Two Little Fishes phostban 150,

[five.five-six]

here is a note I just sent to reefgeek, I think it covers it all:


As i write this I can not stop shaking my head. I am stunned in utter dismay. In my 30 years of keeping aquaria, I have never come across a more deficient product. I am so disappointed, I have heard so many nice things about reefgeek and had high hopes that there was someone in the mail order industry that actually cared about the hobbyist. That can not possibly be true of a company that would put a phosban 150 in a box and mail it to a customer. The sad part about all this is that I had received this as a gift from my father for Christmas and will be putting it in the trash

If you are wondering why I hesitate to mention this product by name in the same sentence as skilter, seaclone and deep six it is because those produces so outclass this one that it would be an insult to they're manufactures.

The design and manufacture of this product is so shameful that it is an embarrassment to he industry. For starters, the "sponges" are not dense enough to be used for a mesh mod, in fact the pours in the mesh supplied are so big that palletized GAC can get through, and GFO falls right through like water through a strainer. Next, the input and output elbows leak with the slightest pressure, combine that with the fact that they only articulate 90 degrees, the weight of the pump has the tendency to pull the elbow off the reactor, one might think, this is all well and good, I will just use this product in the sump, however the label is made of paper and god knows what sort of glue they used to affix it.

So what they have successfully designed was a product that without heavy modification, if used as directed, will spill tank water all over your floor and dump GFO allover your sump

incidentally, I own the Kent marine version of this unit which I am very happy with


regards
mark

[hottuna]

all of julian sprung's products are just the same = crap..

[oldimpala]

That's odd.....

I run 3 of them; two with GAC (Pelletized now, was crushed for years), and one with Warner Marine Phosar; I love the little things. Bang for the buck, it's probably one of the most cost effective pieces of equipment on my tank....

I do have to changes the sponges on the Phosphate media once a year, for $2 or so, but other than that, it's maintnence free....


-Andy

PS: You can double up the sponges, again available for about $2 from Premium Aquatics, if media's leaking thru.....

[scotmc]

This is a first. It may be a POS for you. I have had zero problems with it. Along with a lot of other people.

[trmiv]

You've got to be kidding me, you actually sent that email to Reef Geek?

I've used both the original model of the phosban reactor and the current one and haven't had the issues you're describing because of the reactor. I have had GFO dust leak all over the sump, but that wasn't the reactor's fault, it was due to the massively dusty Dr's Foster and Smith Phospure I used. I never had that issue with Phosban, Phoslock or Phosar used in the Phosban reactor.

[bdare]

I love my Phosban 150!

In computers we have a saying PBKAC (Problem Between Keyboard And Chair). Sounds like we may need a new acronym for fish tanks...

[opiumpipez]

i think this might be more user error than product quality.

the 90 degree elbows do not leak at all even when they are bent due to the weight from a pump.

also, i have used phosban, rowa and phoslock and havent had any type of leeching.

just wondering..but did you fill the ENTIRE canister with gfo? the only issue i can see is if you filled it up too much and this the upflow caused the gfo to permeate the top mesh sponge.
also, what do you mean by
"For starters, the "sponges" are not dense enough to be used for a mesh mod"

are you meshmodding a needlewheel pump? where is this coming from?

[fatrip]

hey if your throwing it out ill take it and pay shipping...LMK...

[killagoby]

I totally disagree with the above statements. I've seen the Kent product in action. My LFS has one. It leaks and it is brittle plastic that can break at the 90 elbows. The TLF reactor was recomended by that LFS to me. I made the right choice.

1. Use the pads for what they were made for.

2. Don't run the flow any higher than 50GPH through it. This will stop the media from running through it.

3. Use a longer tube for the connection, so the pump rests on the bottom of your sump. This will help stop the weight of your pump pull off the connections.

Problem solved...

[Cove Beach]

I run a pair of them on my system, one for carbon and the other GFO. Since i run mine off of a tap on my return with a ball valve and they get shut down at least once a day for feeding, i found that somehow all the media in both of them got pushed to the top along with the foam. To fix this i used 2 zip ties tightened around the center tube and then cut the tail so it stuck out to the edge of the foam. Works great and i have had no leaks period.

[ElDiabloPollo]

I use one externally with no issues what so ever. Sounds like user error.

[Craig Lambert]

It's an excellent product. Some of your remarks make it pretty clear that you have set it up wrong. "The weight of the pump"? There shouldn't be any weight from the pump pulling on the tube. It should be resting on the bottom of your sump. You are also likely running far to much flow. It should be 25-30gph so the top level of the media barly tumbles in just a few areas.

If the gfo is falling down through the sponge, you have the pump connected to the output rather than the input. I have no doubt that you have set the product up incorrectly. Hundreds/Thousands of these are in daily use with no issues.

