I see "media reactor" mentioned in a lot of threads. What is it? A canister filter full of media? Would a HOB full of carbon be a media reactor then? Are we talking about a specialized piece of gear?
Thanks.
Thanks.
media reactor?
- Thread starter manowar669
- Start date
It is an extremely simple, but specialized piece of gear. It is simply a cylinder tube with a small tube down the center and a diffuser plate at the bottom. You put your media of choice around the innner tube, then water is pumped through the tube to the bottom of the cylinder, then the water goes up throw the diffuser plate, through all your media, and back out. I think of them as a "supercharger" for most types of media, it takes the media and makes it work 10x better by forcing water though it the way the reactor does.
Thanks. Simple enough. Would the diffuser plate really be necessary? After all, the first layer of media particles would diffuse the water flow. How would one use one of these in a sumpless setup? In-tank? or cap it with a return tube as a HOB?
This is the one I use on my 29G as a HOB filled with 1/2 cup of GFO and the rest carbon. Wow, the price has gone up on those since I bought mine, I think I paid $32.99 for it a year ago.
http://www.marinedepot.com/ViaAqua_...hate_Reactors-ViaAqua-VA3311-FIFRISPR-vi.html
http://www.marinedepot.com/ViaAqua_...hate_Reactors-ViaAqua-VA3311-FIFRISPR-vi.html
Very cool. Approx what are the dimensions of that pump? If not too big, that should be a great addition to my setup. What media(s) would be best? I'm using purigen, and Chemipure Elite in HOBs now. Just carbon? GFO is ferric oxide, right?
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The pump is maybe 2.5"x1"x1", it is tiny.
Purigen is good in a bag, but wouldn't be good in a reactor because it would be impossible to recharge it. Chemi-Pure elite is essentially what a reactor is but the reactor works better. It is carbon with a little GFO.
For media, I go with bulk reef supply stuff now, but for convienence, TLF Phosban is a good cheap GFO that is usually sold locally, and a high grade carbon. I personally like the ROX carbon that bulkreefsupply sells.
Carbon Demo Video
Purigen is good in a bag, but wouldn't be good in a reactor because it would be impossible to recharge it. Chemi-Pure elite is essentially what a reactor is but the reactor works better. It is carbon with a little GFO.
For media, I go with bulk reef supply stuff now, but for convienence, TLF Phosban is a good cheap GFO that is usually sold locally, and a high grade carbon. I personally like the ROX carbon that bulkreefsupply sells.
Carbon Demo Video
Which carbon and phosphate media should I get from marine depot (placing large order), and can I mix a phosphate remover with the carbon? I've read it's not optimal, but I don't really have room or money for 2 reactors.
It isn't optimal to mix but I still have great success if that is your only option. I put in the GFO first, so it goes "Filter sponge-GFO w/ 2" clearance-Filter Sponge-Carbon-Filter Sponge. When you put water it in the GFO will fill up the space a little more and then you still want about 1" of clearance for it to percolate a little. I use the ROX carbon from BRS which floats in a reactor, so I fill the top part of the reactor full of carbon since it will float anyway. A filter bag material is a must have at the end of the output line to catch any media that makes it out. With ROX carbon being so small quite a bit escapes when first setup.
So, to answer your question, from MarineDepot I would go with:
TLF Phosban for GFO and Seachem Matrix Carbon
So, to answer your question, from MarineDepot I would go with:
TLF Phosban for GFO and Seachem Matrix Carbon
