My ARID(Algae, Remediation, Illuminated, Device) Reactor build

redsea · Nov 4, 2015

I thought I will share my build of this AIRD reactor, this is for personal use and I have no commercial interest.
this reactor will be fed from the main manifold pump and I will keep updating the progress of the algae growth and the water parameters.

parts and cost and where purchased :
1- Avast marine MR16 Fluidized Media Reactor Replacement Parts $185 (Avast marine)
2- 2"x1/4" THICK LARGE Acrylic Circle Disc Round Plexiglass Plastic Clear Craft $12(ebay)
3-1 PIECE CLEAR ACRYLIC PLEXIGLASS LUCITE TUBE 2” OD 1 3/4 ID x 12” LONG $12 (ebay)
4- Full Spectrum 80W LED Grow Light UV + IR Veg Flower Hydroponic Lamp $ 51.00 (ebay)

Total cost : $260

dorky · Nov 5, 2015

how does it work?

chefjpaul · Nov 5, 2015

Nice build!
Can't wait to see the results.

TheEngineer · Nov 5, 2015

This is great! I was just talking to my local club about doing this a couple of weeks ago, but as a cylindrical ATS.

joshkirkland83 · Nov 5, 2015

Cool idea. I want to see how you keep the algae in the reactor.

redsea · Nov 8, 2015

so far I am running the reactor light 24 hours/Day with medium flow...I see good growth of the algae ..will update more photos next week.

olegaz · Dec 16, 2015

I was thinking using same light for my diy reactor, can you tell how hot this light gets? did you have any temperature issues?
can we get updates please ?

redsea · Dec 16, 2015

the reactor is doing good, the growth of the Cheato is good. the phosphate levels around .06 ppm , the light base gets very hot but that does not affect the acrylic or the temperature of the water tank. so far I am happy with the light. I run it 12 hours a day

reburn · Dec 26, 2015

Update?
Are you noticing increased Cheato growth vs traditional type of Fuge?
Is it working well?
Any heat issues?

Pictures?

redsea · Dec 28, 2015

yes, the growth of Cheato is definitely faster than the traditional Fudge, my phosphate level is lower than before. I have no heat issue at all even though the lights runs very hot. the cheato is darker green and you can tell that is very healthy. I wish I built it with bigger reactor though, I think it will preform better if the reactor is bigger. maybe just use 5 gallon bucket for big size tanks. so far I am happy. will update some pictures as soon as I trim some cheato off the reactor

cichlidtx · Dec 28, 2015

thanks, for the update. Do you have any images of the reactor connected to your tank?

reefknight · Dec 29, 2015

Would love to see updated photos of this as well. I was just explaining this to a buddy of mine about using an Avast reactor as the chamber. Really looking forward to the results!

Mikieb17 · Jan 1, 2016

I'm following

olegaz · Jan 15, 2016

i bought algae reactor on ebay, im starting thread on algae reactors, everybody welcome
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/algae-reactor.230403/

olegaz · Apr 13, 2016

from my personal experience i think this project wasn't successful, hence no pictures or updates

redsea · Apr 13, 2016

olegaz said:
from my personal experience i think this project wasn't successful, hence no pictures or updates

well, after 6 months of using this reactor here is what I think , I think their is no advantages from using this reactor over the traditional refugiem , i did not notice any significant decrease of Phosphate levels. considering the cost of such setup and the cost of running a feeding pump and a light....I don't recommend it!

olegaz · Apr 21, 2016

redsea said:
well, after 6 months of using this reactor here is what I think , I think their is no advantages from using this reactor over the traditional refugiem , i did not notice any significant decrease of Phosphate levels. considering the cost of such setup and the cost of running a feeding pump and a light....I don't recommend it!

I dont believe that you been running your reactor 6 weeks let alone 6 months. from personal experience unless you been using glass or extruded acrylic inner tube that light you have would melt your tube within weeks, that's why arid reactor uses glass inner tube.