[DarG]

The TLF 150 is a $5 product with a 7X mark-up but so is most everything else in the hobby. The are known for leaking after a while too. But, I agree with the others. This is a cheap product that works fine for the majority of users. You either got a bad one, which is possible, or, as the others mentioned, you arent doing something right, which is more likely. Maybe even a combination of both.

The press fit elbows on mine do not leak. The sponges, which arent very dense as you state, do indeed trap the media fine and the unit works exactly as it is supposed to. Like others have mentioned, you must be overloading it and/or pushing to much flow through it and/or running the flow in through the output. Hanging the pump off of it is a mistake as well.

You had to know that these were popular units, maybe you should have asked for help or atleast asked if others had the same issues before slamming Reef Geek for selling the product. Seems like it would a much more appropriate email for the manufacturer, not Reef Geek.

Anyway, this board is good for the passage of information. I think a thread asking about others experiences with this unit and stating problems and the frustration you are having with the one you bought would have accomplished much more for you than posting an after the fact thread only to find out that the issues that you have experienced with your 150 are in the least uncommon, and much more likely caused in large part by your own mis-use.

[relaxednature]

I got one for christmas too, and mine works great..
no issues here.

[five.five-six]

thanks, I think you hit about everything in your post so I pick you to reply :)

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11463790#post11463790 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by killagoby
I totally disagree with the above statements. I've seen the Kent product in action. My LFS has one. It leaks and it is brittle plastic that can break at the 90 elbows. The TLF reactor was recomended by that LFS to me. I made the right choice.

1. Use the pads for what they were made for.

it says right on the box "phosban reactor" but these pads are not meant for phosban?


2. Don't run the flow any higher than 50GPH through it. This will stop the media from running through it.

I am using a maxijet 404 adjustable from 20-106 GPH I run it at 1-3 clicks up, just enough to get a fluid surface


3. Use a longer tube for the connection, so the pump rests on the bottom of your sump. This will help stop the weight of your pump pull off the connections.

Problem solved...

the unit is in a sump that is only 12 inches across, but even at 18 inches, the effluent comes off the reactor parallel to the water surface, just the pressure from the hose bending is enough to contort the elbow. I can see it popping off real ez... if you have one of these, may I recommend zip-ties

can I fix it.. sure, the point is, his is not a skimmer where you get to modd it to get better performance, you have to do a bunch of stuff just to keep it from leaking

if you have the older version, I understand it is much better, just a pita removing the 147 nylon screws to change the media. the quick release top on this unit is pretty cool

[killagoby]

The reactor comes with a plastic clamp to keep the tubing on the inlet connection. You might need more flexible 5/8ths tubing. Can you post pics so we can see it?

Also, the media should not touch the top pad. I don't understand the statment, "it says right on the box "phosban reactor" but these pads are not meant for phosban?"

[five.five-six]

it does not touch the top pad but it falls right through the bottom pad

I don't understand the statment, "it says right on the box "phosban reactor" but these pads are not meant for phosban?"


you said:
1. Use the pads for what they were made for.

and i am saying I am using them for phosban...


perhaps i am missing somthing, do I need to by special phosban pads to use phosban in a phosban reactor?

are the pads that come with a phosban reactor not meant to be used with phosban? I am confused

also i think that clamp was intended to be use with the valve, there are 4 connections that need clamps, the 2 on the top of the reactor are the worst.

the best idea I have heard so far was to dump the elbows completely and just run hose straight to the lid. this works but I do not know about your, but my sump if pretty crowded as is and I am not all that interested in a adding 2 large radius's of hose in my sump to keep the hose from kinking

[mpdharley]

To add my .02. I use two of the reactors and they work great for me. I use Kent carbon in one and Seachem phosguard in the other. The pads work for both of those and the phosguard is quite small.

For the connections, I don't use the supplied elbows, simply because I wouldn't trust any connection that was clamped, screwed or glued down. I also didn't have to add that much hose to ensure that they don't crimp. The hose I'm using is standard black vinyl tubing. It doesn't stay perfectly round, but it also isn't crimped to a point that I am losing any real flow. I can also say that the reactors and the Phosguard have definitely cleared up my algae issues.

All in all, for my setup, they have been more than worth the money spent on them.

[Jeff]

I use two of them with no problems. As long as I rinse the Phosban well, I dont get leeching of the product into the tank. The only other way to get the media into the tank is to blast it with higher water pressure into the top sponge which is impossible if using the correct pump at the correct pressure.
I really think five.five-six either got a bad product with many flaws or is one of many people in this hobby that cannot figure out how to use something correctly and thus has problems with the product and blames the manufacturer. I dont mean to be rude but it is commen practice to see this behavior with skimmers and calcium reactors. People dont use them correctly and then get on here and call them pita's pr pos's and slam them.
five.five-six, dont throw it out, I'll take it and pay you shipping plus a few bucks for your trouble.

