New Biodenitrator

Delphinus · #1 11-13-2006, 01:37 PM

Lyle, are you recirculating through the media, and feeding with a separate pump, or are the flowrates you're describing (8-10 gph) refer to the only flow through the media? I sort of get the sense you're not recirculating .. I was thinking I'd still recirculate, much like how a calcium reactor works .. or is that not the recommended approach?

Psyire · #2 11-13-2006, 08:09 PM

From what I understand you must recirculate. All the reactors are built this way, and then they have a slip stream through them from the Aquarium and back. (some people use a siphon, some people use a pump)

Delphinus · #3 11-13-2006, 08:17 PM

Thanks, that's what I thought too. If you read the "DIY" instructions that Caribsea puts out though, they just have it as a single-pass basis and it sort of sounded like that's how Pansy-Paws does it too (I could be reading it wrong?). I guess that way works too, but to me anything that requires contact time is always better to have it on a recirculating basis.

Well sounds like I'm set then .. I just need some media. I'm gonna have this online within a couple of days (just as soon as I can get my hands on some media!).

Psyire · #4 11-13-2006, 08:47 PM

I believe it is this recirculating that helps remove the oxygen from the water to create the anerobic zone. (more effective)

Delphinus · #5 11-13-2006, 08:54 PM

Yes I agree that makes more sense. Like I said though the DIY instructions Carib-Sea talks about looks like single-pass to me, .. you can easily replicate the anoxic zone with a slow enough flow without the recirculation, but I agree it seems easier to do so with recirculation. If the channel was long enough I guess you could get away with it. But anything I would want to build I would want to make it as recirculation because anything that increases contact time cannot help but help.. whether it's a skimmer, reactor, heck even my Phosban reactor I'd like to modify and make recirc.. it just makes sense to me.

Pansy-Paws · #6 11-13-2006, 09:25 PM

Given the height of my design (36"), I only have a single water flow thru path, no recirculation.

As indicated, with a slow enough water flow, the anerobic zone can be established.

Delphinus · #7 11-13-2006, 10:25 PM

So I got to the point where I was on the phone to my LFS, asking them to bring in some LSM, and again, the topic came up.. "You realize there's a risk of H2S right?" Aaannnnnd..... arrrrrggggh, there we go, once again, I thought I had made a decision and was going to follow through on it, and here I am, second guessing myself all over again.

Here's my thought ... when I was a summer student I had it absolutely drilled into me how bad H2S is. You can smell it at 1ppm, at 10ppm you can only be exposed safely for 10 minutes at a time (I forget how long you have to wait in between) and I think it's instant-loss-of-consciousness at 100 ppm (it may not be 100ppm, I don't remember. At some point though, you can be dropped instantly with one breath).

Soooooo ... seriously, what are people's thoughts on this? I've even posted this question in Randy Holmes-Farley's forum on RC (although he's not online this week). Keep the tank area well-ventilated?

I may be overly paranoid but one thing I remember is that H2S is heavier than air, meaning anyone closer to the ground is at higher risk (think: pets and small children). Although I need to reduce my nitrates I can't do it if I'm risking the wellbeing of family and pets (or the tank itself).

Maybe Zeovit's the way to go after all ... I don't know ... argh, there I go, second-guessing myself again.