Anyone Using Sulphur Reactors/ Question

[Luke.]

I’d like to know the pros and cons to it ?

I have a aquarium engineering sulfer reactor , and I would assume I would want to use it if I have a large bio load correct ?

 

[Josh]

Yes it will nuke nitrates like a pellet reactor would. They need to be tuned properly otherwise you can have some issues with low ph. I have never run one just read a fair bit on them when deciding biopellet vs sulfur reactor (i went biopellet cause of the ph).

I read multiple stories of people striping super high nitrate tanks of their nutrients quickly and causing major coral problems. Depending on your situation you should take care not to to strip the tank too quickly.

In terms of performance they seem to outperform biopellets.

 

[Pistol]

I've been using them for about 8 years now, DIY units, I swear by them, nothing bad to say. I use orp and an aqualifter pump and solenoid to control the effluent, I've read that they eat po4 if there is no no3 but have not seen any proof to that.

 

[Luke.]

Thanks fellas good to know !

 

[cica]

Following along since I started one two weeks ago. For now no noticeable change on the nitrates in the 125 g tank but the output of the reactor has much lower no3. I feed the reactor from the return pump through a needle valve, just fast dripping.
We'll see what happens.

 

[Luke.]

Following along since I started one two weeks ago. For now no noticeable change on the nitrates in the 125 g tank but the output of the reactor has much lower no3. I feed the reactor from the return pump through a needle valve, just fast dripping.
We'll see what happens.

Keep us posted

 

[Pistol]

Following along since I started one two weeks ago. For now no noticeable change on the nitrates in the 125 g tank but the output of the reactor has much lower no3. I feed the reactor from the return pump through a needle valve, just fast dripping.
We'll see what happens.

I had tried dripping in the beginning but found it hard to keep it tuned but it can work, dripping to fast will prevent the reactor from achieving an anaerobic state, dripping to slow will cause a sulfate smell. I found 1 drip per sec worked best in the beginning til the bacteria got populated then 2 to 3 drips per sec would keep it going. I also run the effluent through a second reactor with calcium media to boost the pH back up.
Now I use my apex to maintain the orp in the reactor @ -160mv and I never have to touch it except to clean it once or twice a year.

 

[cica]

I had tried dripping in the beginning but found it hard to keep it tuned but it can work, dripping to fast will prevent the reactor from achieving an anaerobic state, dripping to slow will cause a sulfate smell. I found 1 drip per sec worked best in the beginning til the bacteria got populated then 2 to 3 drips per sec would keep it going. I also run the effluent through a second reactor with calcium media to boost the pH back up.
Now I use my apex to maintain the orp in the reactor @ -160mv and I never have to touch it except to clean it once or twice a year.

Thanks for the great information.
I guess you maintain the orp value by adjusting the influent flow, am I right?
No apex here, just rkl light with sl1. Now I have to get an orp probe
You're right, keeping the dripping steady is a big pain, rather impossible.
May I ask you how much madia you have for how big tank? (heavy or light feeding?)
Thanks

 

[Pistol]

Thanks for the great information.
I guess you maintain the orp value by adjusting the influent flow, am I right?
No apex here, just rkl light with sl1. Now I have to get an orp probe
You're right, keeping the dripping steady is a big pain, rather impossible.
May I ask you how much madia you have for how big tank? (heavy or light feeding?)
Thanks

Right now I am running @ 1/2 gallon of LSM, for a 90 gal heavy load (fed well), I am in the midst of transferring to a new tank so the load has lightened, you can simply adjust the amount of media for the load.
I was adding bio media like siporax to the reactor but find it works just as good with just sulfur and is way easier to clean. I found the bacteria clogs the needle valve which is a pain so I use my apex to OSC my aqualifter pump and solenoid on for 10sec then off for 30sec when my orp above -160mv then it turns off when the orp rises to -155mv and full on when orp drops to -170mv., ( my actual program is a little more complicated than that) the solenoid prevents the effluent from siphoning through the aqualifter.
You can do the same with RKL, actually RK will read the negative orp, apex won't, I have to reverse the connector on my orp probe.

