UNCLEFROSBY's DIY zeo vit reactor PICS

unclefrosby · 02/14/2007, 02:46 AM

so I have been designing my new tank for the past 6 to 8 months and the other day I was looking at my H&S calcium reactor and was admiring the craftsmanship. Then I glanced over at my captive oceans zeo reactor and the wheels started turning. So I woke up this morning with some kind of plan but no real drawings. When I got off work at 4 i started getting it all together... trip to TAP plastics, OSH, a local irrigation supply center and 7 11 for some energy drinks and tobacco. So in 2 and a half hours this is what I accomplished.

First off my new tank is only 62 gal so the standard zeo reactors are way to big for my tank, having a capacity of about 5 liters of media where I only need a half a liter. So the only other answer is custom make one just like everything else in my tank.

here is the reactor.

all the supplies

Drilling the hole for the bulkhead on the inner catch tray

Making the holes for water flow

after the holes were drilled I then pilot bored them

finished

After assembling the tube i needed to put in the union for it to work i need to drill a hole in the top of the reactor body then glue the bottom end of the union in place.

hole is drilled

now it fits

glued into place

I then dremeled the inside of the 2" to 3/4" reducer so the plunge rod could slide easily

cont....

unclefrosby · 02/14/2007, 02:57 AM

i posted to pics of the union here is it glued in place

unclefrosby · 02/14/2007, 08:25 AM

cont. from the top

so now the reducer slides easily over the plunger

painting the white pvc fittings red for a custom look

Drilling out the hole for the 12" bulkhead for the overflow

the plunger goes in then the union is glued in AFTER the bulkhead is installed

then the top of the union goes on

the now red reducer is glued into the union and the T is slipped on not glued so it can be removed for media changing

testing the plunger... looks good

0.5 liters of zeolith cleaned and added, reactor is leak tested

IT PASSED!!! final view

now in its new home with the Euro Reef and the H&S the tank is not running yet I still have a lot of work to do build sump etc etc etc

So thats it what do yall think?????

masharp1126 · 02/14/2007, 09:13 AM

Very nice, well done. I'll have to make one of these down the road for my new tank on a larger scale.

cyslyde · 02/15/2007, 02:12 AM

looks great, but just one question, whats the difference of zeo and just rock rouble?

unclefrosby · 02/15/2007, 02:49 PM

ZEOVIT is the name of the product line. Its actually a zeolith rock. What it does is provide a low nutrient enviroment for your corals using the basic 4 supplements then when you plunge the media everyday it provides a bacteria for the coral to then use to feed, if Im correct. You have to use a certain water flow and a certain ammount of media for the system to work properly. 1 litre of media and 100gph max per litre of media. Check out www.captiveoceans.com and look at the zeo products. What it finally does is "retard" zooxanthelea algea that makes your corals brown so that the only left pigment in your coral is the colorful ones and your corals are basically starving so you always have polyp extention. The system has to be dialed in corectly or the corals will literatly be staved and unltimatly die. Because its so precise I made my reactor custom for my application. It is very hard to run them on smaller tanks though.

MAKE IT CUSTOM!!!!!

Tim Marshall

unclefrosby · 02/15/2007, 04:36 PM

here are the final pictures after one more coat of paint.

unclefrosby · 02/15/2007, 04:42 PM

My design and build VS the competitor-

theirs
overflows into the sump and makes noise
Mine
is silent and can be ran internal and external
theirs
uses a pump
mine
gravity fed, do you really need another 65 watts on your tank???
theirs
8x8 footprint
mine 4x4

YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED!!!

Tim Marshall

TandN · 02/15/2007, 05:25 PM

well make sure that yours has the proper flow too much flow could kill your sps FYI

PUGroyale · 02/15/2007, 05:35 PM

hows the water flow thru it? Looks like just one inlet/outlet...

unclefrosby · 02/15/2007, 11:06 PM

thanks tanya I'm well aware of the flow ratings and proper media capacity for the size of my aquarium, i have talked to scott of captive oceans many times because we carry their product, we being Atlantisaquarium.net... I built their new store and manage their tanks, and no we do NOT use Zeo on our tanks.

