My 90 Reef Journal

**kaybee** · 10-21-2010, 11:04 PM

Originally Posted by Cliff

...The reason why I'm not useing salt water is because I thought it would be easier just to remove all the water to romove the nitrates and phosphates that will leech out of the dry rock. And I don't want to wast any salt...

That' what I did as well. Here's my post describing the levels of phosphate leeched out of dry rock will in RO/DI:

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aqua...37&postcount=4

**Cliff** · 10-21-2010, 11:57 PM

Kaybee, good to know I'm heading down the right path.

Just filled it with tape water, 0 nitrates and phosphates. I'm going to test every day to see how much leeches out.

I will replacing this water with RO water (100% water change) when I'm ready to add live rock and start the cycle.

**Cliff** · 10-24-2010, 10:51 PM

I picked up a reactor this weekend along with a small utility pump for it. I bought a Vertex UF-15. Good for tank up to 200 gallons depending on the media you use. It has a 4” diameter and 15” height container to hold the media. I went with this one just in case I ever want to up grade to a larger tank I won’t have to get a bigger reactor. I didn’t like the fittings that came with the unit so I used some of my own for a little different set-up. I set it up and tested it today, everything seams to work fine, no leaks

I know it may look a little different, but |I want it at the end of my tank with the line running near the edges of the sump for easy removal when I need to add or replace media in the reactor

I’m planning on using biobeeds to help control phosphates. It seems to be a more natural way as compared to other purely chemical based media.

When I was at the SW LFS, I found out they are getting a shipment of live, uncured, rock. So I’ve decided to get some of that rock when it arrives and start cycling the tank. I wasn’t plan to cycle the tank until after X-mass, but I can’t let a opportunity to use uncured rock pass me by. From what I’ve been able to research, uncured live rock is better for cycling ( when you are using at least 20% live rock to cycle) as there will be more die off from uncured rock which will lead to a higher BB colony to start with. I’ve been mixing up RO water all day today. Got most of the tank full now. With any luck I’ll be able to post pics next weekend with the live rock in it.

Labnjab, the whole time I was making up RO water I kept thinking to myself, “I wish I already had a storage tank of ready to go water already set-up like Labnjab suggested”. I’m still going to set one up, just didn’t plan on cycling the tank next week so I put it off

.

**kaybee** · 10-24-2010, 11:34 PM

Nice reactor!

Please post your experience with the bio beads as far as phosphate and nitrate reduction.

**Cliff** · 10-25-2010, 12:19 AM

Originally Posted by kaybee

Nice reactor!

Please post your experience with the bio beads as far as phosphate and nitrate reduction.

I will. As this is still really new, I'm dieing to try it and see for myself. I've heard mix feedback from some users in my city. But some poeple expect results within a few days to a week when this product typically takes longer to start working.

I will keep you posted tho

**hockeyhead019** · 10-25-2010, 02:18 PM

Ok help me out... what's the point of the reactor? Just to give BB more area to grow and help your water quality? I mean feel free to correct me if I'm wrong haha

Cliff glad to hear you got a jump start on the cycle, you definitely can't pass up a good chance like that.

**Cliff** · 10-25-2010, 06:25 PM

Hockeyhead:

I'll try to anwere your question the way it was explained to me.

It can be very improtant part of maintaining good water quality. The reactor is a way to hold filter media and force water through it. You attach a pump and a line to the intake, which takes the water into the chamber and down the center tube to the bottom of the reactor so the water is then forced up through the media and out the return line. It’s a effective way to pass water through filter media. I like reactors because you don’t have a lot of space taken up in your sump (it sits outside the sump). Typically for a SW set-up, you would put a large grain phosphate remover in it. From what I’ve researched, eliminating phosphates is key to help avoid nasty algae growth in new salt water set-up and keep things that way as the tank establishes itself.

I hope this helps

**hockeyhead019** · 10-25-2010, 06:39 PM

Hmmm I see, but can't you just make a compartment of your sump do the same thing? I had assumed that the sump compartments did most of the cleaning.

**Cliff** · 10-25-2010, 07:17 PM

Originally Posted by hockeyhead019

Hmmm I see, but can't you just make a compartment of your sump do the same thing? I had assumed that the sump compartments did most of the cleaning.

Yes you can do that. I can't do that in my set-up beacuse once I up-grade my skimmer I won't have room to make another compartment in my sump.

I really should up-grade my sump to a 55 gallon tank, but that will have to wait a while for me untill I can get the $$$ to do it and the time to find a used tank.

**hockeyhead019** · 10-25-2010, 07:41 PM

Ok I gotcha... it's kind of funny you want a sump as big as my tank hahaha but that's good it sounds like you've got it all worked out haha I'm excited to see this thing get up and running haha and it's not even my tank! haha