Phosphate reactor ?

[MO~IDOL]

yes it does.

 

[mattkd5]

My 2 reactors run off one MJ-1200 pump which is split with a "Y" adaptor.
Still using the ball valves, the Carbon reactor is on full blast & the Phos reactor is turned down.
Works fine.

DITTO

 

[muntai]

What if you're using cheatomorpha in your sump?Wouldn't it deprive it from taking in phosphates and die off?I meant using the reactor along with the algae.

i would not worry about depriving po4 in your tank. there r plenty to go around. worry more on how to lower it.

 

[Jasonanatal]

Fluidized Bed Reactors for Phosphate or Carbon Media

Hello everyone, I thought I would chime in on the subject of Fluidized Bed Reactors for both Phosphate removing media and Carbon media. Since it is something that I have experience with and I would personally like to share my knowledge with others.

Photograph - Precision Marine Fluidized Bed Reactor filled with Fauna Marin Carb-L Pellets.

Aquarium Schematic - Future Fluidized Bed Reactor setup since I currently only have one Reactor in operation.

Phosphate Fluidized Bed Reactor

Whatever type of Phosphate removing media you have packed into your Fuidized Bed Reactor it is best to ensure tha their is only enough flow to slightly agitate the top layer moving like waves at best and the rest of the media should appear to glisten with very very slight movement. This media normally is extremely fine and can easily be pushed through the sponges of the Fluidized Bed Reactors and enter your main Aquarium water column. I personally use Rowaphos which not only removes Phosphates but Silicates as well (note: most Activated Carbon even the expensive kind leach silicates in the water column). I would suggest if possible powering this Reactor with a seperate powerhead and valve control so that you can isolate the Reactor when needing to change the media (Phosphate removing media last much longer then Activated Carbon). Phosphate removal is great especially for SPS and LPS aquariums to ensure that high level of Phosphates don't exist to chemically lock the Calcium and Reduce or even stop the Corals precipitation of Calcium to build their skeletons.

Carbon Fluidized Bed Reactor

Carbon media is great for removing impurities in the water and polishing the water for that crystal clear look. However, it is usually in pellet sized form and requires a bit more water flow and should be kept tumble like clothes in a washing mashing. I would suggest if possible powering this Reactor with a seperate powerhead and valve control so that you can isolate the Reactor when needing to change the media (Carbon usually requires changing every week or two). I personally use Fauna Marin Carb L Pellets which are quiet heavy and require a strong pump to keep suspended and tumbling.

 

[emmanuel]

I just ordered 2 one for phosban one for carbon
I am going to hook them up to were my return is supposed to be under my tank on each side of my 125 rr . I don't use the returns cause I have sea swirls , I timed how much water comes out through a 1/2 inch hose and its about 160 gph that is more than enough for the phosban and will have to be cut back with the ball valve but will it be enough for the carbon ?
My electric bill is way too high so I want to use gravity since its free

 

[Jasonanatal]

I just ordered 2 one for phosban one for carbon
I am going to hook them up to were my return is supposed to be under my tank on each side of my 125 rr . I don't use the returns cause I have sea swirls , I timed how much water comes out through a 1/2 inch hose and its about 160 gph that is more than enough for the phosban and will have to be cut back with the ball valve but will it be enough for the carbon ?
My electric bill is way too high so I want to use gravity since its free

Emmanuel, I'm not sure if I understood you quite like I should but you are going to definitely require a powerhead or some sort of return pump to bring the water that enters the Fluidized Bed Reactors containing Phosphate reducing media or Actived Carbon media back into the main aquarium display unless you hare running the water straight from the Display Aquarium to a Sump/Refugium which already has a return pump installed in order to keep from having an increase in your electric bill. Also 165 gph rated flow is more then enough for the Phosphate reducing media but my not cut it for the Activated Carbon media in my personal experience 295 gph for me with about 12 inches of tubing gave me just enough to keep the Activated Carbon moving but no as much as I would have liked.

 

[emmanuel]

the reactors are going to dump into the sump but get fed from the bulkhead fitting under the overflow which was supposed to be the return
the 160 gph # came from siphoning with a 1/2 inch hose If its hooked up to the bulkhead fitting it should give higher #s but you really think 160 would not be enough? not questioning your knowledge I just don't know

 

[Jasonanatal]

the reactors are going to dump into the sump but get fed from the bulkhead fitting under the overflow which was supposed to be the return
the 160 gph # came from siphoning with a 1/2 inch hose If its hooked up to the bulkhead fitting it should give higher #s but you really think 160 would not be enough? not questioning your knowledge I just don't know

Emmanuel, 160 gph for Phosphate removing media is more then enough as far as the Activated Carbon I'm sure your going to get some movement just not what you may consider optimum movvement. In my personal opinion Activated Carbon should be tumbling like clothes ina dryer but to someone else their opinion may be different.

