nitrate and phosphate reactors

sanababit · 08/20/2007, 08:17 PM

hello guys, a couple of questions, do any of you know how to DIY phosphate reactor and nitrate reactor or where can i buy them, second question is, are they worth it to put them on my system????, im thinking of getting a phos reactor this weekend and put phos media and carbon and run it all the time, anyone out there running phos and carbon reactors, with nitrate reactors too???

thanks

sana

JetCat USA · 08/20/2007, 08:22 PM

with the two little fishies PO4 reactor, you'll be hard pressed to build one for what it costs, well worth every penny and works great.

on the NO3 reactors, they are costly, but i DIY'd one and by the time i bought the media/pump/etc...... i only saved a hundred buck or so and my time was worth more then that, i sold that one for a little extra $$$ and picked up a Korallin 1502 NO3 reactor and it looks so much better sitting beside my Korallin 4002 Ca reactor.

sanababit · 08/20/2007, 08:41 PM

but is it worth it to have a nitrate reactor, did it reduce your nitrates, how long did it take???, and did you notice an improvement on phosphates??, right now im testing for PO4 and dont get any trace of it but i still get a lot of algae growth on glass, will the reactor help me with that??

sana

stoneskid · 08/20/2007, 08:46 PM

I run a phosphate reactor in my tank, does a world of difference. I have seen them cheap on ebay with pumps for around $50.

Randall_James · 08/20/2007, 08:50 PM

with your tank, I would just rely on water changes... all these reactors are simply bandaids for other issues IMO.. with good skimming, good water changes, I see no reason to invest in a few hundred dollars in devices and media to fill them.

I have never had PO or nitrate issues with some pretty heavily loaded tanks. This also takes care of trace mineral replacement and other supplements that many with these devices also supplement. (not to mention I do not purchase all the test kits anymore)

If you change 10G a week on your tank, I think you will see more benefit than these other options... (just my opinion and your mileage may vary

)

JetCat USA · 08/20/2007, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sanababit
but is it worth it to have a nitrate reactor, did it reduce your nitrates, how long did it take???, and did you notice an improvement on phosphates??, right now im testing for PO4 and dont get any trace of it but i still get a lot of algae growth on glass, will the reactor help me with that??

sana

This Thread should pretty well give you the answer you're looking for on the PO4 reactor and if it works

Yes the NO3 reactor works as advertised, the time it takes to do the trick is dependent on current NO3 levels, system volume and drip settings. you'll also see at the end of that above linked thread where i moved it from my 75g reef where it kept the NO3 at zero to the 180g i did the PO4 tests on and how quickly it dropped those levels.

08/20/2007, 08:17 PM	#1
sanababit Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Uranus Posts: 3,094	nitrate and phosphate reactors hello guys, a couple of questions, do any of you know how to DIY phosphate reactor and nitrate reactor or where can i buy them, second question is, are they worth it to put them on my system????, im thinking of getting a phos reactor this weekend and put phos media and carbon and run it all the time, anyone out there running phos and carbon reactors, with nitrate reactors too??? thanks sana __________________ Senior Member of the "Hardly any Water Changes, Temp Swinging, T5ing, No Qtining, Frag Exchanging for Fish Food Current Tank Info: 90RR inwall, Octopuss Skimmer, 2 MP40 wQD, 1 MP10 WQD, 2 Radions G4 Pro, Apex Doser, Apex Controller, 400w heater, 30 Gal Sump, Biopellets, Carbon, Gfo, Macroalgae

08/20/2007, 08:41 PM	#3
sanababit Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Uranus Posts: 3,094	but is it worth it to have a nitrate reactor, did it reduce your nitrates, how long did it take???, and did you notice an improvement on phosphates??, right now im testing for PO4 and dont get any trace of it but i still get a lot of algae growth on glass, will the reactor help me with that?? sana __________________ Senior Member of the "Hardly any Water Changes, Temp Swinging, T5ing, No Qtining, Frag Exchanging for Fish Food Current Tank Info: 90RR inwall, Octopuss Skimmer, 2 MP40 wQD, 1 MP10 WQD, 2 Radions G4 Pro, Apex Doser, Apex Controller, 400w heater, 30 Gal Sump, Biopellets, Carbon, Gfo, Macroalgae

08/20/2007, 08:50 PM	#5
Randall_James Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 6,727	with your tank, I would just rely on water changes... all these reactors are simply bandaids for other issues IMO.. with good skimming, good water changes, I see no reason to invest in a few hundred dollars in devices and media to fill them. I have never had PO or nitrate issues with some pretty heavily loaded tanks. This also takes care of trace mineral replacement and other supplements that many with these devices also supplement. (not to mention I do not purchase all the test kits anymore) If you change 10G a week on your tank, I think you will see more benefit than these other options... (just my opinion and your mileage may vary ) __________________ "It's a dog eat dog world and I feel like I am wearing milkbone underwear"

08/20/2007, 08:22 PM	#2
JetCat USA Moved On Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 2,847	with the two little fishies PO4 reactor, you'll be hard pressed to build one for what it costs, well worth every penny and works great. on the NO3 reactors, they are costly, but i DIY'd one and by the time i bought the media/pump/etc...... i only saved a hundred buck or so and my time was worth more then that, i sold that one for a little extra $$$ and picked up a Korallin 1502 NO3 reactor and it looks so much better sitting beside my Korallin 4002 Ca reactor.

08/20/2007, 08:46 PM	#4
stoneskid Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 51	I run a phosphate reactor in my tank, does a world of difference. I have seen them cheap on ebay with pumps for around $50.