has anyone mixed carbon and gfo in the two little fishies reactor?

[johnfallon135]

mind understandoing is that it needs a reactor like brs where the foam on top keeps them in place but can this somehow be done with a two little fishies reactor?

[Potatohead]

I do it, but you need to modify the reactor a bit.

Leave the bottom red bubble plate alone, but you will need to modify the other one so that it can slide on the tube all the way up and down. I hogged out the center part a little bit with a round file so that it would fit over the tube. You can then connect the tube with the outlet with a small piece of vinyl clear tube.

Now, you can arrange your GFO and carbon one of two ways;

1) Mix them before putting into reactor, about 2/3 carbon to 1/3 GFO. Do not tumble anything, just pinch it all between the bubble plates/foam. The carbon seperates the GFO and doesn't allow it to clump.

2) Put carbon on bottom, pinch with bubble plates. Put GFO on top of upper bubble plate, and set flow so the GFO lightly tumbles. I do it this way and also put a small sponge at the very top of the reactor to catch any GFO sediment.

[johnfallon135]

what if i just don't modify it and just mix them and just turn the power down so it doesn't tumble?

[johnfallon135]

also wouldn't you rather the gfo on the bottom since it needs more power to tumble and carbon on top since the flow will decrease?

[Potatohead]

what if i just don't modify it and just mix them and just turn the power down so it doesn't tumble?

your flow rate would be extremely slow. Only other thing you could do is just fill the rest of the reactor with foam.

[johnfallon135]

oh i guess since the gfo is on top the weight prevents the carbon from tumbling?

[Potatohead]

also wouldn't you rather the gfo on the bottom since it needs more power to tumble and carbon on top since the flow will decrease?

Flow is the same throughout the entire reactor regardless of what is in it. What goes in must come out.

[Potatohead]

oh i guess since the gfo is on top the weight prevents the carbon from tumbling?

No

The modified bubble plate is what prevents the carbon from moving. The GFO goes on top of the upper plate on top of the carbon.

[johnfallon135]

oh but i have a 30 gallon so isn't half a reactor of carbon too much?

[johnfallon135]

nvm you can adjust the height lol thanks! :)

[Potatohead]

I would do about 1/4 the reactor in carbon and about 1/8 of GFO. That should last around 4 - 5 weeks.

[johnfallon135]

i have .15 phophates following your recommendation how many days will it take to bring it down to .03?

[johnfallon135]

also the bottom half of my gfo won't tumble unless i turn it up. should i turn up the speed or it doesn't matter if the bottom half isn't tumbling? scared to turn up the speed cause i know too much tumbling is bad too

[Potatohead]

also the bottom half of my gfo won't tumble unless i turn it up. should i turn up the speed or it doesn't matter if the bottom half isn't tumbling? scared to turn up the speed cause i know too much tumbling is bad too

You just want the top moving like lightly boiling water

[Buzz1329]

No

The modified bubble plate is what prevents the carbon from moving. The GFO goes on top of the upper plate on top of the carbon.

I don't understand. Can you explain?

Thanks,

Mike