Where do you have your reactor pump feeding from?

[sun1914]

Just wondering where /how you guys have your reactors set up. Mine phosban is set up to suck water from the last chamber of my sump and fed back into the first chamber, where my skimmer is. I read some where that the return from the reactor is high in waste that the skimmer can catch so I thought it made sense to have it feed back there.
I'm asking cause I noticed I have a lot of life in my small refuge but wondering how many pods and such aren't getting into the DT because of the MJ1200 in the same chamber as the return.??

Here's a pic.
Ps. Don't laugh at my baby refuge. I'm working with what I have...and not for nothing it services it's purpose.

 

[oh207]

My reactor pump (MJ1200) is in the drain section of the sump. It sits between the filter sock and the skimmer. The output goes into the refugium area.
I've always wanted to put the MJ1200 in the return chamber. My thinking is that the water in the return section is cleaner and therefore it will take longer for my Carbon/GFO to clump. Being in the first chamber of the sump I feel like the pump is sucking up all the extra food that comes down the overflow and thats leading to the media clogging up sooner.

 

[pauliwalnuts]

The refugium on my 150 is about 20 gallons. I keep the reactor pump inside of a mesh bag in the fuge by the baffles leading to the return chamber. The return coming out of the reactor is hosed back into the drain's filter sock to get out as much of the free floating gfo media out of the water.

 

[james1990]

my GFO and Carbon reactors are fed via return manifold and drain into the filter socks

 

[JuanSalgado]

Looks good bro.

 

[sun1914]

Looks good bro.

Thanks. I'm trying. Going to build a manifold once I can get my hands on a stronger return pump. Right now I'm using a Mag 7 which isn't bad at all (besides being a bit loud especially since its external) but I have my return nozzle split so the flow from the return is weak.
That..and some better power heads.

 

[sun1914]

As you guys can see I don't have any filter or anything so I do get a bit of cheato and junk from the refuge in the return chamber. Some gets sucked in by the MJ1200 and some by the Mag 7 but from the most part it just settles at the bottom. Do you guys ever clean out your sumps?

 

[james1990]

 

[vio]

As you guys can see I don't have any filter or anything so I do get a bit of cheato and junk from the refuge in the return chamber. Some gets sucked in by the MJ1200 and some by the Mag 7 but from the most part it just settles at the bottom. Do you guys ever clean out your sumps?

In your last chamber , i see u have White Egg Crate, that hold Detritus , better than any think , yes i clean my sump ( i use Diatom Filter) , if u ever have problem to control PO4 or Nitrate ( bad algae ) remove that , clean (vacuum) the bottom, have to be ,free of Detritus.

 

[sun1914]

In your last chamber , i see u have White Egg Crate, that hold Detritus , better than any think , yes i clean my sump ( i use Diatom Filter) , if u ever have problem to control PO4 or Nitrate ( bad algae ) remove that , clean (vacuum) the bottom, have to be ,free of Detritus.

Though I have no algae problems besides a tiny bit of cyano that has started to grown on 2 pieces of live rock in the last 2 weeks, I took you advice and removed the egg crate. I actually OD'ed and decided to remove the whole sump and clean if out since I was doing a water change today. (You were right tons of waste under the crate hence why I just emptied the sump completely)

I also moved the chemipure and purigen into the small middle chamber then, topped it with some filter floss and dumped a small bit of cheato on top.
I figure rather than just leaving the chemi and pure floating in the last chamber they will be more effective with water actually passing through them....we'll see in the next weeks if my logic makes sense or not.

Here's a pic so u can see what I did.
Everything else is the same.

 

[Reef Lobster]

looks better, your water level looks more even now too

 

[vio]

Super, in stand of that floss filter, i will trow 2-3 live Rocks in last chamber (if u like to hold more Zooplanktons), now your sump look nice and clean.

 

[sun1914]

Super, in stand of that floss filter, i will trow 2-3 live Rocks in last chamber (if u like to hold more Zooplanktons), now your sump look nice and clean.

Went with the filter floss to avoid any loose chaeto from going into the last chamber.
Plan on picking up some live rock next week actually for the last chamber. My sump isn't really meant to be used as a refuge I'm thinking of doing away with the chaeto all together to be honest with you. Waiting to see what happens in the next weeks.

 

[vio]

Went with the filter floss to avoid any loose chaeto from going into the last chamber.
Plan on picking up some live rock next week actually for the last chamber. My sump isn't really meant to be used as a refuge I'm thinking of doing away with the chaeto all together to be honest with you. Waiting to see what happens in the next weeks.

that exactly i almost say, got more room for chaeto, then use a painter strainer( 1 Gal.) around return pump , hold by rubber bands , works.

 

[sun1914]

that exactly i almost say, got more room for chaeto, then use a painter strainer( 1 Gal.) around return pump , hold by rubber bands , works.

You lost me??? Couldn't make out what you meant to say. Sorry

 

[vio]

If , you use the last chamber (also for Chaeto) u got huge chance to clog the intake, return pump one day, protecting the intake pump , by using strainer bag , avoid that. Home Depot have that also.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-GALLON-ST...31235370533?pt=UK_DIY_Material_Paint_Varnish_

 

[sun1914]

No chaeto going in the last chamber. It will stay in the small space in the middle. It's been doing good so far see no reason to change now. I will add some live rock in the last chamber but that's about it.