Thanks for keeping us updated on your progress with this little gadget reeferaddict.
I would test all parameters of the "old" water before you re-use it though as in addition to removing nitrates etc. another reason for doing water changes is to replenish some of the other "goodies" like calcium/mg/alk/trace minerals etc. that our organisms use up.

Well folks - it works. 0ppm and holding steady even with my livestock load and feeding regimen. Corals have taken to colouring up and definitely an increase in growth. Water changes have been cut down to 10% or so every couple of weeks and things are looking very vibrant and healthy. The unit was also easy to set up, just gotta keep an eye on the outflow & make sure it's running or you get that wonderful house clearing rotten egg smell... :mrgreen: Definitely worth the $200 I spent on eBay for it... YAY!

You were supposed to say "it sucks" so that I wouldn't want one. Thanks a lot! One more thing for me to obsess about and try to figure out how to buy one and get it home without the boss noticing.

Seriously -- very cool info. And yes, now I really do want one. :)

how tall and what diamiter is that thing?

Steve

It's not that big Steve... I believe the Acrylic is 4 or 5 inches in diameter and it's about 18 inches tall... it's a Korralin 1501 Calcium Reactor with sulfur and aragonite media in it. Now that I have one and see how it works I wouldn't hesitate to build my own in the future...

So what size pump runs it? and where do you get replacement media? :biggrin:
Ive read mixed reviews about how well they work,but I have a ca reactor sitting around doing nothing.

Hey sorry it took so long to reply...

If you google "Korralin Biodenitrator" you can find all the specs... I feed mine with a Maxijet 1200, but you can use as low as a 600, as long as you have enough pressure to get a constant drip or stream...

As for media... wine shops sell the sulfur beads for cheapest, and the media lasts for YEARS... the 2nd media is just large chunks of calcium carbonate... or you can buy it as "Crushed Coral gravel" at your LFS... this media sits in the top and I've noticed mine has shrunk significantly since I first set it up... but it's cheap too... this is the most cost effective and reliable way to eliminate nitrates... mine has been proof enough for me. :biggrin:

Sounds simple enough.So using a ca reactor all a person would need to do is get the 2 different medias,and something to put between them, and a small pump.Sulfer on the bottom,then some sort of divider,then ca media.water flows from bottom and out the top . Is that correct or am I off on something?

You got it all right there! And there's the most comprehensive reading about it in Delbeek & Sprung's Vol 3.... but most of the same stuff is available to read on the net as well... like I said, I found mine easy... might seem daunting but it's simple really... some people prefer systems with dual chambers and stuff... or even to plug into a regular Ca+ Reactor system to make more efficient use of C02 and fewer overall pumps & plumbing...

It's almost too simple... go for it!

I heard these work awesome. But I also heard that once all the nitrates are sucked out, the bacteria within the media will not have a sufficient food source and basically starve. In other words, you can't really keep one of these babies going for a long time as you'll essentially just be pumping CO2 into your tank.

Also, once you remove your nitrates and your media "dies", you need to go through another cycle (where you have to wait a few weeks to get the effluent's nitrates back to zero) to get it alive and recharged again.

I think for short term, you can't beat using these to remove nitrates but not for long term. I believe that's why these aren't as popular as they really could be if they were a long term solution.