[flyguy7150]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11465022#post11465022 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by five.five-six
it does not touch the top pad but it falls right through the bottom pad



you said:
1. Use the pads for what they were made for.

and i am saying I am using them for phosban...


perhaps i am missing somthing, do I need to by special phosban pads to use phosban in a phosban reactor?

are the pads that come with a phosban reactor not meant to be used with phosban? I am confused



I think he said that cause in the original post you said, "the "sponges" are not dense enough to be used for a mesh mod,"

But i have one of these reactors and ordered a 2nd one, one for GFO one for GAC. So far its been good to me, just keep playing around with it. How do you have the sponges inside it? The lower sponge is it above the red plate or below it?? Same with the top one, is it above or below the red plate.

In mine the sponge on the bottom is below the red plate, and the sponge on the top is above the red plate.

[oldimpala]

The sponges, per my usage, are between the red plates, and the media....

Based on his description, I'd bet he has the In/Out backwards, that'd push media DOWN through the bottom sponge, and up through the center tube. And, explain lots of his headaches...


556- This is an Upflow style reactor, to reduce clogging....

As far as the rubber ends; I can see the paranoia, but believe me, I run 3 of them, non-stop in my tank, and have for years. No leaks from the elbows. Ever. And I don't use the clamp provided, at all. I do run Eheim 12/16 tubing, which gives a nice, snug fit, on those fittings, though. I've had floods in my day, but never from one of these.

As far as leaking goes; I did replace one weeping o-ring, on a unit I used to filter O3 rich water, but I blame that on the O3...

And, internally, the old units are identical to the new; there's just a flange, and about a dozen screws. I have an old unit on a shelf, ready for my QT... the only difference is in the top, and the new ones are vastly better.

-Andy

[kdblove_99]

I also use 2 of these reactors and i also use the supplied elbows. I have never had any problems with it, never.

I can paypal you $20 for yours:)

[USC-fan]

If you are using 3 "clicks" on the 404 you have too much flow. I use the 1st or 2nd.

Sound like user error and you should have ask for some set up help before doing all this.

[five.five-six]

no, it is set for 1 click right now, it is on a 7.5 gallon setup right now sh ther is only 10 grams of GFO mixed with about 50 grams of GAC. my 100 gal has 100 grams of gfo mixed with ~100 grams GAC and needs 2-3 clicks

the screw on top is nice, much easyer than the kent unit.

those elbos are junk and the sponge is worthless for GFO

basicly it is a DIY starter kit and should be markketed as such.

I may turn it into a skimmer.. I think anyone who runs one of these out of sump is running a high risk of a wet floor

how about that paper label? how do you scrape it off if you want to use it in sump? or do you just hope the glue, ink and paper do not foul your tank?

[killagoby]

The rubber elbows are why I bought it. Much more user friendly than Kent's version.

I've never had the media "fall through" the bottom pad.

[kdblove_99]

I hate the Kents.

I have always ran out of sump and use elbows= 0 issues!

[Jeff]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11465726#post11465726 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by five.five-six
no, it is set for 1 click right now, it is on a 7.5 gallon setup right now sh ther is only 10 grams of GFO mixed with about 50 grams of GAC. my 100 gal has 100 grams of gfo mixed with ~100 grams GAC and needs 2-3 clicks


There have been many threads about mixing GAC with GFO. The carbon is most likely going to grind up the GFO. Also, carbon needs higher flow to fluidize then GFO as you know.
I am curious why you would use carbon and GFO on a 7.5 gallon setup? A water change of 1 quart a week would do more then either of those medias and benefit the fish and corals as well.

[USC-fan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11465726#post11465726 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by five.five-six
no, it is set for 1 click right now, it is on a 7.5 gallon setup right now sh ther is only 10 grams of GFO mixed with about 50 grams of GAC. my 100 gal has 100 grams of gfo mixed with ~100 grams GAC and needs 2-3 clicks

the screw on top is nice, much easyer than the kent unit.

those elbos are junk and the sponge is worthless for GFO

basicly it is a DIY starter kit and should be markketed as such.

I may turn it into a skimmer.. I think anyone who runs one of these out of sump is running a high risk of a wet floor

how about that paper label? how do you scrape it off if you want to use it in sump? or do you just hope the glue, ink and paper do not foul your tank? Elbows are fine i just use a couple of zip ties to keep them tight.

Never had any problems with the sponge filters. Can you post a pic of the set up?

Sounds like you have the bottom sponge filter to far up, it needs to be on the bottom and there should be NO room at all between the sponge and the red piece.

The paper label is easy to remove and i do run mine in the sump just because there is always a chance it could leak.

[bbehring]

Yet another satisfied user here! I've run my 150 reactor for almost a year with no issues. No leaks, no ellbow probs, no added DIY mods, just plug and play! A great phosban reactor IMO. I've run 4 different phos medias and carbon in it over the past year and none have posed any problems with working through the top or bottom sponges. I'd retract the email and/or apologize to ReefGeek. It's not their problem in the first place as this is a main stream product that is widely used in the industry and with all too good results.

