Carbon/GFO

[whoisLP]

Hey all,
I have a 32 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump. I also have 2 phosban 150s and want to add carbon and gfo. Being new to this hobby, how much do I add? I purchased ROX carbon and bulk gfo, both from BRS. Appreciate any advice!

 

[Pongo]

I've used these online calculators in the past.

I put carbon in a bag in the sump where the drain line enters.
I don't tumble carbon.

 

[whoisLP]

I've used these online calculators in the past.

Wow didn't know BRS had this. Thanks!

 

[Whipples]

You can mix the carbon and GFO together and run a lower flow through the reactor to prevent tumbling if you want to run both medias without running two reactors, the downside however is that GFO and carbon don't have the same useful life so you will be changing out media that isn't necessarily exhausted. I run Rox carbon and GFO in an Avast reactor with great success, and my one piece of advice would be to use some sort of media bag to hold it in the canister to make cleaning and switching it out much, much easier.

 

[whoisLP]

You can mix the carbon and GFO together and run a lower flow through the reactor to prevent tumbling if you want to run both medias without running two reactors, the downside however is that GFO and carbon don't have the same useful life so you will be changing out media that isn't necessarily exhausted. I run Rox carbon and GFO in an Avast reactor with great success, and my one piece of advice would be to use some sort of media bag to hold it in the canister to make cleaning and switching it out much, much easier.

Thanks for the insight. Yes, I've been told I can use one reactor, which would save a ton of space in my 10 gallon sump. Only thing is that I heard GFO needs to tumble while carbon should be packed tightly. Seems like if they are both mixed, it would not function as it should. But you stated that you've ran it this way successfully, so I may try and see what the results look like. Thanks again.

 

[Whipples]

GFO to work at peak efficiency should gently tumble as it is prone to clumping when it is the only media and therefore reduces its capability of absorbing phosphates. If you mix it up with the carbon sufficiently the clumping isn't nearly as much of a concern and it can tolerate lower flow much better. I think peak flow for carbon to be the most effective is fairly low, so just keep an eye on it and adjust accordingly to prevent tumbling.