Hi Rob. I listen to your live show faithfully as soon as it comes out. Listened to all of your other podcasts as well, before you started doing the live show. I have learned SO MUCH from you guys (AND Carmie!) Makes my long commute to work at UGH....4:30am, much more bareable! I searched through your podcasts trying to find one that goes over Phosban Reactors and using Phosban. Didn't find one. Do any of the episodes cover that, and using chemical media in general? If they do, please point me to the episode. If none of the episodes cover it, that would be a good topic for a lot of newbies in a future episode.... Phosban, Carbon, Reactors, Media Bags, etc.

My questions are:

Would just running phosban in a media bag in a small chamber in my sump be enough, or is that a waste of time and I really should use a reactor?

Can I just run Phosban until I get my phosphates back down to 0, or will I always need to run it?
Do I run it a few days a month, or constantly?

Is the Two Little Fishes Phosban reactor any good? And if so, what is the best pump to buy for it? Two places say it needs 20-30gph flow, and another place said 80-90gph for flow. Would a maxijet 400 be too strong?

My phosphates were 0 for several months, and recently, have tested at .1 the last couple times I tested. I'm wondering if .1 for phosphates is something to worry about and if I should run a Phosban Reactor? I don't have any algae problems (other than some annoying diatoms on the sandbed which is fairly recent), but my SPS (milliporas) have no PE and almost no color, and I'm wondering if it's because of the phosphates??? My LPS corals are doing great.

For now, I just stopped using Formula 1 Flakes as a 2nd feeding per day, and am just sticking with frozen mysis, frozen enriched brine etc as the only daily feeding. Also, my skimmer was never working great, and I just got that resolved and now it's cranking, so I'm wondering if these two things will be enough to get phosphates back to 0 or if I need to run phosban.

My Tank Parameters:

53g tank with 7g sump up and running for 10 months.
Phosphates: .1
Nitrates: 5
Nitrites and Ammonia: 0
Calcium: 405
Magnesium: 1230
Alkalinity: 8
PH: 8.3 lights on / 8.1 lights off
Salinity: 1.025
Temp: 80f

Thanks! Pam

Pam,
I dont think Rob has done a show regarding media reactors, so I will attempt to help you,

#1- Running GFO (granular ferric oxide) in a media bag in the sump may help a little, it works best by having water pushed through it.

#2- you will want to use GFO until you get the PO4 to near zero levels and then you may only need to run it occasionally to keep it in check. Once you get the PO4 in check you should only have to run a small amount of media in the reactor to control it if it climbs again. When not running GFO, you can use the reactor to run carbon.

#3- TLF Phosban reactors are fine products for the $30-$40 they cost...a good investment. Avoid the older style reactor if you can, the one that has about 12 nylon nuts that hold the top on. The newer style is much less tedious to change the media.

#4- a MJ 400 will be plenty of pump for reactor. I had a MJ 900 on mine and had it almost completely shut off to get the right flow.

Thanks Poppin_Fresh. I appreciate the info. Have heard you on the show too. You guys all do a great job! Do you use Phosban or Rowaphos? Does it bring down your alk or any other parameters that I have to keep an eye on?
Bye
Pam


Pam,
I dont think Rob has done a show regarding media reactors, so I will attempt to help you,

#1- Running GFO (granular ferric oxide) in a media bag in the sump may help a little, it works best by having water pushed through it.

#2- you will want to use GFO until you get the PO4 to near zero levels and then you may only need to run it occasionally to keep it in check. Once you get the PO4 in check you should only have to run a small amount of media in the reactor to control it if it climbs again. When not running GFO, you can use the reactor to run carbon.

#3- TLF Phosban reactors are fine products for the $30-$40 they cost...a good investment. Avoid the older style reactor if you can, the one that has about 12 nylon nuts that hold the top on. The newer style is much less tedious to change the media.

#4- a MJ 400 will be plenty of pump for reactor. I had a MJ 900 on mine and had it almost completely shut off to get the right flow.

Hi Pam. Jon is right on in his advice. GFO has a reputation for lowering alk a bit, so it's something to keep an eye on.

I personaly use Phosban, but there is very little diference in GFOs, use whatever you like.

Thanks Phurst ! How do you know if you have the right amount of flow from a MJ400 ? I know the TwoLittleFisies reactor says 20-30gph, and the mj400 is rated at 106gph. Does that mean I'd close the valve for waterflow to the reactor, about 2/3rds of the way? Thanks, Pam

Hi Pam. Jon is right on in his advice. GFO has a reputation for lowering alk a bit, so it's something to keep an eye on.

I personaly use Phosban, but there is very little diference in GFOs, use whatever you like.

I'm pretty sure even with a 400 you're going to have to dial down the flow a little. The way the TLF instructions put it (and the way mine runs) is there should be just enough flow that the top layer of media is "dancing". Too little flow, and the media is not as effective as it could be, too much and you will pulverize the media. It's really not hard to dial it in while you're looking at it. Different ammounts of media will require different flow rates, so eyeballing it is your best method.

Ahh, that makes sense Phurst. I have a spare MJ600 I believe. Would I be able to dial that down enough? I'd like to buy the next larger MJ to speed up my waterchanges, and use the mj600 I have for the reactor, or would I be better off just buying a MJ400 for the reactor? Thanks again. Pam

You could probably get by with a 600, although you would have to dial it back significantly. A 600 is a good choice though if you want to add a second reactor in the future. I have 2 running on a MJ 600. The first is full of carbon, the second has Phosban. A 600 is perfect.

ok, i think most of your questions were answered.. regarding related shows... here are two shows where Phosban reactors were briefly discussed

http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/podcast-episodes/5086-talkingreef-live-episode-1-a.html
http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/podcast-episodes/5245-talkingreef-live-episode-2-a.html