GFO/Carbon Reactor

[40gal]

I'm leaning towards making a GFO/Carbon reactor purchase soon. I'm currently running a Quietone 4000 pump that is anything but quiet and I feel it is a good bit underpowered. I'm considering upgrading to the Jebao DC/DCT line of pumps and was going to build a manifold to run a GFO/Carbon reactor with.

Which brings me to my main question. I've looked at the BRS dual media reactor. I've also read numerous reviews, of which it seems the consensus is there is no consensus. I'm limited on space under my tank, but my garage is just on the other side of the wall behind my tank, and I considered just running a line off of the manifold through the wall to the media reactor in the garage. The BRS reactor seems to be perfect for the way I want to mount it, but if it's not functional then I need to look for something else.

I've battled bubble algae blooms for some time now, and I'm trying to improve upon the health of my tank. If anyone has any suggestions before I purchase a new pump/reactor, I'd love to hear them.

 

[jmm]

I use the SpectaPure. It is very controllable.

 

[40gal]

I ended up going with the BRS unit, and I'm planning to turn the canisters 90° so I can set the flow for each separately.

Now I just have to decide if I should go with the Jebao DC/DCT pumps or choose something different. I'm leaning towards a 12000, which is probably way overkill for my tank. I'm currently tee-ing my 3/4" return into two loc-lines feeding my tank. The way it is currently plumbed, I have several 90°'s in the return line as well. The combination of these I think is limiting the current pump quite a bit. I'm hoping an upgrade and a replumb will help me get a little more flow through my DT, along with more power to run the reactors off my manifold.

I would love to go external, but I would have to remote the pump to the garage, and I don't have a dedicated outlet in the garage for the pump, so I'm leaning towards the Jebao. Can anyone talk me out of it?

 

[kmbyrnes]

I have the DCT12000 and the BRS dual on my 100.
I love the combination but it is way more power than I need.
I think that rotating the canisters 90 degrees is in the future for me as well.

 

[40gal]

I know it would be way overpowered for me with only a 45 cube. Do you have a controller? As I understand it, the DCT pumps are some type of PWM, and can't be controlled as the DC pumps could. I'm not it's a huge deal though.

How does the pump respond to power outages? Does it return to the speed it was on before power was lost?

 

[ZeeSparrow]

I use a DCT8000 with a manifold off it to a TLF GFO reactor, then to the fuge. I don't even run it full power... think it's set at 4.

I don't have a controller but haven't had any issues with mine so far. It has always returned to the speed it is set on when powered off and back on.

 

[40gal]

I use a DCT8000 with a manifold off it to a TLF GFO reactor, then to the fuge. I don't even run it full power... think it's set at 4.

I don't have a controller but haven't had any issues with mine so far. It has always returned to the speed it is set on when powered off and back on.

That's good info to know. Just like anything else, there seem to be mixed reviews on the pumps. My biggest concern is not getting one big enough and it not lasting long. I plan to keep my current pump, so in a pinch I'll have a spare.

 

[Allentown]

Bubble algae is kind like aptisia. It's seeded by spore and is more like an infection than a sign of a high nutrient tank.

Nothing wrong what adding reactors just don't expect it to magically fix.

 

[40gal]

Bubble algae is kind like aptisia. It's seeded by spore and is more like an infection than a sign of a high nutrient tank.

Nothing wrong what adding reactors just don't expect it to magically fix.

I understand this and agree. I'm thinking my algae problem is a combination of several. My chaeto grows like a weed, so although I don't have a PO4 tester, I'm pretty sure it's there. I've also had some unexplained snail deaths lately, so I'm thinking the carbon/gfo would be beneficial either way.

I've been manually removing the bubble algae with mixed success. Just when I think I'm getting ahead of it, another I seem to get another big outbreak.