phosban reactor?
- Thread starter giants4pc
- Start date
Henry Bowman
Reefing since '87
If you are keeping SPS you'll end up wanting some type of phosphate control. I use the 2 little fishes unit with a MiniJet on it running about 80 gph through it. My phos levels are undetectable and corals look better since the installation. The reactors use 1/2" flex hose available at the LFS or marinedepot. They're reall easy to set up. Mine came with a valve to control flow (need slow flow). The inst with mine said the phos media needs to look like it is just moving or "bubbling" at the top of the column. Most models hang on the tank or sump, have one barbed inlet and one barbed outlet so I just stuck a pump on the inlet and pushed a hose on the outlet and let 'er rip. There are some pretty strong opinions on which media is the best. The Chemistry forum has information that indicates warner marine has one of the better products out there.
In addition, if you have corals and have not run a reactor, you need to start slow. The media can be very efficient and you want to lower phosphates over a period of time (say 2 weeks) so start with a little and it will exhaust itself in a week or so, then refill with a little, wait a week then fill the reactor and let it run. Most folks report running a fully charged reactor for a month or so and changing the media out.
I thought the reactor(s) would be larger. Mine is approx 3" in dia and about 12" long. Like I said, it's designed to hang on the side of the tank / sump and is a worthwile investment in a reef tank.
FWIW
In addition, if you have corals and have not run a reactor, you need to start slow. The media can be very efficient and you want to lower phosphates over a period of time (say 2 weeks) so start with a little and it will exhaust itself in a week or so, then refill with a little, wait a week then fill the reactor and let it run. Most folks report running a fully charged reactor for a month or so and changing the media out.
I thought the reactor(s) would be larger. Mine is approx 3" in dia and about 12" long. Like I said, it's designed to hang on the side of the tank / sump and is a worthwile investment in a reef tank.
FWIW
AZDesertRat
In Memoriam
They are a very good investment. All you need is the reactor, 150 grams or so of media and a small powerhead, I use a MJ400.
I was looking at this on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/PHOSBAN-REACTOR...ryZ46310QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
and was wondering if the rio 800, which is rated at 211 GPH, is too much. Does the reactor come standard with the flow valve or is that seperate?
and was wondering if the rio 800, which is rated at 211 GPH, is too much. Does the reactor come standard with the flow valve or is that seperate?
AZDesertRat
In Memoriam
The valve comes with it. It seems most people use a MJ400 as I do myself.
If you just want to see if it helps out your tank, you can always go the DIY route. Some folks have created a design based on some pvc and a gatorade bottle. If you do a google search, on Gatorade and Phosban you'll find the thread.
I made one based on their idea... Not bad for approx $2.
I made one based on their idea... Not bad for approx $2.
Wryknow
New member
I use an E-heim basic canister filter, load it up with some filter flooss, carbon and phos-ban and it works great at phosphate control and water clarity improvement. There's no magic to the phosban reactor. You just need to make certain that the flow is not too fast (100 gph or so seems fine.)
