Best GFO reactor?

[Lockhartia]

I've been doing a little research on GFO reactors, and was just curious who is using them, and what do you consider to be a good one, and why?

Are they really a neccessity? This will be for a 125gallon. The tank was started the beginning of May, and currently is my "leftover" tank for fish/coral that couldn't fit anywhere else!

Thanks for any help/suggestions!

 

[reefer96]

i use the Precision Marine 45 reactors for GFO & GAC and for me they are nice reactors (24 in tall) however they're not a very large diameter, to the point my wife gets to clean them because my arms wont fit all the way in the reactors.

Other than that they are nice and work well

 

[ecoreefer]

BRS dual GRO/GAC reactor. Very easy to set up and maintain, and built like a tank. One of the best values out there IMO.

 

[Hal]

Are they necessary? No. It's only one way to reduce phosphates. And that assumes that you have a phosphate problem. Do you?

Vodka dosing will reduce phosphates too. I believe amino acid dosing, and bacteria dosing will also, but I don't have any experience with those two methods.

Good choices would be BRS single or dual reactor or Precision Marines reactor. Many use Two Little Fishies (TLF) reactors, although they have a history of leaking, so I'd only run it in sump (or not at all).

I have the PM reactor now, but just bought the BRS dual reactor in the hopes that media changes will be less messy.

Personally I'd get a carbon reactor before I ever considered a GFO reactor. (I have both.) Your tank will benefit more from running active carbon filtration moreso than running GFO. I believe I read somewhere that carbon will also reduce phosphate (althogh obviously not to the same extent that GFO will).

I'm not a huge fan of constantly running GFO. It works, but it's darn expensive. I used to run it 24/7, but stopped because of the cost. Now I dose vodka ($7 for a 3 months supply) and have my GFO reactor available for limited instance use (e.g., when I feel like it).

 

[coralmojo]

Two Little Fishes--simple, inexpensive and works great!!

DrMerle

 

[Lockhartia]

Do I have a phosphate problem? Yes and no lol. The phosphate kits all read zero, but I have hair algea in my 125ga. Granted, the tank is brandy new (Set up in May) so I know I'm just working a lot of the kinks out of the system. I'm just trying to move things along and have been reading a little bit about the reactors. I actually was looking at the BRS dual reactor, as I can do GFO AND Carbon in it.

My other three tanks have zero hair algae, but this is my largest tank and I've started it very differently than the others. Everything was sterile to start, so it's progressing slowly (which I'm in NO rush, believe me) although running four tanks is starting to show on the electricity bill! I've been reading about vodka dosing, but the reactor seems a lot more.......idiot proof lol. Besides, I think my fiance would get rather irritated if he saw me dumping our $70/bottle vodka (was a gift) into the fishtank! I already got enough grief when he found out I used it in a pasta sauce!

 

[Falcao]

Go with the BRS dual, very well made I think

 

[Jeff]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15568643#post15568643 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ecoreefer
BRS dual GRO/GAC reactor. Very easy to set up and maintain, and built like a tank. One of the best values out there IMO.

+1

 

[RichK]

I use a Warner Marine reactor. Comes with its own pump and I can use my Purigen and GFO in it with separate bags. Swapping media is a piece of cake.

 

[GlassReef]

+2 BRS dual GFO/GAC reactor

 

[BFG]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15568756#post15568756 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by coralmojo
Two Little Fishes--simple, inexpensive and works great!!

DrMerle

+1. Each set comes with a control valve.

 

[mnml]

I'm currently using TLF but just picked up a Warner Marine MR-100. Super easy to set up and built very well

 

[bergzy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15569812#post15569812 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GlassReef
+2 BRS dual GFO/GAC reactor

i like this gfo/carbon reactor as well.

but...

i found that an eheim (ecco) canister filter works just as good!