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Carbon Reactor (1 Viewer)

RJREEFER

RJREEFER

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Ok, I'm sure this has been covered before. I couldn't find where I was reading about it before. I have a BRS carbon/GFO reactor (which I love BTW). My issue is the carbon replacement times.

GFO is good for about 4-8 weeks, whereas carbon is exhausted faster at about 2 weeks or so. I have noticed that the carbon in the reactor is starting to build up a brown, slimy coating on it, although the GFO is still tumbling and looking great.

What do I do? I know some people have mentioned in the past running a dual reactor, but there is no room for this right now under the stand. Is it safe to run the carbon out longer until it's time to replace the GFO? I realize as well that anaerobes are building up in the carbon...which may shock the tank if I replace the carbon all at once.

Suggestions? Thanks :)
 
I had same problem....couldn't resolve it, bought another reactor, smaller than the brs one, SWE sells them, for GFO. Maybe that will fit. It could sit inside the sump, if that helps you with space.
 
I ended up ultimately just using my reactor for GFO and running carbon passively (in a bag) only when needed for the same reason.
 
Carbon is like your sponge in the sink...it collects all the dirt and filth, but once it gets full, it will start releasing it back. So...no, don't let it run longer than recommended. I have the same reactor, and I ditched the carbon. I have a cartridge filled and ready to go, which I can throw in if I need it, but don't run it otherwise.
 
Put the carbon on bottom and the GFO on top. Seperate them with one of th e foam sponges, replace the carbon every 2 weeks ( or less ). Leave the GFO in for longer. It's really better to have a dual but can work. I did this for a while and stopped because while it can work, it can be challenging not to make a mess with the GFO when trying to replace the carbon.

You for sure don't want to leave the carbon in for longer. The pores clog quickly and then just become biological filtration.
 
justd1 said:
Can you explain why this would be the case? Separate powerheads perhaps?
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Yes, the dual reactor is only supplied by one pump. Whereas, if you run (2) single reactors, each one has it's own water pump to supply it. However, this may or may not benefit just depending on how much media you need to run. If you have a smaller system and don't need to run that much GFO, having a separate pump in a single reactor would be overkill. My single reactor, running 2 media types for 90 total gallons of system water still only runs about 1/3 of pump capacity. The GFO tumbles very easily without a lot of water flow. You also want the water to flow slower over the GFO to maximize it's potential.
 
Yes, the dual reactor is only supplied by one pump. Whereas, if you run (2) single reactors, each one has it's own water pump to supply it. However, this may or may not benefit just depending on how much media you need to run. If you have a smaller system and don't need to run that much GFO, having a separate pump in a single reactor would be overkill. My single reactor, running 2 media types for 90 total gallons of system water still only runs about 1/3 of pump capacity. The GFO tumbles very easily without a lot of water flow. You also want the water to flow slower over the GFO to maximize it's potential.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that explanation. It helped make up my mind on what I'm going to do.
:biggthumpup:
 
I would just run a single reactor for each one. If you buy like a MAG 2 or similar pump you can run both reactors off the same pump with a "T" fitting.
 
Well...looks like I'll just pull the carbon for now, run the GFO by itself and maybe add a second canister for carbon later down the line. I'll have to figure out where to fit it...

Thanks :)
 
NP

I just run mine also in a media bag as previously stated and seems to work good, just change every 2 weeks or so.
 
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