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What are some other equipment?

S

saltwater4life

Hey guys,
I'm just courius about some other equipment i was looking at stuff like Ca reactor and phosban reactor. What else is there? Also what does the phosban reactor really do? I read some stuff but got confused...

Thanks guys,

-Nick
 
B

Brian

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
You can different types of media in a Phosban reactor. I have 3 on my system. 2 Carbon and 1 with RowaPhos in it.

They are great to have.

If you plan to keep alot of SPS then I would consider a Calcium reactor, otherwise you won't need one. They are pretty expensive as well...but worth it if you have a high calcium demand. I'm running an MTC reactor on my system. I don't know much about the smaller ones.

Auto Top Off is another great investment, I would look into that. You can try autotopoff.com

HTH!
 
mikem

mikem

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Phosban reactors help keep your Phospates in check. One of the simplest things to use and setup.
 
mikem

mikem

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I second the ATO. That would be my first investment if I ever started over.
 
B

Brian

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
saltwater4life said:
Also what does the phosban reactor really do? I read some stuff but got confused...
Click to expand...

Forgot to answer this...

They are really easy to setup, basically you use a small pump, fill it with whichever type of media you plan to use and plug in the pump! Simple.

I usually fill mine about 1/2 way with carbon and use enough flow to have the top layer tumbling around. Phosban requires you to use a measured amount depending on your system size, I used about 1/2 the recommended amount when I first started using it.
 
mikem

mikem

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
You can also piggy-back 2 Phos Reactors. One for Phos media and the other for carbon, using only 1 pump.
 
S

saltwater4life

Thank you guys,
So i guess I'll look into a phosban reactor. What's a good brand? I would like to get a Ca reactor but those are pricey little things... maybe i can find some DIY plans... As far as the auto top off i was looking into one down the road but now that i'm hearing how nice they are I'll have to look at some.

Thanks again,

Nick
 
P

pgordemer

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
You can also use a ***SMALL*** canister filter (You want the slow flow rate). My Fluval 205 has 3 chambers, 2 I fill with Carbon and 1 with 2 cups of Phosban. I change the carbon every 2 weeks and Phosban every 4.

The end result is the same as using Reactors, but for me its all self contained, don't have to worry about another pump in the sump, another valve to adjust.
 
S

saltwater4life

Thanks,
I was looking at the TLF 150 is that to big? i didn't see any smaller ones...
pgordemer,
That's a cool idea. I don't know why but i like watching stuff work and those are all covered up but if i'm short on room i'll look into one.

Do all auto top off's have the same chance of failing? I was reading about some and they said how there is always a chance your float switch can get stuck on.
 
P

pgordemer

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
saltwater4life said:
Thanks,
I was looking at the TLF 150 is that to big? i didn't see any smaller ones...
pgordemer,
Click to expand...

Don't know what that is... but its not a size thing, you need to check the flow rate. Find something in the less than 150 GPH range. My fluval is rated for 185, but after going up the ouside of the sump the actual rate out is 120, which is perfect for the phosban (doesn't tumble).
 
B

Brian

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
As far as I know TLF only makes one size reactor. You can get larger ones from Precision Marine if I'm not mistaken.

I run all 3 of my reactors off of my main return pump, so there is no need for any extra pumps.

As far as the ATO failing... Let's put it this way... EVERYTHING will fail eventually, nothing is fool proof.

I have the double switch on my ATO (second switch is if the first fails) and then I have it hooked into my ACjr (another great investment!).

The ACJr gives power to the ATO for 1 minute every six hours, triple redundancy!
 
S

saltwater4life

Cool so i can always add another one later.
Yeah you've got a point there!
Well i was thinking of something like Melve's DIY top off and have it on a timer.
 
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