Tumbling issues with mixed media in Avast Marine Spyglass

[PiscesPower]

@AVAST Marine

I started using the spyglass a few weeks ago. I have the small size in the return section of my RSR 250. I had to plane off a bit of acrylic on the base to make it fit but did not interrupt the integrity of the chamber.
I have mixed the prescribed amount of ROX carbon and GFO (not high capacity) for my tank size and have the Sicce Nano pump attached.

From a dead start the media floats and tumbles really well. I usually have to back the valve down to about 50 - 60 %. I keep finding that after a time, a number of hours maybe everything just settles and doesn't tumble or move at all. It stays put even if I open the valve all the way. If I shut the gate valve and reopen it it starts to tumble again.

I'm using the ball and no screen as I read was the recommended set up for Carbon/GFO mix. I am currently using the single pass method, but considering, since my PO4 is only 0.08 using Red Sea test, going to the Mode C passive recirculating. I'm running Triton method.

Can anyone offer me any suggestions on what I may be doing wrong and how I might fix it?

 

[Brew12]

@AVAST Marine

I started using the spyglass a few weeks ago. I have the small size in the return section of my RSR 250. I had to plane off a bit of acrylic on the base to make it fit but did not interrupt the integrity of the chamber.
I have mixed the prescribed amount of ROX carbon and GFO (not high capacity) for my tank size and have the Sicce Nano pump attached.

From a dead start the media floats and tumbles really well. I usually have to back the valve down to about 50 - 60 %. I keep finding that after a time, a number of hours maybe everything just settles and doesn't tumble or move at all. It stays put even if I open the valve all the way. If I shut the gate valve and reopen it it starts to tumble again.

I'm using the ball and no screen as I read was the recommended set up for Carbon/GFO mix. I am currently using the single pass method, but considering, since my PO4 is only 0.08 using Red Sea test, going to the Mode C passive recirculating. I'm running Triton method.

Can anyone offer me any suggestions on what I may be doing wrong and how I might fix it?

I can't answer your question, but I do have a concern. Are you allowing your carbon to tumble with the GFO? This can cause the GFO to grind down the carbon which many consider bad for both fish and coral. A more normal set up would be to pack the carbon so it can't move and then allow the GFO to tumble.

 

[PiscesPower]

This is one of the draws of the Spyglass, the ability to put media together that traditionally you would not put together.
Here is a 3 minute video they provided for this.

 

[PiscesPower]

I just rewatched this and I wonder if I should be using high capacity GFO...