<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8307110#post8307110 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Aquaduck
Looks like a modified Kalk stirrer. Nice!
I got tired of testing and replacing the media so once my phosphates were at undetectable levels I saw as not an issue to have a large enough reactor to last a long time, or at list I tough so.
Actually I modified my old Kalk reactor after I upgraded.
I just plugged one of the two holes on the bottom and used the other one for the water inlet to get up flow.
I made some support legs for the media out of 4" thin ABS pipe, some eggcrate on top of the legs with an Eheim round foam filter to support the media.
On the center of the top flange were the outlet is I glued a cut out of the threads of a 11/2" PVC female threaded adaptor and screw in a plastic strainer that I fill in with fiber filter media to prevent small particles to pass to the output. Use a mj1200 to feed the water and one valve to control flow.
The first time I tried with two jars of Rowa it soon turned into a big clump due to precipitation so there goes some bucks to the waste basket. Then I tried Phosban which worked well although I had to periodically use a wood stick to break the clumps. Lastly I tried a new media from Warner Marine the PHOsR which worked very well with no clumping at all. I think because it comes in uniform cylindrical pellets of about 1 by 2 mm it allows a more uniform flow without channeling and its higher density allows for higher flow without carrying small particles so there is more separation between the granules that prevent the clumps to form.
I want to note that if you use too much media to reduce existing high phosphates you run the risk of lowering too fast and cause a shock for your critters so I did this only after I no longer detected any phosphate.
This is what the media looks like.
