Matrix (and siporax) questions, to keep from derailing Sahin's thread.....

[nemodan]

Originally Posted by spkennyva

I took what he said to mean that the approach using Siporax utilizes biology and not chemicals to achieve reduced nitrates.

Correct , thank you !!!

I was talking about Matrix or Siporax. They utilize biology and due to that we need to wait. Like when we are maturing a new tank.

Thanks again !!

[rovster]

Originally Posted by spkennyva

I took what he said to mean that the approach using Siporax utilizes biology and not chemicals to achieve reduced nitrates.

That's what he meant LOL!

[jroovers]

Originally Posted by Myka

For Canadians, I found the cheapest place for me was eBay seller wttomy1 from Austria. €6.90 for 1L Siporax, and about €20.00 for shipping. Works out to about $40 Canadian. I ordered 2L - one to try myself, and one to try on a client's tank.

Thanks for posting this Myka, I think I'm going to order some for myself from this seller

[Giovanni]

Anyone see the api bio-chem stars? They are solid and very light.

[fessoclown]

Does anyone know if there is any place to order Siporax in Canada? I can't even seem to find any in North America at a decent price for that matter.

[jroovers]

Originally Posted by fessoclown

Does anyone know if there is any place to order Siporax in Canada? I can't even seem to find any in North America at a decent price for that matter.

Look two posts up from yours I just ordered through this seller, mine should be in first week of November.

[fessoclown]

DOH!

I have been subscribed to this thread since it split of from Sahin's where I lurk. I have been meaning to post that question for a week now, I just woke up and posted it without actually catching up on the posts that I missed since my last visit... can you say "dummy"

Thanks

[jroovers]

Originally Posted by fessoclown

DOH!

I have been subscribed to this thread since it split of from Sahin's where I lurk. I have been meaning to post that question for a week now, I just woke up and posted it without actually catching up on the posts that I missed since my last visit... can you say "dummy"

Thanks

NP, you must be on "island" time

[Giovanni]

Originally Posted by jroovers

Thanks for posting this Myka, I think I'm going to order some for myself from this seller

Just ordered 20L from that guy. Cost me $203 shipped. Hope he is legit!

[jroovers]

Originally Posted by Giovanni

Just ordered 20L from that guy. Cost me $203 shipped. Hope he is legit!

LOL, you and me both, but you've got more at stake... 20L, I'm assuming you are going to spread that out across several reefers, as opposed to using it yourself?

[Giovanni]

Originally Posted by jroovers

I'm assuming you are going to spread that out across several reefers, as opposed to using it yourself?

No one seemed interested in splitting a 50L box so I ordered 20L for myself.

[fishguy597]

Silly question but this is just a more compact version of lr correct? You are just colonizing the bacteria in this media correct? Couldn't you just seed the media with lr rubble to help speed up the process?

[Mael]

yes, seeding it with rubble or like Im doing and dosing bacteria to help speed up should both work. One of the 2 litres I put in my reactor had been in the sump for a cpl months already, and Im dosing Seed from aquavitro to try and cut the 2months down to one or less for it to reach the right bacteria levels.

[Nanook]

Geo is building me a 12"x24" reactor for running Matrix, any tips on how many gph to run through the reactor? Total gallon age is 1100.

[DiscusHeckel]

I built my siporax box two weeks ago and filled it with approximately 7.5 litres of 15-mm siporax media. As I mentioned before, depending on the need I might build one or two smaller media boxes and spread them in my sump in the future.

Before putting the hoops in the box, I soaked them in RODI first for 24 hours. Since the media is 15-mm it requires a great deal of patience to stack them up. I filled the media box in two stages. In the first stage I filled it with 3 litres of media as I underestimated how much I needed for the box I made. I used the partially filled box for about a week before filling it with another 4.5 litres of siporax. The media box sits on top of a 25 mm-high plastic stand to ensure that detritus will not accumulate directly under the media. I am pleased with the overall result.

[rovster]

Out of curiosity, why stack them that way? Why not just dump them in the box? Is it for maximum amount of media? So detritus can "fall through"? Again just curious.

