GFO reactor with easiest maintenance?

[cdw79]

My phosphates have been in the .2's for far too long now, and I've decided to go the GFO route. I know myself well enough to realize that the easier the maintenance, the more likely it will be done on a regular basis.

I watched a Reef Dork video where he shows how easy it is for him to change out the media in his reactor, see 1:43


The problem is I can't seem to find the unit he mentions for sale in the US.

Does anyone use GFO reactor brand that is similarly user friendly for maintenance? My system is a 65 display 15 sump, but space is limited in the sump so the more compact the better assuming it's equipped for the job. Thanks so much!

 

[nuxx]

I'm pretty lazy and had good luck with the Avast reactor.

 

[exnisstech]

IM minimax reactor looks similar. On another note I have never had to run gfo continously. Just every once in a while. GFO strips phosphates pretty quickly so you have to be careful.

 

[cdw79]

IM minimax reactor looks similar. On another note I have never had to run gfo continously. Just every once in a while. GFO strips phosphates pretty quickly so you have to be careful.

I'd seen that as well, I was just a little concerned given the mixed reviews on BRS. I looked on a few competitors and the reviews seem better there, so there's that at least.

I've read a lot about how (perhaps overly) effective GFO is- I figured I would start with adding half the recommended dose from BRS and increase or decrease as needed. Is a better approach to run it, say, for a few short periods each day and otherwise keep it off? I wasn't sure if the continued exposure to tank water, even if the pump was off, would be ok

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Are you needing a pump also?

I use the brs reactor for gfo and it works great, is stupid easy, and requires very little maintenance.

 

[cdw79]

Yeah I figured I'd need to get one assuming whatever unit I got didn't come with one

 

[Koh23]

Dont complicate, simple top open tube, dont need to be transparent, two piece of sponge, and pump at bottom.

That is all u need, 2$ max, no need for fancy and expensive "reactors"...

I had reef octopus, i had nyos i had so many branded things, now i have piece of clear tube, with piece of plexy glued to bottom, drilled hole for pump....

And they all do the same and produce same results....

 

[exnisstech]

I'd seen that as well, I was just a little concerned given the mixed reviews on BRS. I looked on a few competitors and the reviews seem better there, so there's that at least.

I've read a lot about how (perhaps overly) effective GFO is- I figured I would start with adding half the recommended dose from BRS and increase or decrease as needed. Is a better approach to run it, say, for a few short periods each day and otherwise keep it off? I wasn't sure if the continued exposure to tank water, even if the pump was off, would be ok

Just an example. my 180g 200+ gallons total had P of 0.21 on 12/8. I added 1c of BRS bulk GFO in a BRS reactor and this morning 12/12 P was down to 0.09 so a little goes a long way and works pretty quick. According to the instructions I should have used at least 3.125 cups. I would probably start with no more than 1/3 the recommended amount. You don't want to strip it too fast. I also pull it off line once its down. Not sure if thats the correct way but I don't want zeros for P or N for that matter.

 

[cdw79]

Just an example. my 180g 200+ gallons total had P of 0.21 on 12/8. I added 1c of BRS bulk GFO in a BRS reactor and this morning 12/12 P was down to 0.09 so a little goes a long way and works pretty quick. According to the instructions I should have used at least 3.125 cups. I would probably start with no more than 1/3 the recommended amount. You don't want to strip it too fast. I also pull it off line once its down. Not sure if thats the correct way but I don't want zeros for P or N for that matter.

How do you decide when to put it back online? I guess ideally I'd be trying to create as consistent environment as possible that isn't 0 phosphate, but I'd guess that would involve a lot of testing. That's why I had assumed (perhaps wrongfully, I'm very new to GFO) that a smaller amount of media tumbled 24/7 would create a more consistent result than turning it on and off, but I'm not sure. Just trying to aim for consistency

 

[exnisstech]

How do you decide when to put it back online? I guess ideally I'd be trying to create as consistent environment as possible that isn't 0 phosphate, but I'd guess that would involve a lot of testing. That's why I had assumed (perhaps wrongfully, I'm very new to GFO) that a smaller amount of media tumbled 24/7 would create a more consistent result than turning it on and off, but I'm not sure. Just trying to aim for consistency

Someone else can probably answer that question better than I. My methods are probably not the preferred method. If I start to see some cyano I test for P and N. I'm not a numbers chaser and keep things rather simple. Maybe too simple but I don't want caring for the tanks to become overly complicated because its supposed to be fun not like work.