And Dave=
I was wondering when someone would notice that... I am gravidty feeding the reactor from my overflow. The bottom of the reactor (below the preforated plunger bottom) I am boring a hole for a piece of 3/4 inch sch 80 to be fused into place similar to how the captive oceans reactor pumps the water directly into the bottom. I am cusom making a sump and I'm making a half cirle hole next to the micron bag hole that the bottom of the sch 80 union will rest on. Then the sch 80 3/4 that feeds the reactor will be on a union and a ball valve so I can shut off the flow and unhook it to clean and refill the media.

thanks for the comments

chevegan · 02/16/2007, 01:56 AM

HEY we have the same tooth brushes! Costco pack of 8 right?

ricanboy57 · 02/16/2007, 02:13 AM

haha, such a great DIY and your only comment is about the tooth brushes!But to add to this, i have the same ones and i got them at Walmart, as a 2 pack. The ones with the tounge brusher on the back. Now back to the thread.

Have you notice a big color change from useing and not useing the Zeovit? I don't understand the processe completely but it sounds dangerous, always being on the brink of destruction. Especialy when it's something manual like plunging. I'm guessing you find it worth it.

unclefrosby · 02/16/2007, 02:24 AM

actually I built this 2 days ago and still have a lot of work still to do on the tank. Check out my canopy thread on the DIY. Its a video. Still waiting for the red dragon and the geo chiller, custom build my sump get my wavy sea, reefkeeper, run the plumbing etc etc.... long way to go. However my clients have used this system and absolutly love it. Eric from www.**********.com got me to use it he says he loves it and is no where as hard as everyone makes it out to be. Ill make a post about the progression of the tank and the functioning once its complete. Hopefully I can be in the running for tank of the month.

Tim

unclefrosby · 02/16/2007, 02:24 AM

oh and it was Safeway 2 pack on the brushes FYI. HAHA

ricanboy57 · 02/16/2007, 03:08 AM

So I'm very interested and I started reading up on this tech. From what i have read, the main "nutrients" that it depletes are Nitrate and Phosphate, thus "starving" the brown zooxanthelea. I still haven't figured out the whole reason for the polyp extension, but I'm thinking it has to do with the food supliment. If anyone else is interested i found this guide (which i haven't finished yet) to understand the system completely.

http://www.korallen-zucht.de/fileadm...ng_English.pdf

The only drawbacks i see with this system is 1. over doing it and 2. you can't use a Refugium, ozone, phosphate reactor, or UV because it adds to the Zeolite reactor, and could cause the "over doing it".

ricanboy57 · 02/16/2007, 03:09 AM

I'm curious is anyone has before and after pics with this method. It sounds really new, so maybe in the future.

Found this too. Highly helpful in understanding the system. http://podcast.talkingreef.com/audio...ro-TR-Ep51.mp3

woz9683 · 02/16/2007, 02:18 PM

Look here for the possible effects of ZEO, along with many other things.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=927405

hawaiianwargod · 02/17/2007, 12:56 AM

unclefrosby
awesome project!!! Good Job! Are you planning to sell some of those Zeo reactor if anyone wants to buy some?

peterink · 02/17/2007, 03:06 AM

It was fun reading your thread, and suddenly someone noticed your toothbrush.

That broke the rhythm a bit....

I see you're good at CNC works, acrylic is preschool for you...

cheers

unclefrosby · 02/17/2007, 12:25 PM

ya im the machine forman for Custom Craft Cabinets. I run all the operations for panel saw optimization and all overhead router ops. I have done very little acrylic work in the past build my own calc reactor my tank sump all that. This project was all thrown together in 40 minutes because I had to go to dinner with my girlfriend and her parents. So I have seen a few things that could be better on the reactor I will probably design a new one on my cad/cam software and possibly put it into production with aquarium specialty, I have an over the phone meeting with him today. Its just very hard to take a 21 year old seriously so I have that set back to work with. You guys should also check out my hydrolic open top canopy video I have on the DIY forum here. I thought it was a cool project. Thanks for all the replys

Happy reefing

Tim Marshall

ricanboy57 · 02/17/2007, 02:30 PM

a hydrolic canopy opener?? You need to post a link to that. sounds awsome.

