Sascha D. Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Thanks Ty. I think I'm going to go ahead and order a shiny new BRS reactor. Just thinking about the TLF reactor gives me a I will put the order in tonight if anyone wants to jump on and split shipping. I would like to order an overflow strainer but I need to measure the pipe first. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Thanks Ty. I think I'm going to go ahead and order a shiny new BRS reactor. Just thinking about the TLF reactor gives me a I will put the order in tonight if anyone wants to jump on and split shipping. I would like to order an overflow strainer but I need to measure the pipe first. Just throwing my two cents in, but I haven't been very impressed with the BRS reactor. My BRS dual reactor running GFO and carbon seems to always clump up on the GFO side within a week of putting new media in. Its due to the sponge pads that go into the BRS reactors getting the GFO media stuck in them. This causes the flow to reduce dramatically and thus the GFO stops tumbling and clumps up. One solution I found for this is to put new reactor pads in every other time I change the GFO, but it does add to the cost in the long run. However, lots of people seem to recommend them so maybe its just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share Posted February 4, 2015 Thanks for the feedback Hula. I often hear about flow problems in the dual reactor. The flow either isn't strong enough to tumble both chambers or one chamber gets all of the flow and one gets none. I believe that I saw someone post some modifications to the dual reactor to stabilize the flow. I want to say it was Victoly but it might have been Jestep. It would be worth a search if you're interested. For these reasons I'm going to avoid the dual reactor. I've used the Two Little Fishes reactor and it's a mess. The tubes always snap off and get everything wet. I always end up with media in the sump unless I throttle back the flow from my manifold so much that the media doesn't tumble. Mine also leaked like the Titanic and I don't want an in-sump reactor if I can avoid it. Aside from the TLF reactor, the BRS is the only model below $100 that I can find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCAB Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 BTH, I don't think you're supposed to use the pads in the gfo. The instructions with mine recommended against it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 BTH, I don't think you're supposed to use the pads in the gfo. The instructions with mine recommended against it. Doh, that would explain my anguish . I got the reactor used and they had the pads in when I got it so I figured they belonged in there. Thanks for the heads up, I'll try the GFO without pads next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 Dino Update: Yesterday I came home from work and saw some small patches of red on the sand. Definitely a phosphate issue. I went ahead and ordered the BRS single reactor and some Seachem Phosguard media that came recommended by Brian. It has great reviews and looked as good as any. I will begin with the remainder of my Phosban and then move on to the new media. Regarding peroxide dosing: I'm not sure whether I didn't use enough or some other circumstance, but I have not seen justifiable evidence to continue dosing. The material that I had scraped off did not grow back and the dinos did not spread beyond what was already there. However, I did not see a reduction on rocks that were left untouched. I may dose until I get the reactor online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 Option 4: Rage quit! Sell off all of the SPS, sell the reactor, let polyps take over the world and don't worry about phosphates. Awfully tempting. Option 4 is looking pretty good right now! After I set up the reactor and get the controller online, I'll be right up there with you BIG DAWGS! I had hoped to stay in the minor leagues where life is simple. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Big Dawg, bigger problems! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 Right now i'm like: "ARGHH!" But I wanna be like: "I got 99 problems, but my tank ain't one." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 The controller will definitely help with removing it as one of your 100 problems. For the other 99, you're on your own! But we all know we create most of our problems when it comes to our tanks anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 New equipment arrived. What did I get myself into? Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 My new BRS reactor got here yesterday! Let's rock! I had to do a slight modification to the inlet. The supplied tubing is too small to fit my reactor barb. I used am extra 1/2" barb and hooked up the 1/2" tubing. Unfortunately, it want long enough to mount in the stand so I set it up in the sump until I can make a trip to HD. Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 Oh, and don't worry! I took the sponges out. The reactor was hooked up last night, with two cups of media and a flow rate just below that needed to tumble the media. The instructions recommended a lower flow rate while using carbon to avoid grinding it to dust. We'll see how it does against the algae. At this time peroxide dosing has ceased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+brian.srock Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 It's always fun to buy new toys for the tank. Hope you get everything under control. Let me know how you like the phosguard. I find it has very little dust so no cleaning is needed. You'll have to keep us updated on Coral Snow. Never heard of it. What made you get it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 There are two in the Zeo line that I would like to try out. One is called Biomate and it claims to dissolve detrius in the tank and on the rocks. Wouldn't that be nice? The second is Coral Snow. It is said to clump small particles in the water to allow for more efficient filtration. It is also said to make the water crystal clear. You're supposed to use a filter sock with it. Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 Week 83 Update: Lots of things have happened this week. Thanks to some very generous Christmas presents, I was able to order a new controller and ATO. I'm very excited about hooking this thing up to control the calcium reactor and top-off. With this upgrade also comes a change to my calcium reactor. I've decided that I didn't want to reconfigure the plumbing, so I'm going to upgrade the reactor to a larger unit that already has what I need. The new reactor is an ETSS CR300 calcium reactor rated for 300g. Now here is where the problem comes in. I have to take this sump and add the new calcium reactor, BRS GFO reactor and the controller. I'm also going to have to fit an ATO reservoir somewhere in the mix. There is some room behind the stand if I get a container slim enough. The stand is 47" long and 22" wide. The sump is a 40g breed that takes up 36x18" of space. The right side has about 10" of room and the new reactor has a 9.5 x 9.5" footprint. My initial thoughts are to put the CaRx in the sump next to the skimmer, put the GFO reactor on the back center brace and put the controller on the right side next to the C02 tank. To do this I would have to remove a baffle in between the filtration section and the refugium and relocate the manifold about 6" towards the back of the tank. It might be tight with the reactor and the manifold so close together near the center brace. Hopefully the pH probe cord is long enough to reach from the first section of the sump to the right side of the stand, about 40" or so. A second option is to install the CaRx in place of the old one, on the right side. The GFO would go on the center brace and the controller would have to go on the right stand door. If I went this route then I wouldn't have to relocate the manifold, but the right side would be pretty tight. Of course something always goes wrong when you least expect it. Last night I was measuring for a sump reconfiguration and I noticed that the bubble counter wasn't moving. I just filled the tank a month or so ago and the internal pressure is reading 8, so I don't think it's empty. Unless there is a leak somewhere. I tried increasing the pressure and opening the needle but nothing happened. I'm thinking there must be a block in the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 New toys are always fun! Don't forget to savor the moment of hooking everything up... new and expensive equipment only come once in a blue moon! Was the ETSS the other reactor you were deciding against when you first bought yours? For your sump, it'd be hard to imagine your fitment scenarios without having it in front of me but any thought to running some of the equipment out of the sump? I'm personally with you and accident avoidance is always key to prevent leaks but just a thought. As I mention it, only my secondary chamber for my CARX is not in my sump. For your CO2 cylinder, I'm thinking you had a leak. Did you do the old soapy water bubble test when you refilled it last and hooked it up? I'd always have that as a standard procedure for health reasons as well when replacing bottles... asphyxiation via CO2 is not too far of a reality even though unlikely as it's only a 5lb cylinder and most homes aren't sealed that tight. The culprit usually is that little plastic washer on the end of the regulator. You should replace it every couple of cylinder exchanges just in case and it's super cheap insurance. Looking forward to the tank taking it to the next level with all your new toys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 Okay Ty, I accept your offer to come set everything up for me. I hate setting up new equipment. I just want everything to magically work the way it should so that I can enjoy the tank. The ETSS reactor is the same one that I was considering before I got the Knop reactor. Isn't it funny that Travis still has it a year later? The reason I didn't get it back then was because I didn't want to reconfigure the sump, which is what I'm looking at now. The upgrade will cost me about $20 and already has the necessary plumbing I need. I would probably spend that amount in PVC parts if I wanted to keep my same reactor, so there is no reason to avoid the upgrade. Do you think there was a leak? That is unfortunate. I hope that I don't need a new regulator. I unplugged the regulator last night since I was playing with the needle. I didn't want it to suddenly kick on and flood the chamber with gas. I suppose the first step will be to check the lines and make sure they are not blocked. Do you think the bottle is empty? The low pressure gauge is reading 8lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Haha, well played sir! Yeah, I remember the name of the reactor. It was the one I was leaning for you to get. Good thing you came to your senses! [emoji6] A leak is not a terrible thing regarding the cylinder... well... not terrible as I don't think anything is broken. I just think the seal was not perfect and it allowed your tank to empty out quicker. Your first gauge reads your bottle pressure, the second gauge reads your output pressure. The first gauge should read a decently high pressure, for instance my 20lb tank reads 900 psi right now. The 2nd gauge on my dual-guage regulator reads 30 psi... I keep my secondary pressure higher than most so I wouldn't keep it that high if yours is not reading that. I think most keep 15 psi on the second gauge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share Posted February 13, 2015 What is the soapy water bubble test? It sounds sexy! I think I've tried something like that back in my drinking days. Let's not talk about it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share Posted February 13, 2015 The good news is that I got the reactor all cleaned and set up. The bad news is that the union is leaky. I put a bunch of Teflon tape on the threads but the leak is coming from above the threads. I may have to put it into the sump after all. The CO2 tank psi gauge reads 500, so I'll have to get a fill today. Anyone know of any good media? I've heard some ppl use crushed coral. Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 500 PSI sounds like it still has a lot of CO2 left in the bottle. I used to use the Caribsea coarse size media for the better part of 3 years but have been talked into using the TLF Reborn media after seeing the consistency of the media it offers. It actually looks like dead branches of acro colonies instead of just large chunks of live rock like the Caribsea media. Plus, the Caribsea media I feel has more random items in it like mollusc shells in it than the Reborn media. For the leak, I'd just cut the union off and replace it with a new union from HD or Lowe's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share Posted February 13, 2015 Is there a way to test the solenoid? The last time I changed it, it was at around 500psi, but I had been using it for around 6 months. If the tank has gas, but there isn't any coming out through the bubble counter, then the problem must be in between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Yeah, just remove it from being in line with the regulator and blow on the tubing while plugged in and not plugged in. Before even that though, you should be able to hear it actuate on and off while being plugged in or unplugged. Those things end up needing replacement every 2-3 years in my experience... the coil mechanically wears down with use and becomes unreliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 Its a good news day! I took the tank to Round Rock Welding Supply and they confirmed the tank was full. I took the lines apart and blew them out. After that I checked the solenoid. I didn't find any problems, so I toned it all back up as if it were the first time. So far everything is working! Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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