[five.five-six]

the bottom pas sits on the bottom perferated disk,

lots of people run GFO with GAC it works very well, no grinding issues

the 7.5 is a quarinteen tank for SPS, there is stuff coming in and out and I am keeping a sohol in there j/k

so all I need to do is get some zip ties, new pads and scrape the lable off and then I am ready to use it.... sounds like a DIY starter kit

[DarG]

I used Phosban with mine. I bought a small container of it to compare with a couple of others when I first bought the reactor. I had no problems with the Phosban falling through the bottom sponge. I think that the Two Part Solution GFO that I usually use now is smaller than the Phosban. It may not be but it is pretty fine. It's been near a year since I have used the Phosban.
I use a minijet 606 wide open and about 80 grams of GFO. No issues at all with GFO getting through either sponge. I measured the flow rate with the 606 and with the way my tubing is set up it flows about 50 GPH through the unit. It's a perfect match with 3 90's on the input and 3 90's on the output plus an 18" vertical run from pump to input of the reactor. The reactor is external, hanging on the outside of the sump and the input and output plumbing goes through the wall of the sump with bulkheads and 90 degree barb fittings. No leaks, no escaping GFO, no issues at all.

I wonder, as atleast one poster mentioned, if you are running the input water into the output. Whatever the case, you can always just use a little bit of poly filter floss on top of the bottom sponge to prevent any fines from getting through the sponge. There should be no GFO getting through the top sponge unless you are running way too high of a flow rate and tumbling the GFO all the way to the top of the reactor.

[bdare]

Oh boy... look what I just found. This picture is becoming MUCH clearer...
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1260055

[flyguy7150]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11465266#post11465266 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by flyguy7150
I think he said that cause in the original post you said, "the "sponges" are not dense enough to be used for a mesh mod,"

But i have one of these reactors and ordered a 2nd one, one for GFO one for GAC. So far its been good to me, just keep playing around with it. How do you have the sponges inside it? The lower sponge is it above the red plate or below it?? Same with the top one, is it above or below the red plate.

In mine the sponge on the bottom is below the red plate, and the sponge on the top is above the red plate.

my bad, my sponge is above the lower red plate

[dwl]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11466216#post11466216 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bdare
Oh boy... look what I just found. This picture is becoming MUCH clearer...
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1260055

What in the world is this supposed to mean?

[five.five-six]

my gfo fell right through, I have the pump connected to the center tube so the water blows up, hence a fluidised bead

[Scythanith]

Mine is exactly what I expected for $50. Here is is running off of a fluval 4.

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k99/Scythanith/Tank%20Pics/IMG_7183.jpg

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k99/Scythanith/Tank%20Pics/IMG_7187.jpg

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k99/Scythanith/Tank%20Pics/IMG_7184.jpg

I don't argue the fact that it would leak from the 90 degree elbows if they were strained with a heavy pump & hose etc. That's why I made sure everything was positioned in a way that strain wasn't put on the connectors.

Sorry to hear you're so displeased with yours!

[killagoby]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11466494#post11466494 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dwl
What in the world is this supposed to mean?

Yep, that about explains it...

[Jeff]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11466970#post11466970 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by killagoby
Yep, that about explains it...

Unable to figure out how to make something work? Just post a thread claiming that the product is inferior and a POS lol.
The guy that posted the origional post does not seem to have luck with anything in this hobby except griping.
Dude, you need to ask for help instead of making so many false claims. Out of his three posts there were 2 other people that agreed with him, not "many".
Stop making yourself look bad by posting more false claims. The TLF reactor is not DIY like you keep saying. It came with instructions, use them or ask for help from people that have better luck with things. It is obvious that you put it together wrong.
If you read his previous posts http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=9115157 you will see a pattern of him being unable to make things work in this hobby. I really didnt see any questions or him asking for help, just blaming others for his misfortune.
Send me that reactor and anything else you cannot figure out. i will pay your shipping.
PM me for info dude.

[notenoughtanks]

I'll give you my thoughts, even though I thought it was way out of line to send that to reefgeek and posting an attempted tarnish TLF good name on the biggest reef forum in the world.

Do you have the ball valve before the reactor after the pump?

Check which way the water is going throught the reactor, we haven't gotten your response on that yet.

Either of these things will give you pressure issues causing problems. I bought mine used for $10 and it works great, no leaking issues once I figured those two things out.
It's a cheap(er) little piece of equipment and sometimes cheap stuff needs some help to work right, right? Look at your example of the seaclone. It's a cheapass skimmer that after ALOT of tuning can work o.k.