TandN · 02/17/2007, 02:52 PM

I have one on my tank never ever used it because I dont need it

waste of ALOT of money gonna sell it

miatawnt2b · 02/17/2007, 06:45 PM

Hummmm... but I didn't see exactly where you used the tobacco...

Great Job!

-J

unclefrosby · 02/17/2007, 11:47 PM

Well I did say project was completed in about 40 min. nicotine and caffeine would have not made this possible. CHECK OUT MY CANNOPY!!!! ON THIS FORUM

02/14/2007, 02:46 AM	#1
unclefrosby Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: dublin, CA Posts: 98	UNCLEFROSBY's DIY zeo vit reactor PICS so I have been designing my new tank for the past 6 to 8 months and the other day I was looking at my H&S calcium reactor and was admiring the craftsmanship. Then I glanced over at my captive oceans zeo reactor and the wheels started turning. So I woke up this morning with some kind of plan but no real drawings. When I got off work at 4 i started getting it all together... trip to TAP plastics, OSH, a local irrigation supply center and 7 11 for some energy drinks and tobacco. So in 2 and a half hours this is what I accomplished. First off my new tank is only 62 gal so the standard zeo reactors are way to big for my tank, having a capacity of about 5 liters of media where I only need a half a liter. So the only other answer is custom make one just like everything else in my tank. here is the reactor. all the supplies Drilling the hole for the bulkhead on the inner catch tray Making the holes for water flow after the holes were drilled I then pilot bored them finished After assembling the tube i needed to put in the union for it to work i need to drill a hole in the top of the reactor body then glue the bottom end of the union in place. hole is drilled now it fits glued into place I then dremeled the inside of the 2" to 3/4" reducer so the plunge rod could slide easily cont....

02/14/2007, 09:13 AM	#4
masharp1126 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 184	Very nice, well done. I'll have to make one of these down the road for my new tank on a larger scale. __________________ Mark Marineland 300dd in the works. 10'x15' fishroom, 3 400W MH's w/ Lumenarc III's, PFO 400w HQI ballasts, Reef Octopus Dual Chamber CARx, SRO 5000INT Skimmer, RKE

02/15/2007, 02:12 AM	#5
cyslyde Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 65	looks great, but just one question, whats the difference of zeo and just rock rouble? __________________ I fear those without the power to chase their dreams, as they usually discourage others from dreaming. Current Tank Info: 65g reef in progress

02/15/2007, 05:35 PM	#10
PUGroyale Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 2,711	hows the water flow thru it? Looks like just one inlet/outlet... __________________ Dave :~)

02/16/2007, 01:56 AM	#12
chevegan Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Colorado springs, co Posts: 1,614	HEY we have the same tooth brushes! Costco pack of 8 right? __________________ Everything is copasetic. Reefing on a budget Current Tank Info: Do it right the first time, save up, spend where it counts OR end up another craigslist ad of money lost.--------Why is this hobby so damn expensive??!-------

02/14/2007, 02:57 AM	#2
unclefrosby Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: dublin, CA Posts: 98	i posted to pics of the union here is it glued in place

02/14/2007, 08:25 AM	#3
unclefrosby Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: dublin, CA Posts: 98	cont. from the top so now the reducer slides easily over the plunger painting the white pvc fittings red for a custom look Drilling out the hole for the 12" bulkhead for the overflow the plunger goes in then the union is glued in AFTER the bulkhead is installed then the top of the union goes on the now red reducer is glued into the union and the T is slipped on not glued so it can be removed for media changing testing the plunger... looks good 0.5 liters of zeolith cleaned and added, reactor is leak tested IT PASSED!!! final view now in its new home with the Euro Reef and the H&S the tank is not running yet I still have a lot of work to do build sump etc etc etc So thats it what do yall think?????

