I really like this one Reed! I'm.going to go scouting for containers thus weekend!
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REACTORS- Filtration for stingrays
- Thread starter DIDYSIS
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IF running with an auxilary pump why wouldn't you run the new water down to the bottom of the reactor as far away from the drain as possible? I ran mine to the bottom then cut the PVC at a similar angle to the barrel so it would basically "circle" the barrell, should achieve the most dwell time this way.
KNH- I don't think you missed the boat. If it isn't broke why fix? I still use big ol wet/dries but I just feed mine with the water draining out of the reactors. I had troubles keeping the bio in my wet/dries clean. I'd tear them down a few times a year to clean and what I was getting out of them pushed me towards reactors. I figured I better jump in and get my feet wet, as I wanted a single filtration system capable of handling every ray I own full grown, and knew it would take a long time to get it right. Still not right after a year, but getting closer.
I might be wrong but in my eyes I'd see a wet dry as a dead bio trap. Bio dies where does it go? In a reactor you're able to clean out all that dead bio by cracking a valve. Some people believe this dead bio "mum" is perfectly harmless. All I know is I seem to have less troubles after not seeing that crap in my wet/dries anymore.
Miguel, I see now reason that wouldn't work. Just need to figure out how to keep the media in there. Google "Kaldness" for more info on K1,K3 and chips. Surely you should be able to find some. IF not reach out to your fellow MFKers, if someone needs to ship you some then you gotta do what you gotta do. As far as airstones, cheap ones do clog so keep in mind they may need serviced down the road, so might not want to glue them in there or anything.
KNH- I don't think you missed the boat. If it isn't broke why fix? I still use big ol wet/dries but I just feed mine with the water draining out of the reactors. I had troubles keeping the bio in my wet/dries clean. I'd tear them down a few times a year to clean and what I was getting out of them pushed me towards reactors. I figured I better jump in and get my feet wet, as I wanted a single filtration system capable of handling every ray I own full grown, and knew it would take a long time to get it right. Still not right after a year, but getting closer.
I might be wrong but in my eyes I'd see a wet dry as a dead bio trap. Bio dies where does it go? In a reactor you're able to clean out all that dead bio by cracking a valve. Some people believe this dead bio "mum" is perfectly harmless. All I know is I seem to have less troubles after not seeing that crap in my wet/dries anymore.
Miguel, I see now reason that wouldn't work. Just need to figure out how to keep the media in there. Google "Kaldness" for more info on K1,K3 and chips. Surely you should be able to find some. IF not reach out to your fellow MFKers, if someone needs to ship you some then you gotta do what you gotta do. As far as airstones, cheap ones do clog so keep in mind they may need serviced down the road, so might not want to glue them in there or anything.
Thanks a lot DbJunkie.
You agree that slow water flow into the cube is sufficient and that gravity fall into the sumps return chamber is the way to go?
You agree that slow water flow into the cube is sufficient and that gravity fall into the sumps return chamber is the way to go?
Not missing the boat at all. A well prefiltered, properly sized wet dry or trickle tower can certainly work just as well as you've stated through 3 years of success.
Two of the appealing characteristics is efficiency and space. MBBR's can support a large bio load in a smaller footprint and can be easier to clean if designed properly. There is a bit more tweaking and adjusting (flow, air volume, media etc.) involved as the beginning of cycling to find a sweet spot that fits you particular system/tank.
Lots of different filtration media options that can be successful and there are a number of ways to implement them. I wanted to try and post some good information regarding reactors ive found to try and help out.
I will get you an accurate read on how many gph is flowing out that little elbow later today.
Manufacturers will tell you slower flowrate is best, but this holds true with all media. Flip side is the more it's ran through the filter every hour the more contact time you're achieving. So if you're running 3K as opposed to 500 gph, sure you have longer contact time with the 500, but with 3K you have more frequent times of contact with this much turnover.
I tried both ways and know that it works either way. Main reason the higher flow is more difficult to deal with is the tendancy for the media to stick to strainers in high flow applications.
IF using IN sump where subjected to full turnover I think K3 would be a much wiser choice here then K1 as it's so much bigger. It's designed for higher flow rates.
Thanks. This was the first one I built and in all honesty I feel it is a little too large for the tank its filtering. Bigger is not always better. It could be done more efficiently with less media in a smaller container in my opinion. This is all dependent on feeding and stocking levels of course.