[Jeff]

Myself and "many" others in all of your threads seems to think that you are using it wrong. Dont you think that there is even a slight possiblility that we may be right? Dont you think that after dozens of people took the time to explain that the mesh is the correct size for Phosban and all of the other major brands of phosphate remover media that we may be right? Dont you think that out of the dozens of people in all of your threads took the time to explain that we havent had problems with the elbows that we may be right? Is it possible that the design of the reactor works for thousands of people and that the many problems you are having may be related to the way you are using it? Is it even possible that after so many people have taken the time to respond in a positive way and only a couple agree with you that you may be using the reactor incorrectly and that your problems are related to user error?
Getting on here, quoting posting after posting in your almost identical threads related to the same rantings concerning a perfectly fine piece of equipment as posted by dozens of seasoned reefers and taking quotes of other peoples posts and explaining yourself and continuosly claiming that the product is inferior and a DIY project is not a friendly way of asking for help, helping the community, or maiking yourself look good.
Sorry that was such a long sentance but come on, give up, try again with the reactor or sell it. Stop taking the suggestions and comments from myself and others if you are not going to use them. Dont bother getting back into your threads concerning the TLF reactor just to keep fighting and argueing if you refuse to even for a second consider the view of other mature reefers with the same piece of equipment as palpable.
have a great day, thats it for me.

[Craig Lambert]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11466053#post11466053 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by five.five-six
the bottom pas sits on the bottom perferated disk,

lots of people run GFO with GAC it works very well, no grinding issues

the 7.5 is a quarinteen tank for SPS, there is stuff coming in and out and I am keeping a sohol in there j/k

so all I need to do is get some zip ties, new pads and scrape the lable off and then I am ready to use it.... sounds like a DIY starter kit

Mixing gfo and gac makes no sense since carbon has to be changed out about 3x more often than gfo.

QT or not, I would never put a Sohal Tang in a 7.5G tank. JMO

[pjf]

Like others in this thread, I am wondering how your media can leak through the bottom sponge pad against an upward current and why your pump is pulling on the hose and elbow. Nevertheless, I’m not going to attempt to talk you into liking your reactor. I will say that for the price paid, you are not losing a lot by giving it away to someone willing to pay for postage and willing to make it work. After all, this is the holiday season.

If you are looking for a “bullet-proof” reactor, there is the MRC FMC-415. I run a 79-gph Eheim 1046 pump with it and no valve to adjust the flow is necessary. I believe that its elbow is strong enough to withstand the weight of the pump although I’ve never tried it. The gunpowder-fine ROX 0.8 GAC does not leak through the inch-thick sponge pad and the dense Warner Marine PHOSaR HC does not tumble into dust. Buy an extra pad if you want to separate the two media. You can PM me if you have problems with it.

If you are looking for “idiot-proof” units with integrated pumps, there are the external canister filters and the Schuran Multifilter 100. Randy Holmes-Farley runs a canister filter using GAC mixed with a small amount of GFO. He can certainly help with this solution in the Reef Chemistry forum if he still has the patience.

There are a lot of choices in this hobby and if one inexpensive solution does not work for you, give it away to charity, and move on to another solution.

[five.five-six]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11466785#post11466785 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Scythanith
Mine is exactly what I expected for $50. Here is is running off of a fluval 4.

Sorry to hear you're so displeased with yours!
nice setup! thanks for the photos.

well the thing is that it is just a jar with tubes in and out of it, it shouldn't be all that hard to build a good one cheep that you do not have to worrie about bending the tubes or the label poluting your tank

i will probably just fix it, I will post picks on what I do


<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11467666#post11467666 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Engine 7
If you read his previous posts http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/s...earchid=9115157 you will see a pattern of him being unable to make things work in this hobby.

Dont you think that there is even a slight possiblility that we may be right? Dont you think that after dozens of people took the time to explain that the mesh is the correct size for Phosban and all of the other major brands of phosphate remover media that we may be right? Dont you think that out of the dozens of people in all of your threads took the time to explain that we havent had problems with the elbows that we may be right? [/B]


Well maybe they are right but you can’t even figure out how to post a link

There are a lot of products I like a lot and I active promote them and include the caveats and deficiencies, the tom aqualift is a great little pump, I loved my ACII, and still love my ACIII and ACJr. Lunar simulator is outstanding. My knop reactor was great when I ran it, icecap halide ballasts made a nice improvement over the magnetic. My korelias are great, other than the pita lid on the Kent reactor it works wonderfully out of the box. My euroreef works great, my jbj chiller is outstanding. I have had some concerns with my salifert set but AWT confirms that it is reasonable accurate, I am disappointed with the 6055’s but roger agrees with all my complaints and I am very happy with the resolution, so much that I would say Tunze Rocks (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1265952&highlight=tunze+rocks) , I am displeased with the DC-8’s inability to manage loads under 10 watts, and have let curt know about it. He has several work-arounds and I came up with one that I make sure to mention to anyone considering a Neptune product

[King-Kong]

Man, if you think that way about the TLF reactor, you are gonna have a really really difficult time with this hobby..

The TLF reactor is one of the best buys in this entire hobby, lol.

