New Phosban/Carbon Reactor

Got one of these ViaAqua bad boys this week and filled it with SeaGel and Kent Carbon Pellets. It has been running 48 hours and already the phosphates are down from nearly .2 to less than .1 .

i just got one of these and was wondering if i can just fill it with the little white phos-ban balls

Don't mean to rain on your parade, but a simple bag of carbon and/or Phosphate remover in a good flow area, especially around the intake screen for a pump, accomplishes the same thing at a much lower cost.

Mark, I was running a sock with phosban for two months, changing it every few weeks and the phosphates still would not come down all the way...who knows, maybe its my over feeding...

Maybe its overkill, but the results from the phosphate test before and after were clearly different...and i took the reading at the exact same time of day and my feeding schedule is regular.

Pretty cheap investment even if it is overkill...I may run it dialed down once the levels come down.

I appreciate the offer and I am sue I will reach out in the future. I used the term "sock" but was referring to a media bag designed for such a purpose and I placed it at the bottom of the bubble trap on the return pump outlet side of my sump. It might have been doing something...just not enough in my situation. Water will traditionally go to the point of least resistance and unless I backed up the flow by making all water going through the bubble trap go over the media, I don't know how I could have done it.

Ultimately, if there is no harm in using a device such as this, then I guess I am out a few dollars...no biggie...at least I did not kill a bunch of fish. I guess I could always turn it into a kalk-reactor somewhere down the road if I wanted to go back to a "sock".

Just so you know, I am very grateful to all on this board for helping me get a jumpstart on this hobby and teaching me some of the "tricks". I am especially grateful to Dave Anderson who has mentored me on many of them and who helped me get set up in the first place back in early November.

I've been useing seachems seagel for yrs on my 65g.   Wouldn't use anything else.  A perfect mix of A/C and phosban.   I also run it though a reactor.   Much better than a sock.

The Two Little Fishies reactors always worked great for me. I don't notice much difference in the tank when I just use it in a sock.

I use the 2 little fishies reactor on both of my tanks.  I'll never go without one.  Works much better than a "simple bag" of phosphate remover.  

Thanks Sukie. I need the feedback and you said it in such a nice way. I want to be more like you.

What if I rephrased it like this?

Did you use a "sock" of large enough mesh to allow easy water circulation through it. The media bags sold in this hobby are too small of mesh. The holes get clogged within a few days and then the filter media doesn't have any water flowing over it. I use Tulle/Bridal Veil material with a larger mesh, purchased for pennies at the Fabric Store. bag it loosely not tight. I then place the bag so that it wraps partly around a pump or powerhead intake. That draws water right through the PO4 remover or AC. This actualy provides faster filtration than a "reactor", at a mere fraction of the cost.

Also, if you are using Activated Alumina, the white granules, they turn tan to light brown when exhausted. It's probable they were either not fully used or not getting enough flow to do the job quick enough.


Edited by Mark Peterson - March 01 2009 at 11:04am

You will find that I have an answer for almost everything. I am a major DIYer, not "rigging" but making maximum use of resources.
Okay, more tips:
Bridal Veil comes in many mesh sizes. A size appropriate for that media is available and yet not so small of mesh as the typical media bags which are so restrictive to flow.
Bridal Veil is made of very strong fibers.
The bag can be placed in such a way that the suction at the intake does not make it wrap completely around the intake. Actually it can be as simple as just throwing it on the bottom of the sump next to the intake and then turning it over in a week or two.
IME, intakes often need larger screens to diffuse the suction as a precaution to prevent accidental things from getting sucked up
It's not just a money issue. It's a space, electricity and hassle issue.

Oh, did I tell you, my other major thing is KISS. I love the technology and learning that this hobby requires, but the key to it's enjoyment is to keep it as simple as possible. It's my high ratio of enjoyment:hassle that is the reason that I am still in the hobby. People always see my tanks and how much amazing life is growing and comment on how much time I must spend on maintenance. I just chuckle.

SeaGel is a mixture of Activated Alumina(AA) and Activated Carbon(AC). I never bother buying the marked up high priced stuff. I just buy the AA and AC separately in bulk. Remember, I just watch until the AA turns tan/light brown. That is when it is used up. Then I replace it. If AA is really needed in a system, it will turn tan within days. If it takes AA two weeks to go tan, then it wasn't actually needed.

Although I must state that I believe that PO4 gets more negative attention than it deserves. I've seen tanks die because of the continual use of PO4 remover. It can cause Leather corals to disintegrate. You may not want to know how many times in my long experience in this hobby that I actually used PO4 remover. I can count the times on one hand.

PO4 is necessary for algae growth. Coral's symbiotic Zooxanthellae Algae also needs PO4 to grow. In fact, algae is the basis of all life in the world and especially in our tanks, so growing algae properly should be one of the hobbyists dear treasures.


Edited by Mark Peterson - March 03 2009 at 8:40am