Upgraded to a system with a sump...

[Sly1461]

... I have been running a tank for a couple of years without a sump, using a canister filter which I squeezed some carbon and Phosguard into and HOB skimmer.

Thankfully a leak forced an upgrade and I now have a large amount of room (the sump) to do this properly but am slightly confused with what to keep and what to ditch, so am still currently running the Canister filter, which I would like to get rid of! So...

Can I put the Eheim Bio balls from the canister filter into a reactor and use these the same way as I would use Bio pellets? Or slowly phase them out and use bio pellets?

Do I need more than one Reactor if I want to continue running carbon, phosguard and these Bio balls from the canister filter?

Thanks for your help.

 

[sde1500]

Well first and foremost, bio balls and bio pellets are in no way the same thing, not even close. Bio balls are just a space for bacteria to live. Bio pellets serve as a carbon food source for bacteria. Really, just ditch the bio balls, you don't need them.

Ideally I'd say if you want to keep running them to do a separate reactor for each. Look into the BRS dual reactor, that way you only need one pump, and have two chambers to run the media in.

 

[on the spot]

...Thankfully a leak...

You don't see that often. Way to half full that glass.

I'd not ditch those bio-ball/sphere/whatever until you are sure what you have in the tank can support your load. lots of rock and sand or minimal? lots of animals or not really?

Nothing wrong with a canister filter. Lots of people use them with carbon so they don't have it running all the time - clean up the water and then take it off line.

 

[Sly1461]

You don't see that often. Way to half full that glass.

ha ha it took a while to get to this opinion.

Thanks both for the input on the bio pellets/balls query. I'll keep the balls for a short while I reckon, until I've got the reactor running well. But think I'm going to chuck them in the sump in a media bag so I can get rid of the canister (to please the wife)

My plan is to buy two bubble Magus mini reactors use one for bio pellets, and the other for carbon and phosguard separated with filter sponge. Stick some chaeto in attached to a rock and a light and see how that goes.

Does that sound like a good plan?

Bit of info:
- Pretty minimal rock at the moment, 10-12kg will be adding more once cured, in sump and display.
- TMC 900 maxspect razor 16k
- two wrasse, two clowns, goby, sand sifting star and a chromis
- torch corals, Montipora recordea, frogsporn and a rose bta
- bubble magus 3.5 skimmer
- Currently on an Eheim canister filter.