[rodneyri]

You have patience! I started to stack mine then just dumped them in two boxes. Would have taken hours to stack. Been running for about 4 weeks this way so far so good

[M007]

Originally Posted by rodneyri

You have patience! I started to stack mine then just dumped them in two boxes. Would have taken hours to stack. Been running for about 4 weeks this way so far so good

Yup, that was my approach too

[DiscusHeckel]

Originally Posted by rovster

Out of curiosity, why stack them that way? Why not just dump them in the box? Is it for maximum amount of media? So detritus can "fall through"? Again just curious.

The main reason was to create uniform channels through which detritus will find its way to the bottom. This will also allow me, if necessary, "rinse" the media while the media box is still in my sump by pouring tank water over hoops very gently without stirring accumulated detritus at the bottom. Alternatively, rinsing the media when the media box is outside the sump will be straightforward in that all I need to do is to dip the entire box into a bowl of old tank water several times. Moreover, a nice side effect of this arrangement is that the uniformity ensures the most efficient way of utilising space. I could not have possibly fit 7.5 litres of siporax into a 9" X 9" X 9" box as the media looked too bulky when they were randomly placed in a plastic bag.

Originally Posted by rodneyri

You have patience! I started to stack mine then just dumped them in two boxes. Would have taken hours to stack. Been running for about 4 weeks this way so far so good

Thank you. I can be patient when I have to be. Actually, the key is that if the surface area is exactly spot on, so that when you place the hoops at the outer edges first without any spaces between them, then they support each other when they are placed by creating opposing forces to each other. You can then lay the next inner ring and so on before moving on to the higher levels. Once you lay the first layer and time it, then you can work out exactly how long it will take to complete the whole thing without a break. In my case, I had to complete the process in two stages as doing it at once would have tested the limits of my patience.

Someone on a different forum commented that I must have been a good Jenga player. My reply was that I was better than him.

[westreef]

I have 1 liter of Siporax and 3/4 liter of Matrix in the sump. They are in bags. Siporax are not stacked.
Every 2 weeks they are rinsed with tank water. Not much dirt collected by Siporax, however, Matrix traps quit a lot of junks.

[tripdad]

I have approx. 1 litre of siporax in a flow thru reactor with what I consider moderate flow. 3 weeks after cycle began and tank( 65 gal) has had all corals and 5 fish transferred, Nitrates dropped from 15 before transfer to undetectable with Red Sea Pro kit by end of week 4. PO4 is at .08. I did not stack them, just dumped them in, no sponges in reactor, fed from "clean" return pump area. I have about 20 lbs. of live rock in system total, maybe 25. I am trying to dial up Nitrates a little thru feeding and flow rate. So far very impressed but it's early.

[nemodan]

Originally Posted by tripdad

I have approx. 1 litre of siporax in a flow thru reactor with what I consider moderate flow. 3 weeks after cycle began and tank( 65 gal) has had all corals and 5 fish transferred, Nitrates dropped from 15 before transfer to undetectable with Red Sea Pro kit by end of week 4. PO4 is at .08. I did not stack them, just dumped them in, no sponges in reactor, fed from "clean" return pump area. I have about 20 lbs. of live rock in system total, maybe 25. I am trying to dial up Nitrates a little thru feeding and flow rate. So far very impressed but it's early.

There is nothing better than biology !!!!

A good refugium for macros (if you have the space) and these "artificial highly porous rocks" for bacteria growth is all what we need.

Cheers to your good results !!

[Realposition]

Is anyone who is running siporax or matrix in a reactor having issues with detritus build up? I have mine drawing after a filter sock but I still get a decent amount of build up in the reactor.

[tripdad]

I have none so far. My returns go directly into socks, then skimmer compartment, then over a baffle to pump section and into reactor. It has all been running for about four weeks now and still clean. I had thought about dropping the feed pump into a large square sock if necc. as a filter, so far haven't needed it.

[biggles]

I have 6 liters of matrix in the sump and will probably add at least 4 litres more. Close to 600L of actual water in the system and a whole lot of acros.