[Macimage]

Scythanith-I am going to set my 150 up this weekend and would like to run it off the Fluval 4 in my sump that contains carbon. Do you have carbon in the fluval 4 and do you run the fluval wide open or throttle it back a bit?

Thanks!
Joyce

[t-bone2]

i like the kent

[five.five-six]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11474886#post11474886 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Macimage
Scythanith-I am going to set my 150 up this weekend and would like to run it off the Fluval 4 in my sump that contains carbon. Do you have carbon in the fluval 4 and do you run the fluval wide open or throttle it back a bit?

Thanks!
Joyce

if you are runing GFO, you need to have the surface of the GFO just dancing a bit, it is basicly compressed rust and with too much movement it will grind itself into rust dust, which won'thurt anything, you may just end up with orange powder all over your tank. it sort of worries me becaus 50gph is fairly slow for a 404,, i doubt is is slow enogh for anarobic activity so you should be fine

GAC can take a lot more flow

[Macimage]

556-Yes, I was going to set up the 150 with a spare minijet 404. However, I saw that Scythanith was running their 150 off their fluval 4 and thought that might work well. However, I see that the fluval 4 has an output of 260 gph, which would be too much.

I think I will just try hooking it up with the 404 tomorrow on one or two clicks.

Thanks!
Joyce

[five.five-six]

it comes with a ball valve for fine tunining which is nice, just be sure to hook it up between the pump and the reactor. the instructions say the reactor will leak if you restrict the output. I fixed mine and now I am happy with it. I will post pictures of what and how I did it when I get home from work tonight

I forgot, do you play SAS games?

[five.five-six]

phosban reactor build

I received a TLF phosban reactor for Christmas with which I was none to pleased. the first thing that was apparent to me was the elbows, did not fit and would be prone to leaking, this was confirmed within seconds of powering the pump. I decided to do a little experiment to see just how tight they fit as apparently there are many who think these things are just great. I connected the elbow to the reactor lid a and affixed a bucket to the elbow with a ziptie then proceeded to fill the bucket with sand to see just how many pounds of pressure were required for this to fail

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/6655/img0914zw2.jpg

I tried this with both elbows supplied with the reactor and coincidentally they both failed at 4 pounds 5 ounces which happens to be 3 ounces less than is required to pull the trigger on my kimber custom carry II

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/7733/img0916uv1.jpg

obviously this needed to be fixed, I tried zipties and they helped a lot, though to be effective they had to be pulled very tight which contorted the elbow, this combined with the fact that my sump is very crowded with my newly acquired ASM mini-G I decided to manufacture a pair of U tubes. the first step was to fill them with sand so they would not collapse when the radius was applied

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/2131/img0917uv0.jpg

Once the tubing was filled with sand and packed tightly I plugged each end with some crumpled paper and applied heat with my heat gun. if you do not have a heat gun, this step I do not know what heat or time to use, you would have to play with it. when using heat gun, I needed to be careful to keep the heat moving so as not to burn or excessively heat one area. once the tubing was "floppy soft"

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/1386/img0918ja3.jpg

I formed a radius, in this case I used a glass. the tubing needs to be held in place until it cools, It helps to "over radius" it as it tends to relax its radius about 10% after cooling. Spraying the tubing with water while on the former helps to speed up the cooling

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/6821/img0921bg1.jpg

Here is the finished tubes installed, I may add zipties, but they fit tight enough that they are no longer necessary

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/3448/img0922rv6.jpg


The next thing that was not ready for prime time was the pads or sponges. The holes in them were simply too corse, and with no manipulation, GFO would fall right through

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/8933/img0925hs3.jpg

After taking the picture, I was surprised to see that this much had fallen through, by simply picking the pad up

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/5638/img0929av1.jpg

Instead of waiting to order a new set of pads that may or may not be better, I decided to make my own. The foam I had available was moderately finer however I decided to cut the pads twice as thick. I used your every day snap n sharp razor to cut the foam off like slices of bread

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/7131/img0931nc5.jpg

I found that it was best to error on the side of too big as it is easy to go back and trim to fit with a set of scisors. I used the red disk as a template to cut the foam circle

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/1581/img0935ej5.jpg

to be continued

[five.five-six]

Phosban reactor build part dux

once that was done, I thought I may want to sue the reactor in sump, and since the label was made of paper, I did not want it polluting my tank, besides, we are getting to the point where it is not really fair to call it a a TLF phosban reactor any more, so I attempted to peal the sticker off but this was an exercise in futility as it had gotten wet for a few minutes and had already begun to deteriorate and just sort of fell apart as you tried to peal it leaving lot of glue residue

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/3081/img0936ye3.jpg

This was easily fixed with a little zap from the heat gun, again being careful not to apply too much heat to any one spot for too long a time, once heated, it came off like a debutant's bra on prom night

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/7909/img0938wb0.jpg

Another little deficiency that needed addressing was that the top plate and tube did not seal at all, it was actually so loose that you could spin it when resting on the bottom tube, this was fixed with 3 1/2 wraps of teflon tape

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/388/img0939op7.jpg

And here you can see my finished DIY reactor installed. Notice that the hose was trimmed to length so that the pump rests on the sump floor and the ball valve is on the input side as the original instructions state that the reactor will leak of the output is restricted

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/8805/img0943fa5.jpg

[Macimage]

556-Nice mod!

