Feedback - DIY Reactor for Biopellets?
- Thread starter daverf
- Start date
OK here's one more find...have my plan but check this housing out. This is the double-size of the whole house filter housing that they sell at home depot (20" vs 10" chamber). This is the unit I have on my whole house water line (carbon block).
Too bad they don't have a clear one...maybe this would work as a media reactor for something other than bio pellets...
[attachment=63747:name]
http://www.amazon.com/Pentek-150166...2&sr=1-24&keywords=whole+house+filter+20+inch
Too bad they don't have a clear one...maybe this would work as a media reactor for something other than bio pellets...
[attachment=63747:name]
http://www.amazon.com/Pentek-150166...2&sr=1-24&keywords=whole+house+filter+20+inch
So now I'm thinking that I'll get another 1G pitcher and do a sulfur reactor as well...throw a powerhead and tubing inside to make it recirculating...mesh discs inside, drip valves into and out of...hmmm.
Why spend ~700$ when you can use a few $6 plastic pitchers to get -almost- the same media volume with DIY reactors? Of course you'd have to live with a second-class design...but oh well...
Why spend ~700$ when you can use a few $6 plastic pitchers to get -almost- the same media volume with DIY reactors? Of course you'd have to live with a second-class design...but oh well...
Here is the Frankenstein. Makes great margaritas but can't bio pellet react worth sh-t.
[attachment=63780:name]
Actually it's working OK for version 1. At the moment I have it on a Maxi Jet 1200, which is way overpowered. It looks more like brick breaker than a gentle tumble now, but it works. I had planned to use my trusty old Maxi Jet 600, but it crapped out right as I got the reactor going. I could see it was a perfect flow rate, though. Oh and the egg crate platform at the base, I meticulously cut to perfect size then jack-ssly stepped on it and broke some off. D'oh.
I'll change it so the flow is restricted, put a check valve and clamps on, and maybe replace the mesh screen (yes that is an old fish net). Then build my sulfur reactor!
Total cost:
Pitcher: $8
Maxi Jet 600: $15
Egg crate, flex vinyl tubing, zip ties, old fish net - had it all laying around.
[attachment=63780:name]
Actually it's working OK for version 1. At the moment I have it on a Maxi Jet 1200, which is way overpowered. It looks more like brick breaker than a gentle tumble now, but it works. I had planned to use my trusty old Maxi Jet 600, but it crapped out right as I got the reactor going. I could see it was a perfect flow rate, though. Oh and the egg crate platform at the base, I meticulously cut to perfect size then jack-ssly stepped on it and broke some off. D'oh.
I'll change it so the flow is restricted, put a check valve and clamps on, and maybe replace the mesh screen (yes that is an old fish net). Then build my sulfur reactor!
Total cost:
Pitcher: $8
Maxi Jet 600: $15
Egg crate, flex vinyl tubing, zip ties, old fish net - had it all laying around.
Pitcher biopellet reactor in full working operation...hobby mesh installed (thanks Jaime)...Pitcher sulfur reactor should be online this week as all pieces are now on their way to my house...then up next, pitcher carbon reactor! I need another sump so I can keep building my redneck pitcher reactors, having too much fun with them...
Alrighty man...few more pics...as requested...although I don't know if you can figure out what's going on?
This is inside the sump (now pretty crowded). Behind my algae scrubber (Bloomboss LEDs) are 2 of the 3 pitcher triumvirate...
Left/larger - biopellet reactor. Nothing exciting, hopefully you can see from prior pic how it was built. The return basically flows out of the pitcher spout, which I have 1" above sump water level and aimed at skimmer pump. Working like a charm, I can see the balls have perfect tumbling action going on. By the way...4 days after getting this going...my skimmer started spitting out the most INSANE smell bubbly gunk... I'm using Dr. Tim's NP-Active Pearls.
Right/smaller - carbon reactor. You can't really even see what's going on here, just looks like a piece of white filter pad. Originally I was going to just put a media bag of carbon on the inner eggcrate platform (described above) then put the pitcher top on (over filter pad), but I overfilled the media bag and can't fit the pitcher top on. So the bag of carbon is just sitting in the open-top submerged pitcher, with powerhead underneath. I'm not sure if this is really a "reactor" per se, but it does pull a higher flow volume through the carbon, so why not.
[attachment=63865:name]
This is inside the sump (now pretty crowded). Behind my algae scrubber (Bloomboss LEDs) are 2 of the 3 pitcher triumvirate...
Left/larger - biopellet reactor. Nothing exciting, hopefully you can see from prior pic how it was built. The return basically flows out of the pitcher spout, which I have 1" above sump water level and aimed at skimmer pump. Working like a charm, I can see the balls have perfect tumbling action going on. By the way...4 days after getting this going...my skimmer started spitting out the most INSANE smell bubbly gunk... I'm using Dr. Tim's NP-Active Pearls.
Right/smaller - carbon reactor. You can't really even see what's going on here, just looks like a piece of white filter pad. Originally I was going to just put a media bag of carbon on the inner eggcrate platform (described above) then put the pitcher top on (over filter pad), but I overfilled the media bag and can't fit the pitcher top on. So the bag of carbon is just sitting in the open-top submerged pitcher, with powerhead underneath. I'm not sure if this is really a "reactor" per se, but it does pull a higher flow volume through the carbon, so why not.
[attachment=63865:name]
Sulfur reactor...
(Hey Mods, can I change this thread title to "Feedback - DIY Reactors for Biopellets, Carbon, Sulfur?"
