GFO/Carbon on a new 220 gallon.

Hello all,

I am in the process of piecing together my 220 gallon build. I've been reading over the forums for the past couple months to get a better understanding of everything I'll need and it's been very helpful.

Wondering if two BRS Reactors(1 carbon and 1 GFO) would be enough for the 220 or would just be a waste? I understand they are rated for 120g, but was hoping I could get by with them to avoid buying two Jumbos.

BRS reactor link - BRS GFO & Carbon Reactor - Single - Bulk Reef Supply


Plan would be to run them off of the external return pump.

 

Could you run them both with a mix of GFO and carbon? If they're each rated at 120g, you'd be up to your 220g requirement. However the cost long term for that might be prohibitive as you'll be going through GFO at a much faster rate than you would if it were to go out on its own.

Personally, I'd err on the side of long term cost savings. I'd opt for the two larger reactors. Additionally, if you're running them off an external pump it might be easier to plumb etc. The larger reactors can handle greater volume, so you wont have to worry about water pressure as you would with the BRS reactors. That's one thing I don't particularly like about them. Getting the sponges in there to keep the carbon snug is often a problem. The pressure from above seems to push it down on occasion. Then you have tumbling carbon. Seems like a design issue to me. Some type of locking(racheted on four sides with internal tabs to release like a ziptie) baffle to hold the carbon would be ideal, rather than the sponge solely. Not good IMHO. The large vertex ones are $50 more and it seems like you'd make that up in media pretty quick. That GFO isn't cheap, seriously, if over a year you just use one less container of GFO you've made it up. This seems all likely IIMHO, you'll probably go through several pounds of GFO a year.

 

Thank you for your input. I think I'll look at Vertex or Nextreef reactors instead.

 

FYI, You may not need a reactor at all. Your bioload determines the filtration necessary, not the tank size.