What do you mean:

"Another little deficiency that needed addressing was that the top plate and tube did not seal at all, it was actually so loose that you could spin it when resting on the bottom tube, this was fixed with 3 1/2 wraps of teflon tape."

Do you mean the little tube with the upper red plate should not spin?

I ended up hooking it up last night, but only with a few inches of media. I am going to add more today.

We shoot pretty much with CMSA only because our local club happens be be a CMSA club in Acton. They hold their events in Acton, 1 at Pierce College and 1 at Fort Tejon. We've been to SASS shoots in Winchester. It just depends on which club is putting it on and our schedule.

Joyce

[five.five-six]

thanks for the compliment

I would think that it should fit snug. it will probably work loose, I chose to fix it. on the GFO, remember to start slow. 1 gram/gallon max, if it is your first time running GFO, only run 1/3 that for the first week or so, as GFO pulls Po4 FAST and can seriously shock your corals if they have acclimated to elevated Po4 levels


I think you are right, you shoot what is local, the only thing I have found within an hour of my house is a semi-weekly tactical shoot

last week we had weak hand competition I put 22 in the x and 2 in the 9 ring, left handed.. I won a very nice in the waistband CC holster for my 1911

what you are doing on your avatar looks like a heck of a lot more fun

[killagoby]

Nice work, but I would have just spent the extra $$$ and time installing a Deltec model.

[spinninmidwater]

i'm sorry but from your pic, it seems that u've placed the ball valve on the output hose instead, as the centre hose is input while the outer hose is output. or am i reading your pic wrongly?

btw, sorry for your previous loss

[five.five-six]

thanks for the condolences, the picture is a bit deceiving, if you look closely you can see the bulges from the barbs on the center tube

[scotmc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11485241#post11485241 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by killagoby
Nice work, but I would have just spent the extra $$$ and time installing a Deltec model.


Your comparing a $30 to a $500 dollar nitrate filter. The LF 150 is one of the few things in this hobby, that is well worth the price. There are no mods needed and the thread is based on user error.

[DarG]

The OP has turned his inability to operate a simple device that needs no mods into a pseudo mod thread for a device, again, that needs no mods.

... and Im guilty of perpetuating this stupid thread by responding to it again.

[LooseHip]

I have never had any issues with mine...

[RicGio]

Jeez 5.56, I told you in your first thread that you had the valve in wrong. Did you even read it or the instructions?

[five.five-six]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11550630#post11550630 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RicGio
Jeez 5.56, I told you in your first thread that you had the valve in wrong. Did you even read it or the instructions?

it is better to keep your mouth shut and let people think your a fool than to open it and remove all doubt

look 4 posts before yours and you will read this

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11548546#post11548546 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by five.five-six
thanks for the condolences, the picture is a bit deceiving, if you look closely you can see the bulges from the barbs on the center tube

note to RicGio, read a thread before you post in it

[five.five-six]

looks like e7 is not man enough to stick up for himself :p ROFLMAO

[slant77]

I have 2 of them and they work perfect and for awhile. I did add clamps just to make sure they would not leak. For a 30 peace of equipment they are great.

[crossi92]

I just 2 of them from reefgeek and love them!

Why in the world would you bash reefgeek for this??? They are the best online retailer that I have ever dealt with!

[moprint]

I agree this has nothing to do with reefgeek. The OP couldn't figure out a simple reactor, so it had to be somebodies fault. FWIW mine works great.

[five.five-six]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11553108#post11553108 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by moprint
I agree this has nothing to do with reefgeek. The OP couldn't figure out a simple reactor, so it had to be somebodies fault. FWIW mine works great.

are you using yours in sump or out of sump?

[Jeff]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11552098#post11552098 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by five.five-six
looks like e7 is not man enough to stick up for himself :p ROFLMAO

Huh? What? I just got a PM from a mod friend laughing his butt off because 556 is still getting spanked after a couple weeks of this. This thread and its origional poster are pathetic. Why take this kind of abuse 556? Give up LOL. The reactor beat you.
i gave up a few days ago on this guy but it was fun checking in and seeing how the thread has gone. HAHAHAHAHA

[five.five-six]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11553309#post11553309 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Engine 7
Huh? What? I just got a PM from a mod friend laughing his butt off because 556 is still getting spanked after a couple weeks of this. This thread and its origional poster are pathetic. Why take this kind of abuse 556? Give up LOL. The reactor beat you.
i gave up a few days ago on this guy but it was fun checking in and seeing how the thread has gone. HAHAHAHAHA

well I guess that you and your friends are easily entertained... go figure

[crossi92]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11553237#post11553237 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by five.five-six
are you using yours in sump or out of sump?

