Phosban reactor question.

I just got a phosban reactor and was wondering if i can put two kinds of media in it? Im looking at putting seachem phosguard and then some activated carbon.

 

go for it.. I do it all the time.. Although youll get a better run out of it if you do it in cycles.. such as have it filled for 2 weeks with carbon, then run it a few days with GFO or phosban material, then go back to carbon for another 2 weeks.. Carbon will outlast even the best phosphate removers so I feel its better to switch them out from time to time.. It works for me and my phosphates are at 0

 

Some chemical media work better at certain flow rates. If you have two different types of media that require different flow rates, you might not get any benefit from one or the other.

+1 to what bama mentioned.

 

Seabeast, you absolutely can run two different types of media in your reaction chamber. Keep in mind though, that you'll have to change them both out at the same time, so if the two products have dissimilar lifespans; consider that you'll be changing one that has "more life" left to it, and the other, which will probably be past its prime.

The opposite is actually the case if you're talking about GFO based phosphate removers. These can be kept in a reaction chamber sometimes for 2-3 months, and will never leach absorbed phosphates back into the tank water; whereas carbon "label directions" will recommend changing it out sometimes as often as weekly, although lots of folks run carbon for longer than a month, sometimes.

Over time, carbon will lose its adsorbent properties, and hence its ability to pull impurities out of the water, but its fine pores will harbor beneficial bacteria much like LR does.

I'm not condoning the habit of running carbon for months on end, but I felt it important to clarify that ferric oxide phosphate removers will outlast carbon hands down. The "white stuff" though--the spherical phosphate media must be changed more often because over time, the phosphate it removed will be re-released back into your tank.

 

I agree with all the above, but keep in mind that Seachem also makes a combined carbon and phosguard product which is designed to be used together. I forget the name of it, but if you search their website you'll find it. Personally I use chemipure elite, which is like carbon (I think it has carbon in it) but also a phosphate absorbing compound.

 

It's called SeaGel.

 

Chemipure Elite is just a really expensive mix of Carbon and GFO..