GFO Placement

[fernalfer]

OK i have the Trigger Systems 36 Ruby sump: http://www.aquacave.com/trigger-syst...y-36-sump.html

I have my skimmer in first section with filter socks. Refugium in the center and my returm pump in third section to the right.

I just bought a bulk reef supply premium gfo reactor and was going to place it in the return section of the sump where the intake pump will feed the reactor and then was going to run the output line of the reactor into the skimmer section running through a filter sock to catch any fines from the GFO.

Is this a good plan or is it recommended to run another way and why?

[homer1475]

I personally ran mine reverse from what your thinking. Reactor pump in my first section with the filter socks and skimmer. I'm also not feeding my reactor from my return either, I'm using a separate mj1200 pump.

My thinking was to collect the most PO4 from the water before going into my fuge. Then the effluent into the return section so clean water can be pumped back into the tank.

[fernalfer]

Originally Posted by homer1475

I personally ran mine reverse from what your thinking. Reactor pump in my first section with the filter socks and skimmer. I'm also not feeding my reactor from my return either, I'm using a separate mj1200 pump.

My thinking was to collect the most PO4 from the water before going into my fuge. Then the effluent into the return section so clean water can be pumped back into the tank.

See my thinking was opposite. To take the cleanest water with my mj pump into the reactor so it does not get gunked up and the running the return back to the first section into a sock to catch the fines if any.

[fishgate]

Your plan results in short-circuiting the reactor. It is better to run the reactor in any compartment other than the return compartment, on it's own pump, and the output of the reactor goes into the return section. If you want, you could run the output into another filter sock or else just siphon out the mess they make.

[fernalfer]

Originally Posted by fishgate

Your plan results in short-circuiting the reactor. It is better to run the reactor in any compartment other than the return compartment, on it's own pump, and the output of the reactor goes into the return section. If you want, you could run the output into another filter sock or else just siphon out the mess they make.

I am using a separate MJ-1200 pump to feed the reactor. So your saying the output line of the reactor should go into the return section and not the skimmer section and i should not be drawing the cleanest water into the reactor from the return section?

[fishgate]

Originally Posted by fernalfer

I am using a separate MJ-1200 pump to feed the reactor. So your saying the output line of the reactor should go into the return section and not the skimmer section and i should not be drawing the cleanest water into the reactor from the return section?

It can go into any section downstream of the section it is drawing from. Point is not to recirculate the water that has already gone through the reactor back to the reactor before it has exited the sump. That is termed as "short-cycling".

Any water you pump into the reactor has gone through the socks for mechanical filtration. For my reactors, I draw water from the drain/skimmer section (after the socks) into the fuge/center section.