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#1
10-17-2013, 08:28 PM
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Here are my levels as of today
Ammonia - 0-0.25 Nitrites - 0 Nitrates - 20 I know that the colors don't really come through that great. http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps6aec1310.jpg 
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#2
10-23-2013, 06:14 PM
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ON 10/19
I tested the NITRATEs and the test came back so 'Dark Red' I was concerned about what was going on - but I left it to just run and do its thing. I am figuring it is part of the initial cycle. (I didn't take a picture) I will guess that... Nitrates - 100 ppm Last edited by hfp75; 10-23-2013 at 06:24 PM.
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#3
10-23-2013, 06:23 PM
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Today I tested the water again and am very happy with the results!
Nitrates - 5-10 (This is easily a reduction of 75 ppm) Phosphates - 0.25 (maybe a bit less & not far from the source water) Ph - 7.9 (a bit low but there is no light/photosynthesis in the bucket) http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...pse8e2097d.jpg All water samples were taken from the return hose and not the bucket of water. If the Nitrates are just dropping now from the massive 100 and I'm sitting at 5-10 I am very happy. I'll give it another few days and we will see where things are at. I hope that when I check it again Nitrates are a Zero from the return line and the bucket. The phosphates are easily correctable with Rowaphos & the Ph I can correct with some buffer. Lets wait and see........ Last edited by hfp75; 10-23-2013 at 06:37 PM.
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#4
10-29-2013, 03:40 AM
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Tonight I tested the water again and I'm ecstatic with the results!
Nitrates - 0 (No interpretation needed) Phosphates - 0.25 (maybe a bit less & not far from the source water) Ph - 7.9 (should self correct once its in the tank water circulation, plus its holding at 7.9 and not dropping.) ONLY CHANGE IS NITRATES TO A ZERO!!!! http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...psa1e28a0e.jpg All water samples were taken from the return hose and not the bucket of water. The Nitrates have dropped from the massive 100 and I'm sitting at ZERO!!!!!!! It first started running its cycle on the 17th and by today the 28th, it looks to be running (fully cycled). Time to add this thing into the tank circulation and monitor it & the tank! Last edited by hfp75; 10-29-2013 at 03:45 AM.
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#5
11-16-2013, 06:12 PM
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Update....
This post my indicate it is working...... have a read.
Well, its time for another update, it has been 19 days and I think we are on track. On day 15 I noticed a slight drop in NO3 from the return line coming from the denitrate coil - not enough that I was excited. I have been keeping nitrates about 40-50 so there is a constant supply to culture the anaerobic bacteria in the denitrate coil. Yesterday I did a small water change just to freshen up the tank water. This dropped my tank NO3 to 20. In the last few days I have noticed twice that when I examine the return line it has stopped flowing & so I adjust it again for a small drip. Understand that I have not tampered with the valve restricting flow to decrease it. I am hypothesizing that the slimy barrier has formed inside and that small buildup has clogged the small opening in the ball valve - hence stopping or blocking the flow. Thus twice I have adjusted the flow to a slow drip... about 3 drips in 2 seconds - very hard to get right - but I don't want to get a flood of O2 rich tank water into the coil for fear of altering the bacterial cultures that are O2 void. I also think that the slime layer that is forming is also where all the anaerobic bacteria will basically be thriving. So, in short, I think the slimy smooth coating is formed or forming and the anaerobic bacteria now in turn is establishing itself. Here is the latest NO3 values. Tank NO3 - 20ppm Denitrate Coil return Line NO3 - 5 ppm http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps389de736.jpg Lets just wait a bit longer and keep our eye on things to see how this progresses. There is no other way the return line would be less than the tank supply line unless the NO3 was being consumed inside the coil. Question is - Am I running it to fast and the 2 stoppages have allowed the consumption of NO3? or is it just starting to work? either way I will post updates. I may need to slow down the flow a bit.... but I'll wait for now and see what happens.
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#7
11-23-2013, 07:39 PM
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You have a good point, I will take a few pics of the tank....
UPDATE on the denitrate coil.... ( I really do hope this works better than a DSB!!!!!!!!!!!!) I added in another inline ball valve to allow better control over flow restriction. It worked well, I was able to bring down the flow just a tiny bit more. Today I tested the coil return water and the tank water and here is the results.... (no new H2O changes either) Tank - NO3 - between 15-20 (just under a 20 by my eye) Coil - NO2 - looks like a ZERO to me. http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps981c46ac.jpg There have been no noticeable changes to my Ph as I check my Apex for its readings (graphing weekly). So, it looks to now be working. I will give it another week, just like it is and see how my tank NO3 adjusts. Can I combat NO3 production (from the tank) and stay at a 15-20? or will I rise up to a 40? Either way the coil will help. Once I know that the coil is 100% functional & stable I will consider turning it up just a tiny bit if I need to. Maybe next week or a bit after that. I will try to get some pics of my tank and a current stock list. Last edited by hfp75; 11-23-2013 at 07:43 PM.
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