How much of a difference between bag and reactor

[richardhmc]

How much of a difference is there between bag and reactor? I'm planning to use carbon and I was thinking if I just leave it in underneath hose connecting my display to my sump, that is a good flow no? Is there a drastic difference? Can I just put in a powerhead, and point it at the bag? thanks

 

[jrobbins]

In my opinion reactors make a huge difference for both gfo and carbon.


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[masterswimmer]

There is NO COMPARISON at all between running any media in a mesh bag as opposed to running it in a reactor.

Water will ALWAYS, under every circumstance, seek the path of least resistance. In a media bag there is so much resistance that the water will naturally flow around the bag before it will flow through it. IMO it is like throwing money down the drain buying media and using it in a media bag.

When placed in a reactor, all media is in the path of water flow.

The only time I can break my own rule is when running an all-in-one like a Solana that has extremely limited space and the only place you can find to place the media is in a bag in the back of the tank where all the equipment is 'hidden'.

Russ

 

[tttony]

There has been real scientific tests done Ive read on other sites and both will pull out organics and phosphate. It really comes down to how much you want them to come down, The tumblers are more effiecent , but you can "pull them out " witha bag, but not as fast and in my opinion you wont use up all the media in a bag as quickly witha tumbler. Also they are marketed much better than media bags !

 

[richardhmc]

interesting. thanks for your input!

 

[cali_reef]

You don't need to "buy" a reactor for carbon. Put carbon in a bag, put the bag in a plastic container with holes on the bottom, direct your water to the top of the container and water will gravity feed it self through the carbon.

Tumbling carbon is a bad idea.

 

[richardhmc]

You don't need to "buy" a reactor for carbon. Put carbon in a bag, put the bag in a plastic container with holes on the bottom, direct your water to the top of the container and water will gravity feed it self through the carbon.

Tumbling carbon is a bad idea.

I see. why is tumbling carbon a bad idea?

 

[richardhmc]

I've never used carbon before so I'm assuming I'm supposed to see a drastic difference. Not so sure because my tank water seems to be clear. not sure what the yellow water people are talking about

 

[cali_reef]

I see. why is tumbling carbon a bad idea?

Take a piece of carbon and roll it around on a piece of white paper and you shall find out. Carbon by it self is very brittle.

Take a clear glass cup and fill it half full with your tank water, put a piece of white paper behind the glass and you'll see if your water is clear, do this in a very well lit room. Additionally carbon takes out other things such as chemicals released by corals, contaminants in your water, DOC, etc... It is a great way to "clean" a tank, just make sure you rinse it well and replace often.

 

[richardhmc]

ohh okay. very interesting. thanks!

 

[pweissma]

The only time I can break my own rule is when running an all-in-one like a Solana that has extremely limited space and the only place you can find to place the media is in a bag in the back of the tank where all the equipment is 'hidden'.

Russ

I'm setting up a reactor for my Solana. As space is very limited getting the media out of the back clears up more space for a fuge. MR1 Shorty is the only reactor I've found that will fit inside the Solana cabinet with the shelf in place. This way the reactor is hidden.

I've found a lot of different opinions about running GFO and AGC in one reactor. Some say don't do it. Others say do it but separate the two and still others say they can be mixed. Ultimately I think this is one of those areas where there is no right or wrong.

 

[Master Shake]

As it seems this thread is in favor for the reactor as well as i am, i just dont feel like buying one which i think i will do soon anyway and dont feel like making one(i tried and failed). now let me get to where i am trying to go with this. one of the arguments was there is less flow in the media bag, which i am not arguing because like anything else that flows, water takes the path of least resistance. What if you put the bag in a area of the sump that forces the water to go through it?

 

[seldin]

For carbon, using a media bag is fine. It is not as efficient as a reactor, but since the media will not break down, it will be fine.A reactor can be more efficient.

For GFO, a reactor is much better to help reduce caching, etc.

A good source for reading about Carbon and GFO can be found at bulkreefsupply.com

Hope this helps.

 

[richardhmc]

What if you put the bag in a area of the sump that forces the water to go through it?

That's what I'm thinking. In my sump there are areas I can put it with flow. Also, I could make a ghetto reactor if I wanted to.

I tried to see if my water was yellow using a cup and also a test tube and they were perfectly clear to me. :irked: