Phosban or Carbon???

[smalls383]

Going to be buying a TLF's reactor soon....since I am just buying one, should I run carbon in it or phosban. I do have a slight, and I mean slight, algae problem. Just light growth on rocks and sand...But dont want it to get worse.

I dont have a phos rating in the tank but the trates and all others are 0....shoud I go phosban or carbon in the unit???

 

[Toddrtrex]

Heck, could just by two, one for carbon and one for phosban. Would still be able to use the one pump, and daisy chain them together. (( that is assuming that you don't have a place to place a carbon bag )). I have them daisy chained together on my 33 cube.

I don't like mixing the two in one reactor because of different change rates and the size difference b/t the carbon and phosban could very well grind up the phosban.

 

[robot2222]

i was reading if you were going to use one or the other you shoulg run carbson . Irun both in one reator keep the carbon on top so you can change carbon without changing phosban. eventually i will buy another reator.

 

[Michael]

as todd i wouldnt consider it, in fact when i do put carbon in my reactor i reverse flow, this way the water is forced downwards and the carbon doesnt move about grinding into dust, best to use the reactor for phosmedia, and use carbon in a bag near flow for now, then get another reactor if you plan on using both longterm

 

[BPKlein]

Why not put both carbon and GFO in one reactor. I am assuming we are talking about your 30 cube. You could put 1 cup of carbon and a tablespoon of GFO in one reactor. The TLF reactors hold almost 3 cups of media. Now...the GFO is expensive and lasts MUCH longer than the carbon, so you will be tossing still good GFO earlier than need be. But, with the little amount that your system will require, I think the cost would be negligible.

To save some room, you could put a "T" in the return side of your return pump and use that water pressure to supply your reactor with water. That is what I have done so that I don't have another pump.

Look at Bulk Reef Supply for both carbon and GFO.

Bryan

 

[returnofsid]

I think I'd run both in the same reactor as well, if you're only buying 1 reactor. I've been considering the same thing lately. I do believe you'll get more benefit, overall, from running carbon than Phosban.

 

[WaterKeeper]

I like Bryan's idea. Each media has its place as carbon removes organics but GFO is far better at removing inorganic phosphorus, the latter fueling algae blooms. I might increase the GFO in the mix to two tablespoonsful however.

 

[airdog67]

The best thing Ive ever done to my tank was added two reactors, one for gfo the other for carbon. Cheap investment but what a HUGE difference it made.

 

[Reefy.Dave]

Def need to run both, but its just my two cents.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

if you had to choose between one or the other, I vote for carbon

 

[ZoaFan08]

Carbon needs to be changed every 2-3 weeks while GFO needs to be changed every 6+ weeks. Also GFO is too expensive and a waste to change every few weeks so the $30 it'll cost you for another reactor will save you money in the first few months of using GFO.

 

[WaterKeeper]

Bryans suggestion is to only use a little GFO and not a whole bunch. You are correct however in that GFO works far longer than carbon. By adding a small percent of GFO into the mixed bed seems fairly sound to me. It may be a trifle wasteful but it should work in a reactor where you can't use both in separate chambers.

 

[smalls383]

Thanks for the info all......I am going to order 1 reactor from MD tonight sometime. They have them on sale right now for about $33. So....why not order 2, well my system total volume is about 45 gallons and I think that two is overkill. Plus I would like to save the room of the second under the cabinet.....

So, with that said, it isnt a problem mixing media like carbon and phosban in the same unit? I like the 1 cup, 2 tblspn idea as long as that will not have any problems? Would it be beneficial to put the phosban in a media bag inside the reactor?

Also, before I order this tonight, what brand carbon should I buy? Please, good stuff but don’t break my bank!!!! thanks!!

 

[Tswifty]

I'm a fan of Carbon... not GFO, and feel GFO should only be used on a "situational" basis.

I use the TLF Hydrocarbon2. Marc (melev) posted an article regarding some testing done on carbon media, and the TLF brand was ranked as one of the highest at yellowing removal, and the lowest cost.

 

[smalls383]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14821099#post14821099 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tswifty
I'm a fan of Carbon... not GFO, and feel GFO should only be used on a "situational" basis.

I use the TLF Hydrocarbon2. Marc (melev) posted an article regarding some testing done on carbon media, and the TLF brand was ranked as one of the highest at yellowing removal, and the lowest cost.

Good to hear.....just ordered some TLF carbon and TLF phosban from MD....I think I will be happy with it

 

[MartinEric]

I still use both in filter bags, but I am considering a reactor for both, because I can see the reason behind using a fluidized filter for media.