

If you want to set up a sulphur denitrifier, just buy a unit and save alot of headache trying to make or modify something to work. I have been running a Midwest Aquatic sulphur denitrifier for over 4 years with great luck.

As stated early in this post, they are for reducing nitrate only. So test your tank and if you have less then 10-15ppm nitrate, I would not bother with one. To really clean up your system it is imperative to run GFO for phosphate and a denitrifier for nitrates and carbon for chemical removal. Almost every tank will benefit from GFO and carbon, and only nitrate producing tanks will benefit from the denitrifier.

Note that if very low or no nitrates are present, a sulphur denitrifier can then produce sulphur dioxide (smells like rotten eggs) and can crash your tank. People with higher nitrates in thier tank had issues when the nitrates were reduced and the units had nothing to feed on. You should only install one if your system is producing nitrates fairly rapidly, such as systems with bioballs.

 

[gas4544]

I am running GFO and carbon in a BRS dual reactor. I also have a refugium with macroalgae. Between this and water changes, I have no problem with high nitrates.

Gary