 

[w8lifts]

Why not just throw in a bag of Chemipure elite and call it a day?

​

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Just an example. my 180g 200+ gallons total had P of 0.21 on 12/8. I added 1c of BRS bulk GFO in a BRS reactor and this morning 12/12 P was down to 0.09 so a little goes a long way and works pretty quick. According to the instructions I should have used at least 3.125 cups. I would probably start with no more than 1/3 the recommended amount. You don't want to strip it too fast. I also pull it off line once its down. Not sure if thats the correct way but I don't want zeros for P or N for that matter.

This .09 reading isn't a true number of total po4 in that fast of a time.

Gfo will pull it out of the water first, then the rock in your system will continually be leaching it out for the next while.

I totally agree in starting with one third the GFO to start. Taking it offline when you are in range also doesn't make too much sense to me since we are continually adding PO4 with feeding unless you're exporting it in a different manner.

Reducing the number of hours it is running, the amount of GFO in the reactor are both ways to leave it online and achieve stability instead of bouncing the number around.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Why not just throw in a bag of Chemipure elite and call it a day?

​

Because that's just carbon and gfo in a passive bag and is Way less efficient than running gfo in a reactor.

 

[blaxsun]

I use a pair of Nyos Torq reactors. They have a 6.4" diameter footprint, so I'm not sure if that works with your sump limitations. If you're just using a single media (GFO) something like the 0.75 body works great. They're fairly easy to refill and maintenance is virtually non-existent.

I've used the IM media reactors and gave the two of them away when I upgraded to my larger system, so that speaks volumes about how effective/reliable they were (the pumps will go within 3-6 months).

 

[blaxsun]

Because that's just carbon and gfo in a passive bag and is Way less efficient than running gfo in a reactor.

Exactly. It's like throwing a small desk lamp in the corner of a room and wondering why everything is so dark...

 

[bushdoc]

My phosphates have been in the .2's for far too long now, and I've decided to go the GFO route. I know myself well enough to realize that the easier the maintenance, the more likely it will be done on a regular basis.

I watched a Reef Dork video where he shows how easy it is for him to change out the media in his reactor, see 1:43


The problem is I can't seem to find the unit he mentions for sale in the US.

Does anyone use GFO reactor brand that is similarly user friendly for maintenance? My system is a 65 display 15 sump, but space is limited in the sump so the more compact the better assuming it's equipped for the job. Thanks so much!

Watching enclosed video I have noticed that guy is using RowaPhos there, not GFO. RowaPhos doesn’t need to be tumbled so it doesn’t have to be used in real reactor. For GFO to be tumbled you need adjustable flow through the reactor and that particular model doesn’t seem to be able to do that.

 

[exnisstech]

This .09 reading isn't a true number of total po4 in that fast of a time.

It's the only number I can measure so it's the one I use. I have no way to know how much is bound in rock etc. so I use the number I can measure. If it's high I toss in some gfo untill it comes down then I pull it. It's what works for me but I am a bit of a simpleton. If I see 0 which I do on my other tank I dose phosphate even tho I know it's not real 0 because I have alage.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Exactly. It's like throwing a small desk lamp in the corner of a room and wondering why everything is so dark...

Those bags are great for a small aoi.

 

[blaxsun]

Those bags are great for a small aoi.

Absolutely. In a AOI tank you can pretty much force the water to pass through it. For the OP's system (65+15 gallons) I'm not sure that would be as effective.

 

[HiddenGentleman]

I just added the Avast Spyglass small reactor for GFO. Footprint I believe is 4.8 inches although there is a small flexible intake tube that comes out an inch or two at the bottom. Seems to work well.