is FR a Necessity for a tank

[andyboss]

hi ppl,

currently i have a 3 x 2.5 x 2ft tank with skimmer in sump, running for a mth already, juz wondering is FR a necessity for a tank?

can someone educate me what's FR for?

what does the media inside the FR for?

[thomas_lim]

Whether you need a FR which is short for Fluidized Reactor or not is up to individual preference.

Many years ago when there is no FR, reefers using filter bags for their media like carbon, phosphate removal, etc and place them thru in an area of the sump which allow water to flow thru them. But the media contact with the water is usually compromise depending on how you place the filter bag.

With a FR, it allows maximum contact of the filter media with the water, maximizing the media usage and effectiveness of the control reducing wastage.

Personally, I feel a FR do a better job then the filter bags with the same amount of filter media used.

Just my 2cts.

[angelfishlover]

FR is needed to put phosphate remover because it will not allow iunsightly algae growth and allow corals to grow.So is quite an important equipment to invest

[andyboss]

thnx thomas and angelfish lover for letting me see the light,

if thts the case, since i have a sump, i can actaully place the media into my very 1st compartment, where the water rush dwn from the tank, so can i say it allows maximum contact of the filter media with the water?

and what media do u all use normally?

[angelfishlover]

thnx thomas and angelfish lover for letting me see the light,

if thts the case, since i have a sump, i can actaully place the media into my very 1st compartment, where the water rush dwn from the tank, so can i say it allows maximum contact of the filter media with the water?

and what media do u all use normally?

Uhh what thomas meant in maximum contact means that the media inside the bag isn't running so it only has a portion of it being hit by the water.Maximum contact is when all of the media is in the water without any blockages.But usually people put carbon in bags.The phosphate remover in an FR.

I am currently using SORB-4 Phosphate remover in my FR.

[andyboss]

Uhh what thomas meant in maximum contact means that the media inside the bag isn't running so it only has a portion of it being hit by the water.Maximum contact is when all of the media is in the water without any blockages.But usually people put carbon in bags.The phosphate remover in an FR.

I am currently using SORB-4 Phosphate remover in my FR.

so can SORB-4 Phosphate be place into filter bags too?

n how does FR really maximize the contact of water on the media?

n lets say for the model Skimz:Sidea FR120 how much SORB-4 Phosphate is required to fill up the FR? 1kg ?

[angelfishlover]

so can SORB-4 Phosphate be place into filter bags too?

n how does FR really maximize the contact of water on the media?

n lets say for the model Skimz:Sidea FR120 how much SORB-4 Phosphate is required to fill up the FR? 1kg ?

The media inside will be jumping up and down and the media will be kept turning over not like in filter bags the media will not be turned over thus it is not so contact in the water.

About how much that one depends on your tank.since your tank total capacity with sump would be around 400 litres iw ould say get the big one.Cause if it is double the capacity it will be able to absorb more.Since mine is without a sumpo i use the small box but i pour everything into the FR.Still finiding a 300-600l/h pump to replace my spoilt FR pump.

[thomas_lim]

thnx thomas and angelfish lover for letting me see the light,

if thts the case, since i have a sump, i can actaully place the media into my very 1st compartment, where the water rush dwn from the tank, so can i say it allows maximum contact of the filter media with the water?

and what media do u all use normally?

You need to be careful when putting it in mesh bag, some media like rowaphos or sorb4 will disintegrate when too much water flow goes thru it due to water pressure. Usually you need to put them in between wool to cushion the pressure. There is instruction in each media container which had this info. Go read before use.

Generally, carbon are ok. If you don't intend to use FR, you can buy carbon like AquaMedic Carbolit which has the bigger pellet like size which can withstand high flow.

[speakerphone]

Is mixing carbon in the fr advisable?

[andyboss]

thnx speakerphone thts wad i wanted to ask too.

in fact those phosphate removal media used by FR, are they actually carbon?

[Solo77]

better not because cause both medias have different effective lifespan....the shorter one will cause you to replace both....

[thomas_lim]

Carbon help to remove odour and polish the water. It help to remove the yellowish colouration you had in the water.

While phosphate removal remove PO4 and silicate which prevent the growth nuisance algae.

Go search the web and read more about them. You will find out there are more media out there beside these 2 types which is used in the mechanical filters.

below is 2 links which give a short description of carbon and phos removal from AquaMedic site. I not promoting the product ok, just sharing info.

http://www.aqua-medic.de/freshwater/en/19/carbolit1/

http://www.aqua-medic.de/freshwater/en/19/antiphos%20Fe/