 

[cica]

Thanks again.
No wonder I can't see any no3 drop yet. I'm using only about 0.7 litter of media. Above the sulfur I have about 0.5 liter of aragonite sand for ph balance.
It's time to set up the bigger reactor for it. Heavily loaded, heavily fed 125 g tank.

 

[Pistol]

Thanks again.
No wonder I can't see any no3 drop yet. I'm using only about 0.7 litter of media. Above the sulfur I have about 0.5 liter of aragonite sand for ph balance.
It's time to set up the bigger reactor for it. Heavily loaded, heavily fed 125 g tank.

It usually takes a week or 2 for it to kick in, I dissolve a teaspoon of sugar in aquarium water and add @ 5ml of to the reactor to give it a kick start. The effluent should test 0 no3 when it's working.

 

[cica]

You're right, the dripping always changes. Ones too fast, ones too slow.
Ordered an ORP probe. 1-2 weeks to get it. I'm planning to use a perialistic pump to avoid the need for the solenoid.

 

[Pistol]

You're right, the dripping always changes. Ones too fast, ones too slow.
Ordered an ORP probe. 1-2 weeks to get it.

You will need a solenoid https://www.amazon.ca/Normally-Clos...y&sprefix=12v+sole,aps,206&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1
and power supply https://www.amazon.ca/Wall-Adapter-...prefix=12vdc+power,aps,181&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1 like these, cut the end off the wire and crimp terminals on it. Plug the power supply into your pc4 and program it to osc it on and off.

 

[cica]

I will try to use 2 ports from pc4, one for the impuls feed (with additional electronic circuit) and one for the continuous (or long) feed.
Just to make sure: you are using the pump to push the water from the sump into the reactor and the solenoid inline from the output of the reactor back to sump (for the effluent)?

 

[Pistol]

I will try to use 2 ports from pc4, one for the impuls feed (with additional electronic circuit) and one for the continuous (or long) feed.
Just to make sure: you are using the pump to push the water from the sump into the reactor and the solenoid inline from the output of the reactor back to sump (for the effluent)?

I use 1 outlet with one of these so the pump and solenoid run at the same time
I use the pump because my reactor is above my sump, you may not need the pump.

 

[cica]

A little update.
Ordered the ORP probe from US on March 31st. Got it in about 2 weeks, it was defective. The seller shipped a replacement which was also defective. Ordered one from China, this one seems to be working. For now connected it to the PH input of an old Neptune AquaController Jr. This one doesn't have ORP input but since the ORP and PH inputs are the same, just the process of the signal is different I'm trying it out on that temporary. For now only recording the readings.

Since I couldn't keep the dripping steady, I replaced the dripping with a peristaltic pump, controlled by a DIY timer (adjustable ON and OFF time). For the original reactor I have it set to 10 ml every 45 seconds (10 seconds on, 45 seconds off).
Installed a bigger reactor too, a modified calcium reactor. This one has about 1.4 litters of sulfur in it with about the same amount of crashed coral on the top. Also feed it with a controlled peristaltic pump, ramped up already to 50 ml every 45 seconds. The ORP probe is in this one for testing.
The water coming out of both reactors is zero NO3, no sulfur smell.
The NO3 was about 60-65 ppm on April 10th, about 50 ppm on May 5th, 40 ppm on May 12th and about 25 today. Also I took the turf algae scrabber off line 2 weeks ago (that I was running for 3 years).
Let's see what happens next

 

[Pistol]

apex won't read negative orp, so you have to reverse the leads either with a jumper or cut and splice, I made a jumper but now I just cut and splice.
sounds like you have it dialed in pretty good

 

[cica]

I don't have apex, just the old Neptune AquaController Jr. That's why I connected the ORP probe to the PH input. I think the PH input should be able to read negative voltage but I might be wrong.

 

[cica]

One more update:
June 23rd NO3 is about 8 ppm (hard to guess the color on Salifert).