chadfarmer
Premium Member
if you need bio pellets i have some u can have
Smoothdog's 150DD build
- Thread starter smoothdog
- Start date
smoothdog
Active member
Did you not like them? I bought a small bag but, yes I'll need more. Will you be around this weekend?
Marineland maxijet utility pump.
http://premiumaquatics.com/aquatic-supplies/MJPU-900.html
smoothdog
Active member
Okay, so here's a couple more shots of the recirculating biopellet reactor that a couple of people asked about. It's just a phosban 550 and I added some t's to the input and output sides to make it recirculate. I finally got it connected and have been running for a couple days with no media to leak test it. I may move the T on the output side down to the bottom so I can more easily drain it. I also need to get some pellets in there now to make sure they will tumble well with the pump size I used.
The theory with using a recirculating reactor with biopellets is that you can create high flow rates needed to keep the pellets tumbling well while controlling the feed flow, instead of the amount of pellets, so as not to overfeed the reactor and create a bacterial bloom in the tank.
DSC_1806.JPG by ksw2005, on Flickr
DSC_1807.JPG by ksw2005, on Flickr
The theory with using a recirculating reactor with biopellets is that you can create high flow rates needed to keep the pellets tumbling well while controlling the feed flow, instead of the amount of pellets, so as not to overfeed the reactor and create a bacterial bloom in the tank.
DSC_1806.JPG by ksw2005, on Flickr
DSC_1807.JPG by ksw2005, on Flickr
smoothdog
Active member
I also added the hose holder to the ato mount. Just drilled hole in a square peice of scrap acrylic I had laying around and mounted to the bracket. The hole is big enough for the hose to fit through, then put an air hose coupler in the end of the hose that won't fit back through. Works like a champ dripping ro/di water right onto the float switch to keep it clear of salt creep.
DSC_1813.JPG by ksw2005, on Flickr
DSC_1813.JPG by ksw2005, on Flickr
smoothdog
Active member
smoothdog
Active member
Got the light mounted over the holding tank and also made some glass lids to partially cover it and the frag tank. These will be likely be pulled once the weather warms up but right now the 600 watts of heaters can't keep up due to evaporation and low temps in the basement.
DSC_1809.JPG by ksw2005, on Flickr
DSC_1814.JPG by ksw2005, on Flickr
DSC_1815.JPG by ksw2005, on Flickr
DSC_1809.JPG by ksw2005, on Flickr
DSC_1814.JPG by ksw2005, on Flickr
DSC_1815.JPG by ksw2005, on Flickr
smoothdog
Active member
Oh yeah, got the carbon reactor in back hooked up and running too.
DSC_1808.JPG by ksw2005, on Flickr
DSC_1808.JPG by ksw2005, on Flickr
Schplitter
New member
Very nice!! Looks like you are almost ready to move stuff to the new system.
Schplitter
New member
I could come by not this but next weekend if you are ready but no rush!! Make sure everything is safe and ready on your end. I don't what you killing stuff. I'll need frags in a few months ha ha.
tall_jason79
New member
Great job Kirk , your are giving me some good ideas for my rebuild. Do you have additional water storage other than you ato tank? Sorry if that has already been said, hard to read with sponge bob and 2 kids saying daddy... Daddy..daddy lol
smoothdog
Active member
I put a couple of test frags in the new system tonight. If all looks good tomorrow, I'll gradually start moving stuff. I'm supposed to be picking up the new flooring for the family room on Thursday so as long as everything goes well I'll be ready next weekend.
Thanks Jason. The 20g ato is the only on hand water storage currently. The ultimate plan is to make the big acrylic tank with the manifold attached a water change tank. It will just add additional volume, then when I want to do a water change there is a drain at the bottom of it so I can just shut it off, drain it, fill with RO and add salt, then once parameters are right open the manifold valve again adding the newly mixed water to the system. I also still have my 45g brute can still, so that may come into play later, it's still a work in progress.
No worries, I have 2 10yr olds so I've already felt your pain twice at the same time. :lol:Thanks, that's the idea.Looks pretty schmancy
I've gone the low tech route for many years now with mixed results, so now I'm going to swing the other direction. Lugging a 2g jug up the stairs every day and manually dosing for the past 7yrs has gotten old. 
Koddie Doo
Czar of All ThingsAwesome
smoothdog
Active member
Soooo, I'm going to have to make some modifications to the TLF reactor. Apparently I misread something somewhere and used a 250gph pump which is what is rated for GFO on this reactor. I may have been looking at the specs for running biopellets in a TLF 150 too. Anyway, it looks like I will need something in the 700gph range to make the pellets tumble hard enough. I've got an old gently used Mag7 so it looks like I'm going to have to dig up some fittings to make that work with the 1/2" fittings on the TLF550.
Schplitter
New member
Correct me if I'm wrong but those are 3/8 or at the most 1/2" ID fittings and pipes. I don't think you can force 700GPH through that. At least not without creating major pressure on everything.
If you have a MaxiJet 400 I would try throwing that on there. Those are not pressure rated like the Mag7. The fittings should be pretty close to the size you have. You may have to play with the inlet a little. These pumps worked great for the Sulfur Denitrators I used to build.
One more thing I would change. I learned that it is better to control the outflow from the reactor instead of the supply. For some reason when you restrict how much water flows into the reactor you end up with air in the reactor after a while. At first I thought it was the Sulfur creating glasses but then I ran several tests without media and I would get the same result. Once I started restricting the output from the reactors the problem was solved. There is a fancy explanation for this but it's too lengthy for me to write up at 8 am
Schplitter
New member
He's restricting the inlet. Note the array of ball valves on the plenum above the reactor. By doing so he's recirculating inside the reactor but read above for a better way of ding this.
P.S. @ smoothdog: Sorry I'm taking over your thread. I spent countless months on research, prototype building and testing of all kinds of reactors. I'm kind of a expert ha ha.