02/15/2007, 02:49 PM	#6
unclefrosby Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: dublin, CA Posts: 98	ZEOVIT is the name of the product line. Its actually a zeolith rock. What it does is provide a low nutrient enviroment for your corals using the basic 4 supplements then when you plunge the media everyday it provides a bacteria for the coral to then use to feed, if Im correct. You have to use a certain water flow and a certain ammount of media for the system to work properly. 1 litre of media and 100gph max per litre of media. Check out www.captiveoceans.com and look at the zeo products. What it finally does is "retard" zooxanthelea algea that makes your corals brown so that the only left pigment in your coral is the colorful ones and your corals are basically starving so you always have polyp extention. The system has to be dialed in corectly or the corals will literatly be staved and unltimatly die. Because its so precise I made my reactor custom for my application. It is very hard to run them on smaller tanks though. MAKE IT CUSTOM!!!!! Tim Marshall

02/15/2007, 04:36 PM	#7
unclefrosby Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: dublin, CA Posts: 98	here are the final pictures after one more coat of paint.

02/15/2007, 04:42 PM	#8
unclefrosby Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: dublin, CA Posts: 98	My design and build VS the competitor- theirs overflows into the sump and makes noise Mine is silent and can be ran internal and external theirs uses a pump mine gravity fed, do you really need another 65 watts on your tank??? theirs 8x8 footprint mine 4x4 YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED!!! Tim Marshall

02/15/2007, 05:25 PM	#9
TandN Registered Member. Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: NYC Posts: 2,009	well make sure that yours has the proper flow too much flow could kill your sps FYI

02/15/2007, 11:06 PM	#11
unclefrosby Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: dublin, CA Posts: 98	thanks tanya I'm well aware of the flow ratings and proper media capacity for the size of my aquarium, i have talked to scott of captive oceans many times because we carry their product, we being Atlantisaquarium.net... I built their new store and manage their tanks, and no we do NOT use Zeo on our tanks. And Dave= I was wondering when someone would notice that... I am gravidty feeding the reactor from my overflow. The bottom of the reactor (below the preforated plunger bottom) I am boring a hole for a piece of 3/4 inch sch 80 to be fused into place similar to how the captive oceans reactor pumps the water directly into the bottom. I am cusom making a sump and I'm making a half cirle hole next to the micron bag hole that the bottom of the sch 80 union will rest on. Then the sch 80 3/4 that feeds the reactor will be on a union and a ball valve so I can shut off the flow and unhook it to clean and refill the media. thanks for the comments

02/16/2007, 02:13 AM	#13
ricanboy57 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: UCF. Orlando Posts: 404	haha, such a great DIY and your only comment is about the tooth brushes!But to add to this, i have the same ones and i got them at Walmart, as a 2 pack. The ones with the tounge brusher on the back. Now back to the thread. Have you notice a big color change from useing and not useing the Zeovit? I don't understand the processe completely but it sounds dangerous, always being on the brink of destruction. Especialy when it's something manual like plunging. I'm guessing you find it worth it. __________________ I was the classic newb. I went out and bought the smallest tank and a fish at the same time. Now I'm kicking myself wondering how could I have been so stupid. But I'm hooked now.

02/16/2007, 02:24 AM	#14
unclefrosby Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: dublin, CA Posts: 98	actually I built this 2 days ago and still have a lot of work still to do on the tank. Check out my canopy thread on the DIY. Its a video. Still waiting for the red dragon and the geo chiller, custom build my sump get my wavy sea, reefkeeper, run the plumbing etc etc.... long way to go. However my clients have used this system and absolutly love it. Eric from www.**********.com got me to use it he says he loves it and is no where as hard as everyone makes it out to be. Ill make a post about the progression of the tank and the functioning once its complete. Hopefully I can be in the running for tank of the month. Tim

02/16/2007, 03:08 AM	#16
ricanboy57 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: UCF. Orlando Posts: 404	So I'm very interested and I started reading up on this tech. From what i have read, the main "nutrients" that it depletes are Nitrate and Phosphate, thus "starving" the brown zooxanthelea. I still haven't figured out the whole reason for the polyp extension, but I'm thinking it has to do with the food supliment. If anyone else is interested i found this guide (which i haven't finished yet) to understand the system completely. http://www.korallen-zucht.de/fileadm...ng_English.pdf The only drawbacks i see with this system is 1. over doing it and 2. you can't use a Refugium, ozone, phosphate reactor, or UV because it adds to the Zeolite reactor, and could cause the "over doing it". __________________ I was the classic newb. I went out and bought the smallest tank and a fish at the same time. Now I'm kicking myself wondering how could I have been so stupid. But I'm hooked now.