I was able to figure out how to make it work outside the sump, without any leaks, but then again...I am a genius!:lol:

[moprint]

Outside the sump, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express a week ago maybe that has something to do with it. crossi92 is a programmer so no suprise he figured it out. Engine 7 tried to help you out, but you decided you didn't need any. $30 reactor 1, 5.56 0 if any anybody is keeping score.

[dbuesking]

You get what you pay for. Any $30.00 reactor is bound to be junk.That is why the good ones are twice as much.

[five.five-six]

great, in golf i am winning.. :p

um, did you take a moment to see what I did with it... did you see the part where the I tested the tension on the elbows and it took less pressure to pull the trigger on a 1911 than to pop the elbow off... no, don't boter yourself reading, just flame, pure ignorance...

[crossi92]

Look, you brought this on yourself. Your first post was completely ignorant and un-called for. People here are more than willing to listen to problems and offer advice, if it go about it nicely, now your post's are just a joke to everyone. I would be embarrased to share that email that you sent to Reefgeek, it was rude and disrespectful to a retailer that is also more than willing to help people in this hobby. Learn some people skills!

[five.five-six]

the only thing I am embarrased about is that I was naive enough to expect the same level of care from a online retailer that I receive from my LFS. on that count I was sorely mistaken, as has been pointed out to me time and again

several people have stated that they get these things for $30, if that is true I sure got ripped off as RG got almost $50 for it shipped

[moprint]

Ok I don't own a model 1911 Colt, so I have no idea what the trigger pull is didn't you say yours was modified. The elbows have not popped off of mine, maybe they will. The flaming thing, just stating the facts with a thread titled Two Little Fishes phostban 150, what a POS. One would think it would be like a bandwagon for everybody that had a problem with them. Right now you are in the minority. They are $31.49 from the drs right now.

[five.five-six]

oh, well I don't have a colt, the one I referenced was a kimber, I can tell you that my Springfield has 6# of pull which is also more, your bio says retired USMC, IIRC the M1911A2 was standard issue until it was replaced with the Beretta m9 in ~85, <bad decision> you never shot a 1911? a m14 is ~7# of pull and a m16 line is ~5# so you get the idea

[crossi92]

Did you really think they ship them for free???

And what on earth makes you think those little elbows should hold over 4 lbs. What freakin' pump are you trying to hang from that thing??? I know the pump I am using to run both (maxi-jet 606) is know where near that! Here's a thought...make the hose a little longer and rest the pump on the bottom of the sump. See, told ya I was a genius!

[Runfrumu]

I got mine for 32 bucks plus around 8 from shipping from Dr F&S. Ordered my GFO from twopart, and havent had any issue's with the reactor. Works great.

[five.five-six]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11554052#post11554052 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crossi92
Did you really think they ship them for free???

And what on earth makes you think those little elbows should hold over 4 lbs. What freakin' pump are you trying to hang from that thing??? I know the pump I am using to run both (maxi-jet 606) is know where near that! Here's a thought...make the hose a little longer and rest the pump on the bottom of the sump. See, told ya I was a genius!

well it has gone 4 pages but some where back there I mentioned I used a 404. the point is that 4# of pressure is not very much, did you look at the mod I did on it? which would you rather have, my mod would cost TLF basically nothing. you don't even have to bump it very hard to knock those elbows off. the most likely time to do that is when you are cleaning your skimmer or something where you already have your hands full and the last thing you need is a hose pumping 25gph in some odd direction. I think the elbow design sucks, I am glad you like it.. I do not

no I do not expect them to ship them for free but "what do you expect for $30" is a little disingenuous

[moprint]

5.56 I joined in 1990, so it was Berretta 9mm for me. I would like to have a hour with a Kimber. Now back on topic I have had no problems with my reactor. Shoot a PM if you wanna talk guns or service stories.

[crossi92]

I agree with some points but you went about this completely the wrong way, and nobody likes that. You won't get any help being like that, and nobody is going to take you seriously.

[five.five-six]

I am sorry about that, but go back and re read the OP, I was very disappointed and embarrassed that I had recommended this gift from my father <if that makes any sence>

I was not really asking for help, I think I did a pretty good job on it. that tube bending technique can be used in many applications and works well.

the thing is this, all I have heard about RG were glowing reviews, they have the best prices and inventory in town on the Neptune line which I love. all I ever heard were great things about TLF reactor. this was definitely not my experience. if you peruse back through the thread, you will find there are many who agree with me on the deficiencies of the TLC reactor, it is just that the flames stick out, I suspect there are many more out there that just did not want to be flamed, I don't really care all that much about flaming.. I can say that it does rub me the wrong way when someone flames me that obviously did not read the entire thread,

anyway, if anyone liked any of the mods I did and want's any help with them, I am always glad to help

[geo]

Thread closed.