OK, here's the plan. Will use 2 pitchers - one 1G (sulfur), one 1/2G (ARM). Diagram should be pretty self explanatory. MJ 400 is the recirculating pump, Dosing pumps used (with TLF Microvalves) to bring water in and out of the Sulfur pitcher. All water tubing will be positioned so no backsiphoning occurs (without checkvalves). Since the sulfur reactor water could cause some big problems if it spills fully into the tank, I will have this within sump but elevated so that there is no risk that it backsiphons into sump (whereas I don't have/need this protection for the other reactors). Per the pics, everything is ready to go except the sulfur media (arrives Monday) and some PVC for finishing the raised platforms in the sump. I will run 1.2L sulfur, 1.8L (or more) of ARM.
[attachment=63868:name] View attachment 12114
I got ideas for this design from this site:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2009-01/diy/index.php
Total materials cost (excluding Media), about $70 (pitchers, filter foam, vinyl tubing, eggcrate, PVC, Maxi Jet 400, 2 Aqua lifter dosing pumps, micro valves). I did have some stuff laying around the house, available for use. Oh and not really related to this but we have a damn tupperware poltergeist that drives my wife especially nuts. Somehow things just disappear from the cabinets all the time. Go figure.
(Hey Mods, can I change this thread title to "Feedback - DIY Reactors for Biopellets, Carbon, Sulfur?"
OK, here's the plan. Will use 2 pitchers - one 1G (sulfur), one 1/2G (ARM). Diagram should be pretty self explanatory. MJ 400 is the recirculating pump, Dosing pumps used (with TLF Microvalves) to bring water in and out of the Sulfur pitcher. All water tubing will be positioned so no backsiphoning occurs (without checkvalves). Since the sulfur reactor water could cause some big problems if it spills fully into the tank, I will have this within sump but elevated so that there is no risk that it backsiphons into sump (whereas I don't have/need this protection for the other reactors). Per the pics, everything is ready to go except the sulfur media (arrives Monday) and some PVC for finishing the raised platforms in the sump. I will run 1.2L sulfur, 1.8L (or more) of ARM.
[attachment=63868:name] View attachment 12114
I got ideas for this design from this site:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2009-01/diy/index.php
Total materials cost (excluding Media), about $70 (pitchers, filter foam, vinyl tubing, eggcrate, PVC, Maxi Jet 400, 2 Aqua lifter dosing pumps, micro valves). I did have some stuff laying around the house, available for use. Oh and not really related to this but we have a damn tupperware poltergeist that drives my wife especially nuts. Somehow things just disappear from the cabinets all the time. Go figure.
Sulfur reactor...
(Hey Mods, can I change this thread title to "Feedback - DIY Reactors for Biopellets, Carbon, Sulfur?"
OK, here's the plan. Will use 2 pitchers - one 1G (sulfur), one 1/2G (ARM). Diagram should be pretty self explanatory. MJ 400 is the recirculating pump, Dosing pumps used (with TLF Microvalves) to bring water in and out of the Sulfur pitcher. All water tubing will be positioned so no backsiphoning occurs (without checkvalves). Since the sulfur reactor water could cause some big problems if it spills fully into the tank, I will have this within sump but elevated so that there is no risk that it backsiphons into sump (whereas I don't have/need this protection for the other reactors). Per the pics, everything is ready to go except the sulfur media (arrives Monday) and some PVC for finishing the raised platforms in the sump. I will run 1.2L sulfur, 1.8L (or more) of ARM.
[attachment=63870:name] View attachment 12116 View attachment 12117
I got ideas for this design from this site:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2009-01/diy/index.php
Total materials cost (excluding Media), about $60 (pitchers, filter foam, vinyl tubing, eggcrate, PVC, Maxi Jet 400, 2 Aqua lifter dosing pumps, micro valves). I did have some stuff laying around the house, available for use. Oh and not really related to this but we have a damn tupperware poltergeist that drives my wife especially nuts. Somehow things just disappear from the cabinets all the time. Go figure.
(Hey Mods, can I change this thread title to "Feedback - DIY Reactors for Biopellets, Carbon, Sulfur?"
OK, here's the plan. Will use 2 pitchers - one 1G (sulfur), one 1/2G (ARM). Diagram should be pretty self explanatory. MJ 400 is the recirculating pump, Dosing pumps used (with TLF Microvalves) to bring water in and out of the Sulfur pitcher. All water tubing will be positioned so no backsiphoning occurs (without checkvalves). Since the sulfur reactor water could cause some big problems if it spills fully into the tank, I will have this within sump but elevated so that there is no risk that it backsiphons into sump (whereas I don't have/need this protection for the other reactors). Per the pics, everything is ready to go except the sulfur media (arrives Monday) and some PVC for finishing the raised platforms in the sump. I will run 1.2L sulfur, 1.8L (or more) of ARM.
[attachment=63870:name] View attachment 12116 View attachment 12117
I got ideas for this design from this site:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2009-01/diy/index.php
Total materials cost (excluding Media), about $60 (pitchers, filter foam, vinyl tubing, eggcrate, PVC, Maxi Jet 400, 2 Aqua lifter dosing pumps, micro valves). I did have some stuff laying around the house, available for use. Oh and not really related to this but we have a damn tupperware poltergeist that drives my wife especially nuts. Somehow things just disappear from the cabinets all the time. Go figure.
Re: Feedback - DIY Reactor for Biopellets?
Just read up on the link, I have some 4" acrylic tube (bought it on sale, $21/ft. What a deal!) I didn't know you could use the MJ external like that, mind always get crazy hot. I just might try and make one as well.
Oh poop, I didn't even see the pics you posted last night. I was talking about the article though, more specifically, this pic
Just read up on the link, I have some 4" acrylic tube (bought it on sale, $21/ft. What a deal!) I didn't know you could use the MJ external like that, mind always get crazy hot. I just might try and make one as well.
Oh poop, I didn't even see the pics you posted last night. I was talking about the article though, more specifically, this pic
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