02/16/2007, 03:09 AM	#17
ricanboy57 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: UCF. Orlando Posts: 404	I'm curious is anyone has before and after pics with this method. It sounds really new, so maybe in the future. Found this too. Highly helpful in understanding the system. http://podcast.talkingreef.com/audio...ro-TR-Ep51.mp3 __________________ I was the classic newb. I went out and bought the smallest tank and a fish at the same time. Now I'm kicking myself wondering how could I have been so stupid. But I'm hooked now. Last edited by ricanboy57; 02/16/2007 at 03:15 AM.

02/16/2007, 02:18 PM	#18
woz9683 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Jackson, MS Posts: 1,029	Look here for the possible effects of ZEO, along with many other things. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=927405 __________________ Michael Current Tank Info: 195G (125G Display, 70G Sump)

02/17/2007, 12:56 AM	#19
hawaiianwargod Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: 11 54' N, 121 55' E Posts: 1,836	unclefrosby awesome project!!! Good Job! Are you planning to sell some of those Zeo reactor if anyone wants to buy some? __________________ "To be a successful reefer, one must master the art of mimicry" ~Hawaiianwargod~ [E] levated [L] evel [O] f [S] weetness Current Tank Info: 210+ - "G" Elos 160XL [~]

02/17/2007, 03:06 AM	#20
peterink Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Msia Posts: 94	It was fun reading your thread, and suddenly someone noticed your toothbrush. That broke the rhythm a bit.... I see you're good at CNC works, acrylic is preschool for you... cheers __________________ newbie to marine reef tank: Readings as of Oct20: 1.023 Salinity 0.0 NH4 <0.3mg/L NO2 50mg/l NO3 8.2 PH 5.0 KH 500+ Ca 78.8-80F Daily Temp Current Tank Info: 5'x2'x2' - 150G w 130lbs coral sand, 145lbs Pacific LR, 48G refugium w macroalgae

02/17/2007, 12:25 PM	#21
unclefrosby Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: dublin, CA Posts: 98	ya im the machine forman for Custom Craft Cabinets. I run all the operations for panel saw optimization and all overhead router ops. I have done very little acrylic work in the past build my own calc reactor my tank sump all that. This project was all thrown together in 40 minutes because I had to go to dinner with my girlfriend and her parents. So I have seen a few things that could be better on the reactor I will probably design a new one on my cad/cam software and possibly put it into production with aquarium specialty, I have an over the phone meeting with him today. Its just very hard to take a 21 year old seriously so I have that set back to work with. You guys should also check out my hydrolic open top canopy video I have on the DIY forum here. I thought it was a cool project. Thanks for all the replys Happy reefing Tim Marshall

02/17/2007, 02:30 PM	#22
ricanboy57 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: UCF. Orlando Posts: 404	a hydrolic canopy opener?? You need to post a link to that. sounds awsome. __________________ I was the classic newb. I went out and bought the smallest tank and a fish at the same time. Now I'm kicking myself wondering how could I have been so stupid. But I'm hooked now.

02/17/2007, 02:52 PM	#23
TandN Registered Member. Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: NYC Posts: 2,009	I have one on my tank never ever used it because I dont need it waste of ALOT of money gonna sell it

02/17/2007, 06:45 PM	#24
miatawnt2b Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 1,467	Hummmm... but I didn't see exactly where you used the tobacco... Great Job! -J

02/17/2007, 11:47 PM	#25
unclefrosby Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: dublin, CA Posts: 98	Well I did say project was completed in about 40 min. nicotine and caffeine would have not made this possible. CHECK OUT MY CANNOPY!!!! ON THIS FORUM