DIY carbon and phosphate REACTORS .. need help

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owl

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Jul 8, 2008
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ok here we go ..
since they r easy to build ,i m gonna build phosphate and carbon reactors outta pvc pipes ...
the hole idea is a big pipe that hold the media and the water come through it and then out ! i saw some reactor pix , and there were two kinda them . so i come with these 2 ideas ! :

in first model the water comes from the top and goes down through a pipe to the bottom of the reactor then it comes up , go through the media till it reaches the top again and goes out throught the outlet (#1 in pic as u can see)
in the other model water pump into the reactor from the bottom and go through the media until it gets to the top and the outlet (#2)
i don see the difference of the models except in the first design becuse the water has to go 2 ways ( first come down to the bottom and then go up again ) so it need more pressure and it will become a matter if i gonna run water through first reactor and attach the outlet to the next reactor intake ( like the second pic ) , so the powerhead has to pump water all the way through both ...

i never seen a reactor personaly ( none of my friends have one ) to examine it closely , so i need ur opinion on lotsa thingz ...
i m gonna use one as a carbon reactor and second one as the phosphate reactor ...
here s the questions i have in mind till now :
1-which design u think is better ?
2-what if i use #1 as first reactor and #2 as second reactor since it needs less pressure ...
3-if i run both reactors with one powerhead as the second pic , which media is better to put in which ... ( i ask cuz of the pressure differences )
4-what size of powerhead u suggest ? (oops i forgot to mention the pipes are 2" diameter & 12" height)
5-what kinda media beside carbon and phosphate removers is good to use in reactors?

i m looking forward for ur opinion/advice/ideas and any suggestion ...
thnx for ur time ...
 

Almondsaz

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May 26, 2007
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I use a reactor similar to what you have described as No 1. I have daisy chained two of them together. I use the first for carbon and the second for Phosban (or any GFO). One thing to keep in mind is that some of the GFO is really fine and you need to keep it from just being blown around by dust. It is typically in a smaller quantity so you need to be able to contain the GFO between two sponge layers - or other media. The carbon is easy as I just fill the reactor to capacity; you will be changing the carbon each month so it needs to have easy access. The GFO is changed typically every 4-6 months.
 

Ace25

www.centralcoastreefclub. com
Oct 3, 2005
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Answers IMO:

1. #1 is better, water going down the center then up will better dispurse vs shooting it through the side.

2. Usually the output is on the top just like the intake, just offset. I would go with 2 #1s though.

3. Carbon in first reactor, Phosphate remover in the second, reason being carbon weighs more and needs more pressure to "fluidize" than GFO media.

4. I use a Rio800 for a single, may need just 1 size bigger for 2 reactors.

5. Nothing really, those are the 2 best medias you could put in a reactor, although any media you put in there will work better than in a bag, I think you get the most bang for your buck sticking with Carbon/GFO combo.

I change out my Carbon and GFO on the first of every month. I have found in my system that even with expensive GFO like RowaPhos the media is still all used up at around the 40 day mark. I change it at 30 days just to be safe. I tried to let it go 45 days once and around day 40 each morning my glass was covered in a green film (because media was used up). If I change my GFO monthly I never get that problem.
 

GregAW

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Aug 25, 2008
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I read an article and it said that it isn't a good idea to have the charcoal moving as all it does is grind it into powder. The GFO only needs enough movement to keep it from becoming a brick or sticking together. Also, it is better that they be separate, and as Ace said, #1 is the better design. There is a nice VIDEO HERE that explains the workings.
 

Ace25

www.centralcoastreefclub. com
Oct 3, 2005
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Same thing can be said for GFO Greg. If you blast any media to high flow it will grind it up into powder. The key is to just make is "fluidized", ie, just barely floating via water movement, not violently tumbling around.
 

GregAW

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Aug 25, 2008
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That's true Ace. I could see where the charcoal would be more affected than the GFO, since GFO is a very hard material. I think the video was pretty good and explained the reactor properties pretty well. I think I shousl have gone with 2 singles rather than the Phosphate reactor.
 

Almondsaz

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May 26, 2007
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Ace: is GFO that much different than Phosban that it would need to be changed each month? My Phosban says several months. I don't use bulk GFO so maybe that is the difference.
 

owl

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Jul 8, 2008
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thanks a bunch guys for replies :)
i got the idea , i ll go for 2 #1 ...
so bout the media .. anybody use phosguard ? i heard a brand jbl phos ex here around the lfs ... anybody hear that ?
 

Ace25

www.centralcoastreefclub. com
Oct 3, 2005
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Ace: is GFO that much different than Phosban that it would need to be changed each month? My Phosban says several months. I don't use bulk GFO so maybe that is the difference.
I used Phosban and was lucky to get 21 days out of it before it was used up, so I switched to RowaPhos and I get 40 days, almost 2x as long but also 2x the cost. Phosban and RowaPhos are just name brand GFO.

Please do not ever believe what the label says. If you go by the label then a bag of Chemi-Pure lasts 6 months without problems. If I leave a bag of chemi-pure in my sump for 2 months it becomes an ash colored rock. You have to go by what your system/tests tells you is the right time to replace, not what the bottle says. ;)
 

Ace25

www.centralcoastreefclub. com
Oct 3, 2005
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Missed the Phosguard question... Phosguard is good for quick fixes, but I wouldn't recommend running it in a reactor because the media gets all used up in less than a week. It is designed to do that though, even says on the bottle to replace after 4 days I believe. It is not GFO, more like a Purigen type of product, round white balls the size of BBs. If you have really high Phosphates or Silicates, Phosguard is great at removing them quickly, like a super absorbant GFO.
 
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