Two medias in one reactor?, and other reactor issues

ctyler85 · Feb 5, 2015

So my GFO has worn out, so I pulled the reactor to replace it and wanted to revamp it a bit. I have seen before a couple of times people running carbon and gfo in one reactor. I keep debating it in my head which way to run it as I've never run carbon before. Carbon on the bottom tightly packed and gfo tumbling above that, or gfo tumbling on the bottom and carbon tightly packed on the top? I also have a couple issues with I guess you could say flow in the reactor. After a while the top plate will eventually come loose and push its way towards the top, whether I am using a sponge on the top plate or not. If I use a sponge on the bottom plate it eventually just pushes everything towards the top. It's almost as if the sponges are clogging very fast. So I have tried running it with and without sponges. Any advice on getting this reactor to perform at its best? Reactor is 16" x4.5"

Vivid Aquariums · Feb 6, 2015

Personally I would not run GFO & carbon in the same reactor because the GFO needs to be replaced more often then the carbon. If you were going to run both together I would run the GFO wherever it gets the best flow through it. When the media is tumbling there is better contact with the water and you will get the very most out of your media.

I would run GFO in the reactor and just place a mesh bag full of carbon in the filter sock or anywhere else in the sump with good water flow.

AZDesertRat · Feb 6, 2015

GFO and carbon have both different useful lives and different flow requirements. You can mix them or even seperate the two with a sponge insert in the same reactor but you end up wasting one or the other at changes or you grind one to dust due to the flow or clump one up. It is far better to use separate reactors or even using them in bags in a low to medium flow area in small systems since it does not take much GFO for a reef tank. Many users make the huge mistake of using too much GFO and bleaching their stony corals when all it takes is 10 grams or about 1 level spoonfull per 10 gallons of system water full does and even less once you have things under control.

moulton712 · Feb 6, 2015

This is a rats nest of responses here. Many methods to choose.

I personally use them together. I do a 2:1 ratio carbon to gfo. I mix them together in a container first. This method you don't tumble but want them static. It's all about contact time. I have a few tanks with a few reactors. I'm likeing the mini reactor brs sells because you can only put to much media in there. But that one I need to cut the flow in half to have contact time. someone needs to produce a tall smaller diameter reactor so we can put a little media in there but tons of contact time.

ctyler85 · Feb 6, 2015

I've never run carbon, I'm not sure that I really need to but I get the feeling of might help out a little. I do have 2 reactors, so I can run separate media in each, I was just looking to consolidate and save a little space.