 

[Wes]

i use both GFO and carbon mixed together in 1 reactor with great results...I just run with low flow that u would use if you were running GFO only.

Im not sure i buy into the statement that Carbon needs alot of flow and must be tumbling to work properly. My water is crystal clear with one reactor and a slow trickle.

Some even hypothesize that having a layer of carbon above the GFO in the same reactor helps remove some impurities in the GFO before the water exits the phosban reactor. It works well for me.

 

[Jasonanatal]

Im not sure i buy into the statement that Carbon needs alot of flow and must be tumbling to work properly. My water is crystal clear with one reactor and a slow trickle.

Some even hypothesize that having a layer of carbon above the GFO in the same reactor helps remove some impurities in the GFO before the water exits the phosban reactor. It works well for me.

Wes, this is just my personal opinion and how I like my Carbon to flow. Everyone has their preferences but I have noticed that extremely low flow allows detritus to eventualy build up within the bottom of the chamber. Exposure time to the carbon is in my opinion honestly a matter of personal preference at the rate that carbon get used up and needs to be replaced I really don't think it matters to much. Phospate removing media is another story. Also I would have the Phosphate removing media last in the chamber so that any silicates released into the water from the Carbon can be removed emmidiately. Also again just my personal preference.

 

[emmanuel]

if the carbon is tumbling is there a chance it will grind itself down to fine particles and make it to the tank ?
I ordered aquarium pharmacutical super activated carbon how much should I use in the phosban reactor 150 and how often should it be changed i have a 125 reef with 40 gallon sump , rite now I am using chemipure in one of the baffles in the sump and never saw my water so clear in the past 6 years I had a reef ,before the chemipure I used seachem matrix once in a while in media bags in the sump but didnt notice the crystal clear results

 

[Jasonanatal]

if the carbon is tumbling is there a chance it will grind itself down to fine particles and make it to the tank ?

Emmanuel, in my personal experience at 295 gph their is not enough flow/force to cause the pellets to grind themselves down. Also since I change my Carbon Media every 2 weeks the old media is not tumbling for an extended duration that would allow such a result to occur. But like I said this is my personal experience and method. I'll post a video hopefully later on this afternoon so I can clarify what tumble visually means to me. It should definitely clear things up a bit.

 

[emmanuel]

how do you know when you have the 150 grams that it calls for If you dont hav a way to measure grams -how many inches of phosban should be placed in phosban reactor 150

 

[emmanuel]

I measured 9 cups in a 1200gram pail of phosban media so I guess its about 1 cup and thats about 4 1/2 inches sound corect?

 

[Jasonanatal]

My Definition of Adequate Tumbling of Activated Carbon Media within a Fluidized Bed Reactor.

Hello everyone, below is a short video to clear up what I consider adequate tumbling of Activated Carbon Media within a Fluidized Bed Reactor. I woul personally prefer it be tumbling with a bit more force, but do to size restrictions within the chamber where the feed pump is placed and gph rating of the power in relationship to distance required to push water into the Fluidized Bed Reactor and back into the aquarium I'm am stuck with this end result. Not half bad in my opinion. Enjoy!

 

[emmanuel]

I have a lot more tumbling going on maybe thats why my skimmer is getting a black coating and so is my filter floss
I filled my reactor up 3/4 with superactivated carbon I wonder if thats too much i have a 125 with 40 gal sump mostly lps with some sps

 

[thirty5]

Not to hijack your thread, but i was thinking about getting one. I have a 175 with a 90 gal fuge and like 100 gal sump. what size reactor do i need??

Thanks

 

[Jasonanatal]

From my personal experience different brands of Activated Carbon give different measurements required for various amounts of total water volume. Some even advise not to use over the recommended amount of media to water volume. I would double check with the specific brand of media you use.

 

[Bori]

I just set up my phosban reactor

Can anyone tell me, how do I know when to change the phosban media? Does it change color when it's saturated or what? Thanks --Rob--

 

[JHOV2324]

I change mine once a month.................I guess u can test the water thats coming out of the phos reactor to see if the phos is high...then its time to change...

Others change every two weeks...i'm too lazy to do that so once a month the media is changed...