3 month review of ROWA and Phosban reactor..... not so good..

[zanemoseley]

Ok I had used the Phosban reactor with ROWAphos for about 2.5 months and it stopped working. So I took out the maxi400 running it and it was prefectly clean and working, cleaned it again and still didn't work. So I took the reactor out of my sump and took it apart, The top sponge was totally clogged, there was a layer of built up particles that hardened making it almost impossible for the water to flow. When dumping out the media I noticed about 1/3-1/4 of the smaller particles had clumped together and made a brick on one side of the reactor and I needed a knife to chissel it away. I could only observe the reactor from the fluidized side when it was in the sump so I couldn't see the seized particles. So it was fluidied enough to get some particles to the upper sponge and clog it but it wasn't fluidized enough to keep all the media suspended. I still have enough for one refill so I'll use it for at least 3 more months but after that I'm not sure what I'll do after these problems and problems I've heard some reporting RTN on SPS's. The attached pic is of the upper sponge after removing from the reactor.

 

[disccollector]

:nervous: Great...and mine's being delivered on Monday. I will have the same setup as you with a Maxijet 400 and Rowaphos...I also ordered a Maxijet 600 just in case I needed more power.
Is there anything that you think would have prevented this problem? A more powerful powerhead? Perhaps a monthly rinsing of the upper sponge?
Did it in fact reduce your phosphates...I am currently struggling with a 2ppm level...any idea what kind of drop I might see?
Sorry to hear it's not working out for you.

 

[golfish]

Originally posted by zanemoseley
I still have enough for one refill so I'll use it for at least 3 more months
if there are only negatives and no positives why use it any longer....
BTW, they work real good for carbon..

 

[zanemoseley]

Well I had no phosphates from the beginning, only a slight amount of hair algae on some rocks and some hair in the overflow boxes. I wanted to kill both or stop their spread, the algae in the overflow has turned brown but it still grows, the small spots of algae on the rock has stopped growing but is still there.
Tips: too much flow will dump the media into your sump/display and give you real problems, too little flow and it clumps. After the rowa is gone I may just use it for carbon but it seems like a good bit of work just to run carbon.

 

[squidd]

I posted this before on one of these "Phosban reactor/Rowaphos" Fad threads, and was "poo pooed"...

I use the Marc Weiss "Phosphate and Silicate Magnet" (ferric-something or other, I don't have a can here to read the label)
It's the same reactive agent as the Rowaphos, but comes as a "resinous" granule rather than a powder...
I put it in a mesh bag and then place the bag in a canister filter that I use to run carbon (from time to time) and power my UV...
In the canister the bag is spread out to receive good flow...
I open the filter every couple weeks to "turn and fluff" the bag to expose fresh media surfaces...
Using this "system" I have 0 phosphate and Silicate levels, No Diatom blooms, No Cyno, No hair algae problems, and have never had it clump,clog or disintegrate and spread through my tank...
This is on a FOWLR Aggressive tank with large, messy, meat eating fish and a SSB and minimal clean up crew...(they keep getting eaten...
This "filter" is IN ADDITION to a large sump/Fuge and Good skimmer...
I run a similar canister on my reef with the same results..All of them positive and None of the Negatives I've read about in threads like this...
0 Phosphate levels are a good thing, but there is a way that works and can be done with equipment most of us have "lying around"...
HTH somebody

 

[steveweast]

I clean my reactor sponge every two weeks or so (it just takes a couple of minutes). My reactor top just twists off to remove the sponge for a quick rinse. If Rowa or Phosban is not fully in motion, it will clump.
I've been following, with interest, the troubles that some folks are attributing to their using Rowa or Phosban. I've been running Rowa heavily since March and have not experienced any of the problems encountered by others. I would stop using the Rowa if it weren't for the low phosphate level (below .015 on a Merck test kit) and the overall tank/coral improvement that I've experienced since starting Rowa. It's just something that all us Rowa users will have to watch.

 

[zanemoseley]

well steve I could see rinsing my sponge every couple weeks is I had a good reactor that had keyholes but the phosband doesn't and you have to unscrew all 10 nylon bolts. Also I have a 75 with a quite cramped sump and its pretty much a pain in the A$$ to get the reactor out to take the top off.

 

[zanemoseley]

Also if I were to push more flow through it I fear I would have had an even worse problem with the sponge. I really get sick of maintenance after a while especially with a cramped sump. I can't wait to get a huge tank with a room behind it for equipment so space out my stuff for easy access.