reactors in a reef tank

Jritter02 · 11/22/2014, 01:32 AM

What is everyone's opinions on this? I have read Alot of reviews and opinions on people running carbon and gfo reactors in a reef tank. A lot of people say good things..,,a lot of people say bad. What's everyone's opinions on this? I'm going to be cycling a 90g soon and wanted to run some GFO in a reactor I'll be picking up. I got the rocks from someone who had them in thier tank, so who now's what is in/on them. I want to run the GFO during cycling to try to help with an algae break out. I'll be using RO water and reef crystals.

Thanks.

F4talreeefer · 11/22/2014, 10:01 AM

Imho if everything is taken care of properly and your rocks are not leaching phosphates reactors really aren't necessary. With that being said they do help in make maintaining a tank easier as it helps export nutrients preventing you from having to do more water changes ect.
With that being said I used to run gfo and carbon. I have since taken the reactors off line though. Carbon is nice to have around in case of an emergency

Jritter02 · 11/22/2014, 01:05 PM

I plan on getting,one of each today. I have read that carbon pulls a lot of things out of the water that the corals need. Which I don't want to do if that true. Unless maybe not running it ALL the time. Maybe a few days on and a few days off. But I want to run GFO to keep algae down as much as possible

Stackemdeep · 11/22/2014, 01:37 PM

A lot of new reefers (not calling you new) make the same mistake I did when starting out and that is over feeding. Running the reactors up front and a large clean up crew kept me from having a lot of problems until I learned both how and what to feed my fish and corals. I still run mine but do not use very much media now. Good luck.

Jritter02 · 11/22/2014, 02:49 PM

I learned that earlier this year with my Nano. Way over feeding. I just wanna try to be proactive instead of scrambling when/if the S hits the fan.

Jritter02 · 11/23/2014, 02:46 PM

Wow...no input from anyone else?

billdogg · 11/23/2014, 04:02 PM

I have used carbon 24/7/365 for about 25 years without any problems. It helps to remove organics that can discolor the water and also helps immensely with Alleopathy between the various corals in your typical "mixed" reef.

I use GFO on an "as needed" basis. If I begin to have algae problems, running some for a month or two clears it right up.

hth

Jritter02 · 11/23/2014, 04:21 PM

Thanks man. You may have just helped me decide to,go ahead and go with it.

phenom5 · 11/23/2014, 04:40 PM

FWIW I've run both GAC and GFO 24/7/365 for years. The reactors are cheap, and the media is reasonable. The benefits far out weight the cost IMHO.

Jeff210 · 11/23/2014, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phenom5

FWIW I've run both GAC and GFO 24/7/365 for years. The reactors are cheap, and the media is reasonable. The benefits far out weight the cost IMHO.

Same here...

cloak · 11/23/2014, 05:32 PM

Reactors definitely do serve a purpose, but with good husbandry and a little elbow grease I think they can be avoided by some as well. FWIW, I've been keeping reef tanks for about 16 years now and I've never found the need for a reactor, and I use tap water of all things. Go figure...

At the very least, see if you can get by without a reactor first. There's no shame in adding one later on if need be, but keeping a happy healthy reef tank doesn't have to be so complicated sometimes. JMO, GL.

Jritter02 · 11/23/2014, 09:05 PM

Anyone mix activated carbon and gfo in the same reactor? I'm reading about one reactor where it says it's ok to

droog · 11/23/2014, 10:04 PM

Which reactor are you considering, I'd like to take a look.

I have run both carbon and GFO in a mesh bag in the sump, which has a shelf where water continually overflows down a little "weir". I've also hooked up reactors, but I find the reactors to be a major PITA.

PITA to setup, PITA to find space in my sump, PITA to install media and rinse before use, and PITA to clean and replace media.

The bag in sump may be less effective but its much easier for me. Media in my reactors seemed to clump and clog anyway...

Am I the only one to hate reactors his much? I tried Vertex one and also a mini bubble magus all-in-one with GFO. I just had to pull out the BM because it started leaking GFO into my tank after about 2 weeks of running.

I love carbon dosing and skimming because they are nicely set-and-forget. Setting up and changing media in reactors seems time consuming and messy by comparison.

-droog

Jritter02 · 11/24/2014, 02:31 AM

http://m.ebay.com/itm/111305219386?cmd=VIDESC

This is the one I have my eye on. May pick one up from a local guy. If he stops BSin

phenom5 · 11/24/2014, 07:05 AM

I used both in a single BRS reactor in the past. Not ideal, but doable. The biggest problem is the different flow rates. GAC should have a little more flow, but too much flow over the GFO can cause it to grind itself up.

For changing the media, by far the easiest way to do it is to change it out during a water change. Put new media in, and run the reactor into a bucket. After about a gallon or so, the water should run clear.

PeterBel · 11/24/2014, 10:35 AM

I use the Innovative Marine Minimax All-In-One Desktop Media Reactor with my Cube and didn't had any issue with it! Easy to maintain and setup. I also use Carbon & GFO at the same time.

Just go slow when starting to use GFO, go with the minimal dose/quantity and slowly increase if need be. When i started, i went full blown and my PH dropped to 7.5 from 8.2. As a newbie, i didn't make the link right away and started to struggle hehehehe

11/22/2014, 01:32 AM	#1
Jritter02 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 332	reactors in a reef tank What is everyone's opinions on this? I have read Alot of reviews and opinions on people running carbon and gfo reactors in a reef tank. A lot of people say good things..,,a lot of people say bad. What's everyone's opinions on this? I'm going to be cycling a 90g soon and wanted to run some GFO in a reactor I'll be picking up. I got the rocks from someone who had them in thier tank, so who now's what is in/on them. I want to run the GFO during cycling to try to help with an algae break out. I'll be using RO water and reef crystals. Thanks.

