To run a reactor or not..

[MDeVito]

Hey guys,
Quick couple of questions. I've never ran a reactor and I'm curious to know more about them. What would be a good reactor to run on a 57 gallon/15 gallon sump mixed reef tank? Carbon? GFO? Does running a reactor eliminate the need to buy products like chemipure and purigen that I currently run now? How long does this media last?
Please help me out! I'd really like to know some more about reactors and if they are worth it.
Thanks for reading.

 

[twilliard]

It all depends on your end goal
What is it you are wanting to reduce?

 

[MDeVito]

Control nuisance algae, keep the water crystal clear.

 

[twilliard]

Carbon is good for water clarity so a reactor would be a nice addition
Also for algae po4 is nice to keep low
Maybe perhaps a dual reactor
The media itself depends on the water quality which will determine replacement.

 

[MDeVito]

How long does media last?

 

[twilliard]

Sorry added that late
For instance my carbon lasts about 2 weeks in my spyglass reactor

 

[twilliard]

Also forgot to add is the 2 main reasons for reactors

1 more media volume
2 more efficient use of the media

 

[hybridazn]

How long does media last?

Depends on the demand of the tank. If you don't do regular water changes and feed heavy then the media will expire quickly. I tend to get a month/month and a half from 2 cups of carbon in my system.

 

[MDeVito]

Thanks guys. Not sure what I'm going to do. I like the reactors idea though.

 

[Salty1962]

I use a BRS 5" with ROX8 in it and I get @3-4 weeks out of it. Use a BP reactor to help with nitrates and phosphates. I skim heavily because my bio load is heavy.

 

[mrtian97]

I like my MR1 reactor, using mix of Carbon and GFO from BRS. Certainly helps controlling my algae, replace every 4 wks or so, whenever I notice algae grows faster than normal