costs of running carbon and Phosban/GFO
 

hey,
just trying to put together a bit of a lifecycle cost for running carbon and phosphate media in 2 reactors. i figure i can get 2 reactors for about $100, and pumps for another 60 or so? what sorta media replacement costs are there? how much is the stuff? how often would i have to replace it on a 85 gallon system? can you run two reactors on a single pump? advisable? any tips would be awesome!

this what I use http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/tf...o+Package.html. And you can use one pump to run this.

Bulk Reef Supply has dual reactors. (two reactors sharing one pump) I have one and it works very well.

It only costs as much as you want to spend. If you dont have a phosphate problem or hair algae problem you probably dont need to run GFO. Carbon is basically the same. If you already have clear well skimmed water and you dont mix a lot of species together that conduct chemical warfare with one another then you dont 'need' carbon. Its entirely possible to run a successful problem free tank without either.

But if you're like the rest of us with a mixed reef aquarium that you frequently overfeed... it might cost hundreds a year.

You could get a 500ml bag of NP reducing pellets for $73.
It will last 12 month. Carbon is cheaper so you can have it passive in the sump.
jmtcw