gtbarsi
Well-Known Member
The SRO reactor is not a re-circulating reactor so managing how much flow goes through the reactor is a challenge since you still need a minimum flow to keep them tumbling. The only thing you can do is to manage the quantity of pellets in the reactor, and keep the flow low. As you lower the qty of pellets the total volume of water the bacteria they host is able to strip completely goes down.
Normally you want to drive the output from your pellet reactor to your skimmer so it can remove the byproducts of the bacteria, which are very nutrient rich (carbs in the form of suggers). If the output from your reactor is in the same chamber as the skimmer perhaps you should consider putting the output in to he next chamber down the flow in the sump. This would allow the nutrients to flow through your display and give your corals a chance to use some of it before the skimmer removes it from the system. I personally would be careful with this as it has the potential to be a really big change to the nutrient flow in your system.
Regardless you need good nitrate and Phosphate test kits, you should test once or twice a week for at least two weeks before making any changes. Then monitor the changes over several weeks until you see the change stabilize. The last thing you want to do is keep making changes and not know what effects it is having or if it has even stabilized. I would only make fast changes if you suddenly saw a large dangerous change. For example if you move the reactor output as I suggested you could try and find that after a week your nitrates go up 10 ppm, and the 2nd week they go up another 10 or more PPM. Then I would definitely changes things back the way they had been, watch until they stabilize, and then try to make a smaller change (only direct a tiny portion of the reactor effluent past the skimmer chamber). Then start monitoring again.
Personally I like the Reef Dynamics concept for the use of bio-pellets. Use them in a re-circulating reactor where you have separate fine control over the volume of water that flows through the reactor, while still being able to manage your tumble. Then plumb the effluent directly in front of the intake to the skimmer pump so the effluent is sucked in, the nutrients in the effluent are removed by the skimmer and super clean water is returned to the tank. That is a 99% removal of the nutrients you are trying to control, while still allowing you to control how much of you system's water is stripped.
I am not doing this yet but I have plans and some equipment to go in that direction. When I do I have been toying with the idea of letting some of the effluent dose the tank after every regular feeding of the fish. I plan on having a controller by then and shutting off the skimmer, and return pumps in my sump during feeding times. If I leave the reactor on it will build up effluent in the skimmer section of the sump, and when the return pump is turned back on, there will be more effluent in the skimmer chamber than the skimmer can process out before it flows in to the next section of the sump. That should give the DT a nice dose over the next hour or so while the skimmer works to remove it.
Normally you want to drive the output from your pellet reactor to your skimmer so it can remove the byproducts of the bacteria, which are very nutrient rich (carbs in the form of suggers). If the output from your reactor is in the same chamber as the skimmer perhaps you should consider putting the output in to he next chamber down the flow in the sump. This would allow the nutrients to flow through your display and give your corals a chance to use some of it before the skimmer removes it from the system. I personally would be careful with this as it has the potential to be a really big change to the nutrient flow in your system.
Regardless you need good nitrate and Phosphate test kits, you should test once or twice a week for at least two weeks before making any changes. Then monitor the changes over several weeks until you see the change stabilize. The last thing you want to do is keep making changes and not know what effects it is having or if it has even stabilized. I would only make fast changes if you suddenly saw a large dangerous change. For example if you move the reactor output as I suggested you could try and find that after a week your nitrates go up 10 ppm, and the 2nd week they go up another 10 or more PPM. Then I would definitely changes things back the way they had been, watch until they stabilize, and then try to make a smaller change (only direct a tiny portion of the reactor effluent past the skimmer chamber). Then start monitoring again.
Personally I like the Reef Dynamics concept for the use of bio-pellets. Use them in a re-circulating reactor where you have separate fine control over the volume of water that flows through the reactor, while still being able to manage your tumble. Then plumb the effluent directly in front of the intake to the skimmer pump so the effluent is sucked in, the nutrients in the effluent are removed by the skimmer and super clean water is returned to the tank. That is a 99% removal of the nutrients you are trying to control, while still allowing you to control how much of you system's water is stripped.
I am not doing this yet but I have plans and some equipment to go in that direction. When I do I have been toying with the idea of letting some of the effluent dose the tank after every regular feeding of the fish. I plan on having a controller by then and shutting off the skimmer, and return pumps in my sump during feeding times. If I leave the reactor on it will build up effluent in the skimmer section of the sump, and when the return pump is turned back on, there will be more effluent in the skimmer chamber than the skimmer can process out before it flows in to the next section of the sump. That should give the DT a nice dose over the next hour or so while the skimmer works to remove it.
I'll join that thread so we can keep this one on track.
