DIY Biopellet Reactor

[paul_111]

With all of the fuss over biopellets, I decided to try them out.

I'm not claiming to be an early adopter or the first person to DIY such a reactor -- I'm just sharing some picts to help others decide if they want to save a few bucks and make their own.

Yes, a $40 TLF reactor looks better -- hell, you can even see the pellets moving around in it.

Function was priority. It's in my sump. It looks ok, but it's not going to win any beauty pageants.

That said, here we go...

 

[paul_111]

I used 2" PVC pipe and fittings for the body of the reactor. Note the flat fitting on top with 1" hole already in it "“ it is a 1" to 2" slip fit bushing. This will make life MUCH easier than trying to drill a hole in a round cap.

The bushing fits in a 2" coupling, which then connects to a piece of 2" pipe.

The distance from the flat top to bottom of lower cap is ~12". This was based on my sump dimensions/depth more than anything else.

The 1" pipe penetrates the 2" reactor from the cap down to about 1/2" from the end of the threaded endcap on the bottom. You will have to remove a lip from the inside of the bushing so the 1" pipe slides through. It's a tight fit, so push the 1" pipe from the bottom of the reactor, as it will be easier (relatively speaking).

There are 2 90 degree elbows glued on top of the reactor, which are the feed line from the pump. I used flexible tubing and hose clamps to attach the pump to the inlet line.

The outlet is a threaded 90 degree elbow. If you've never drilled a hole normal to a pvc pipe, beware. A standard drill bit will catch and shatter the side wall. Don't ask how I know... I use step bits to drill holes through the sides of pvc pipes now :idea:

If you have a tap of the correct size, great. If not, buy a brass (or metal of your choice) threaded fitting with the same thread. Cut/dremel 4 grooves 90 degrees apart from each other that run across threads. Voila! An instant tap!

I used PTFE tape the threads to seal the bottom cap after filling the reactor with pellets.

 

[sgallant04]

that's cool; I'm not very good w/ the DIY; but sometimes when you see it laid out like that it looks much simpler then I would have thought.

 

[paul_111]

So here are a few shots of the inside of the reactor, showing how I keep the pellets in the reactor. Rather than using a sponge or scotchbrite, I cut a disk of latch hook backing (from Michael's hobby store).

I slid the disk to within an inch or so of the elbow. The elbow protrudes into the 2" pipe, and it's a tight fit for the disk against both the 2" pipe and 1" pipe, so the disk shouldn't move.

Once the disk was in place, I stuffed a paper towel into the open end of the 1" pipe to keep the pellets out.

That's about it. If anyone needs some clarification, I'd be happy to provide some.

Good luck!

Paul

 

[Ntvper]

well i see one issue that needs to be address for the function-ability of the biopellets. (big words woohoo). ya gotta be able to see the tumble because if its too fast or too slow they dont work right, too fast they crush or prohibit bacteria to form on them, too slow uneven distribution of water/chemicals and clumping starts. hmmmmmmmmmm. I still love that DIY reactor GFO or carbon would still work awesome in that and your a genius I was wondering how to make it a complete up flow reactor and just kinda went six feet too big.

 

[Ntvper]

If not, buy a brass (or metal of your choice) threaded fitting with the same thread. Cut/dremel 4 grooves 90 degrees apart from each other that run across threads. Voila! An instant tap!

BAD IDEA!!!! any metal that comes into contact with your tank water will cause corrosion and the metal will break down and leech into the water causing your tank to crash. even if it says 'food grade' brass. brass is a derived from copper thus will crash your tank faster then u can say "AH ****".

now aside from that i have no idea why ya need a tap?

 

[reign]

So here is the "infamous" bio pellet reactor you were talking about..(fyi if you drill slow with tap bit and dont apply much pressure it wont crack or shatter plastic, also they make plastic bits which help a lot)If you ever want to make a clear one Craftics sells acrylic tubing cheap here in town they are near swr.. nice job Paul!!..
Now all you have to do it make a DIY APEX controller..You might as well with your mad scientist laboratoy you got going on at work..

note: he is talking about MPT X90deg. hose barb for discharge of water...If you tap it for female thread (1/2" im assuming) then all you need is a small amount of tape on MPT to screw in to body of reactor and "voila" it is sealed w/o glue..

 

[Ntvper]

one thing i thought of is instead of cutting a hole in the side like ya did with the exit elbow use one of these.

saddle pvc fitting

or just make the top part a reducing Tee fitting. my .02

 

[paul_111]

BAD IDEA!!!! any metal that comes into contact with your tank water will cause corrosion and the metal will break down and leech into the water causing your tank to crash. even if it says 'food grade' brass. brass is a derived from copper thus will crash your tank faster then u can say "AH ****".

now aside from that i have no idea why ya need a tap?

No, it's a great idea! The fitting is to use as a tap. As you can see in the picts, it is a plastic elbow.

You ned a tap to cut threads in the pvc.

Paul

 

[paul_111]

one thing i thought of is instead of cutting a hole in the side like ya did with the exit elbow use one of these.

saddle pvc fitting

You could, but then your reactor would cost twice what mine did :spin3:

Paul

 

[Ntvper]

oh i get it a tap n thread got it, now it makes sense to me. still the only thing i would wonder is if the bio pellets were tumbling or not. thats a critical thing. ya stated that ya can see the pellets tumbling? how so. next lets transform those syphons into a reactor. ya know the wide tube that ya stick in the tank, its clear, its round, its almost perfect for it.

 

[paul_111]

oh i get it a tap n thread got it, now it makes sense to me. still the only thing i would wonder is if the bio pellets were tumbling or not. thats a critical thing. ya stated that ya can see the pellets tumbling?

No, I can't see them, and I'm not concerned because the design is so similar to the commercial reactors -- the water jets against the bottom, forcing the pellets up. Furthermore, I chose the mj600 so they wouldn't be forced against the screen so hard that they didn't move. I think a lot of the acrylic used in reef equipment is unnecessary. But that's my $5!

Paul

 

[Ntvper]

No, I can't see them, and I'm not concerned because the design is so similar to the commercial reactors -- the water jets against the bottom, forcing the pellets up. Furthermore, I chose the mj600 so they wouldn't be forced against the screen so hard that they didn't move. I think a lot of the acrylic used in reef equipment is unnecessary. But that's my $5!

Paul

i would cuz if it aint tumbling it aint working and im assuming that they not cuz what ya said but thats my thinking, they clumping and not working right. some things worth seeing lol, besides that mj 600 in a 1\2 line pushes pretty good it works on the BRS reactor gotta tune it down the 600 still pushes 160GPH. my .02 worth, plus seeing is believing and becomes priceless lol. for everything else theres mastercard.