11/22/2014, 01:37 PM	#4
Stackemdeep Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Carolina Beach NC Posts: 429	A lot of new reefers (not calling you new) make the same mistake I did when starting out and that is over feeding. Running the reactors up front and a large clean up crew kept me from having a lot of problems until I learned both how and what to feed my fish and corals. I still run mine but do not use very much media now. Good luck. __________________ Paul Current Tank Info: 120g SPS tank Last edited by Stackemdeep; 11/22/2014 at 01:47 PM.

11/23/2014, 04:02 PM	#7
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	I have used carbon 24/7/365 for about 25 years without any problems. It helps to remove organics that can discolor the water and also helps immensely with Alleopathy between the various corals in your typical "mixed" reef. I use GFO on an "as needed" basis. If I begin to have algae problems, running some for a month or two clears it right up. hth __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

11/23/2014, 04:40 PM	#9
phenom5 Unregistered Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,096	FWIW I've run both GAC and GFO 24/7/365 for years. The reactors are cheap, and the media is reasonable. The benefits far out weight the cost IMHO. __________________ Rob Current Tank Info: DSA 155 Pro \| ATI Sunpower \| ATB 840 v2 \| Apex \| Wav

11/24/2014, 07:05 AM	#15
phenom5 Unregistered Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,096	I used both in a single BRS reactor in the past. Not ideal, but doable. The biggest problem is the different flow rates. GAC should have a little more flow, but too much flow over the GFO can cause it to grind itself up. For changing the media, by far the easiest way to do it is to change it out during a water change. Put new media in, and run the reactor into a bucket. After about a gallon or so, the water should run clear. __________________ Rob Current Tank Info: DSA 155 Pro \| ATI Sunpower \| ATB 840 v2 \| Apex \| Wav

11/22/2014, 10:01 AM	#2
F4talreeefer Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Stickney Il Posts: 57	Imho if everything is taken care of properly and your rocks are not leaching phosphates reactors really aren't necessary. With that being said they do help in make maintaining a tank easier as it helps export nutrients preventing you from having to do more water changes ect. With that being said I used to run gfo and carbon. I have since taken the reactors off line though. Carbon is nice to have around in case of an emergency

11/22/2014, 01:05 PM	#3
Jritter02 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 332	I plan on getting,one of each today. I have read that carbon pulls a lot of things out of the water that the corals need. Which I don't want to do if that true. Unless maybe not running it ALL the time. Maybe a few days on and a few days off. But I want to run GFO to keep algae down as much as possible

11/22/2014, 02:49 PM	#5
Jritter02 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 332	I learned that earlier this year with my Nano. Way over feeding. I just wanna try to be proactive instead of scrambling when/if the S hits the fan.

11/23/2014, 02:46 PM	#6
Jritter02 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 332	Wow...no input from anyone else?

11/23/2014, 04:21 PM	#8
Jritter02 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 332	Thanks man. You may have just helped me decide to,go ahead and go with it.

11/23/2014, 05:32 PM	#11
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	Reactors definitely do serve a purpose, but with good husbandry and a little elbow grease I think they can be avoided by some as well. FWIW, I've been keeping reef tanks for about 16 years now and I've never found the need for a reactor, and I use tap water of all things. Go figure... At the very least, see if you can get by without a reactor first. There's no shame in adding one later on if need be, but keeping a happy healthy reef tank doesn't have to be so complicated sometimes. JMO, GL.

11/23/2014, 09:05 PM	#12
Jritter02 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 332	Anyone mix activated carbon and gfo in the same reactor? I'm reading about one reactor where it says it's ok to

11/23/2014, 10:04 PM	#13
droog Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 736	Which reactor are you considering, I'd like to take a look. I have run both carbon and GFO in a mesh bag in the sump, which has a shelf where water continually overflows down a little "weir". I've also hooked up reactors, but I find the reactors to be a major PITA. PITA to setup, PITA to find space in my sump, PITA to install media and rinse before use, and PITA to clean and replace media. The bag in sump may be less effective but its much easier for me. Media in my reactors seemed to clump and clog anyway... Am I the only one to hate reactors his much? I tried Vertex one and also a mini bubble magus all-in-one with GFO. I just had to pull out the BM because it started leaking GFO into my tank after about 2 weeks of running. I love carbon dosing and skimming because they are nicely set-and-forget. Setting up and changing media in reactors seems time consuming and messy by comparison. -droog

11/24/2014, 02:31 AM	#14
Jritter02 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 332	http://m.ebay.com/itm/111305219386?cmd=VIDESC This is the one I have my eye on. May pick one up from a local guy. If he stops BSin

11/24/2014, 10:35 AM	#16
PeterBel Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Union City, CA Posts: 149	I use the Innovative Marine Minimax All-In-One Desktop Media Reactor with my Cube and didn't had any issue with it! Easy to maintain and setup. I also use Carbon & GFO at the same time. Just go slow when starting to use GFO, go with the minimal dose/quantity and slowly increase if need be. When i started, i went full blown and my PH dropped to 7.5 from 8.2. As a newbie, i didn't make the link right away and started to struggle hehehehe __________________ Peter 120G shallow Build in Progress... Current Tank Info: 100G, MarsAqua 165W x 2 Led, DCT-8000 Return, Curve 7 Bubble Magus Skimmer, Low Profile Overflow, Custom sump, BRS Reactors, Full APEX, Salt Station, ATO, Auto-water change, Kalc reactor, etc...