Mixing media in a reactor?

[trippclark]

I have Purigen in a filter bag that I have placed in my sump. I also have a PhosBan reactor 150 that I have inline between my sump and refugium in which I have 50 g of Phosban based on my tank size. This is 1/3 of the capacity of the reactor, but a proper amount for my tank size. I am thinking about adding Purigen to the reactor in addition to the Phosban, instead of having it in the filter bag. The thought is that it would be much more efficient in the reactor. Are there any problems with mixing two media -- particularly these two media -- in a reactor?

 

[trippclark]

<bump>
Any ideas? Will this work? Not?

 

[sac10918]

I would like to know if you can mix the media also. I have carbon in my phosban reactor but I would also like to but some sort of phosphate absorbing media as well.

 

[trippclark]

bump

 

[trippclark]

Well sac10918, it looks like we are on our own with this one. The more I think about it, I cannot see where there would/should be any problems with this. It would be great if extras of the foam rings (like the two that come with the reactor) could be used to separate the reactor into chambers to keep the media apart. Of course any heavy media (like the carbon you mentioned) would need to be at the bottom. I wonder if you can get extra foam rings? I expect that you can.

 

[milomlo]

Well my local reef club talks about mixing carbon and phosban in their reactors. I just haven't gotten the details yet. I want to do it as well.

 

[milomlo]

Several folks said they do it. Just put the phosphat stuff on top as it can get crushed and the water won't flow through it. Also they said use a filter piece or sponge between the carbon and phosban.
I haven't hooked mine up yet, but when I do I will post on it. If one you try it before I do please let me know how it works as well.

 

[milomlo]

Here is an email I got from Two Little Fishes on mixing media: "You can use any pump with a capacity of between 100 and 300 gph. This does NOT mean that you will pass 100 to 300 gph through the reactor!
You will use the ball valve that comes with the reactor to reduce the the flow rate to approximately 30 to 50 gph, on average. The instructions detail how to do that, and offer a slightly higher max recommended flow rate. The reason for recommending a pump with higher flow rate is to allow for head pressure losses that vary depending on the installation, and also to allow the user to periodically "flush" the media for a few seconds to loosen it up, which prevents channeling.
You can mix carbon and PhosBan, yes. We recommend using our HydroCarbon2, since it is one of the only carbons available that really does not leach any phosphate. Using other brands of carbon would defeat the purpose of PhosBan.
Place the carbon on the bottom of the reactor and the PhosBan on top of it. You can put a sponge (purchased separately as a set of replacement sponges) between the carbon and PhosBan layers. It is not necessary to separate them this way-- they can also be mixed. I normally mix them in a ratio of about 1 part carbon to 2 parts PhosBan."
Hope that helps anyone out. I know I will be doing it.