TLF Phosban Reactor

Binare · #1 01-21-2010, 06:04 PM

Make sure you restrict flow before the reactor, these things don't like to be pressurized. Everytime I've heard of one leaking its cause people are restricting AFTER the reactor... Which pressurizes it.

rocco134 · #2 01-21-2010, 07:19 PM

Makes sense.. Thanks Binare!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Binare

Make sure you restrict flow before the reactor, these things don't like to be pressurized. Everytime I've heard of one leaking its cause people are restricting AFTER the reactor... Which pressurizes it.

Christy... do you run yours in series (daisy chained is what they call it i think)? If you do, what type of pump are you using. The package from J&L (http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/s...ID=tf-reactor3) comes with 1 MJ400 and they say it will be enough to run both reactors.

Binare · #3 01-21-2010, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rocco134

Makes sense.. Thanks Binare!

Christy... do you run yours in series (daisy chained is what they call it i think)? If you do, what type of pump are you using. The package from J&L (http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/s...ID=tf-reactor3) comes with 1 MJ400 and they say it will be enough to run both reactors.

If you run em in series, you'll basically have to shut both down to do maintenance on one. You'll also have a hard time getting flow right through both. They will both have the same amount of flow... Different media will require different flow. I'd tee off the pump, then put the ball valve on each outlet, then reactor after each valve. That way you can adjust flow independantly. Maintenance is also easier. Simply turn off the valve for the one you want to remove stopping flow to it, but leaving the other one running. Depending on your media, a mj400 may not be enough for 2 in parallel, essentially cuts the flow available to each one in half. I reccomend pre-filters on pumps feeding reactors as well. The sponge will stop pods n such from getting trapped in the reactors and rotting away inside... Kinda defeats the purpose of running them.

rocco134 · #4 01-21-2010, 08:22 PM

Thanks again, Binare!!

rocco134 · #5 01-22-2010, 09:25 PM

the box arrived this morning and it is all set up. when can i expect to see some results in terms of lowering my phosphates?

Binare · #6 01-22-2010, 09:32 PM

How you judging your results? Based on visual... Current algae bloom. Or based on test kit results. My hanna meter showed lower po within hours and continued to lower for days until saturation was reached. If its algae, you won't "see" results really until you remove and see a slower or even better no growth rate.

Binare · #7 01-22-2010, 09:35 PM

Also if your po is being leached from sand or rock. You'll see no results till either leaching stops... Or slows to below rate of absorbtion. Before you worry about phosphate levels and removing it, I'd worry about the source. Water changes? Water top off? Overfeeding? Frozen foods? Liverock, sand etc.

fishytime · #8 01-23-2010, 02:31 PM

I always wondered how you are supposed to be able to "link" them together?....Like Binare said carbon requires 400-600gph and the phosphate medias require 300-400 gph..........I have two reactors and run them with separate pumps because I didnt want the hassle of trying to find all the little parts you'd need to chain them together properly..

Binare · #9 01-23-2010, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishytime

I always wondered how you are supposed to be able to "link" them together?....Like Binare said carbon requires 400-600gph and the phosphate medias require 300-400 gph..........I have two reactors and run them with separate pumps because I didnt want the hassle of trying to find all the little parts you'd need to chain them together properly..

Its actually less parts to run em in series, 6" of tubing, as appose to another pump or making up a manifold. I'm not sure what reactors you are using but my TLFs recommend somewhere around 80-90GPH I believe for phosphate media. You want just enough so it "boils". The lower your flow... The more contact time with the media, if you go to fast contact won't be sufficient, carbon of course can be a little higher, but I still wouldn't push more then 200-300gph through it, for the same reasons. Concept is similar to sump design and flow, why push a couple thousand gph threw a sump when your skimmer, refugium and chemical media may only process a small fraction of that. Just food for thought.