Replacing filter foam with Marine Pure Blocks in Canister Filter

[Harry H]

Dear Reefers, need some good advice.

Situation

I have upgraded from a IM Nuvo 10G tank to a 12.5G acrylic tank recently. Like the AIO in Nuvo, the new tank has a backchamber "sump". I use a Canister Filter Fluval 206. Gasp.. nitrate factory! I wish I have a proper sump but I work in a Soho so everything should be moveable and canister filter allows me to transport to a new office (when required). The second reason why I use a canister is that it is the most reliable circulation pump. I use it to pump water via my Artica chiller and it has NEVER failed even once.

Problem

 A) I need the canister (despite the shortcomings). B ) Why dont I convert the canister into a multi-layered "reactor" by placing Phosguard, Activated Carbon, Zeolites only and remove the Fluval 4 pieces of filter coarse foam (which occupies 50% of the canister) and all other filter floss and replace it with Marine Pure blocks? Then I can get the best of both worlds. No foam, no floss in the canister. Just chemical and biological filtration. I have Marine Pure balls and loads of filter floss in the AIO so I thought if I remove the 4 pieces of Fluval foam, surely there are enough good bacteria to deal with the ammonia spike.

I was wrong. When I removed the 4 pieces of foam, and 2 pieces of old, old filter floss (which have turned dirty, dark brown), the tank suffered a minor ammonia spike!!! I have a micro thin sand bed but at least 5kg of old live rock and lightly stocked.

Advice needed:

How do i transit to Marine Pure Blocks quickly? 

The slow approach is to place the two Marine Pure Blocks in the tank, "seed" it with bacteria and then remove the foam and replace them with the Blocks. But alas my tank is acrylic, scratch magnet! Another way is to squeeze the blocks into the canister with the foam and remove the red structure (see picture). After one week, remove one foam, then another week, another foam. Total transition: 1 month. Surely there is a better way. I am out of ideas. Any Marine Pure user has a better solution? Thanks in advance! Harry.

 

[deityhack]

Pass the blocks to another reefer to "seed" and when done, remove the form and replaced with the "seeded" marine block.

This hobby is all about patience

[Harry H]

Why didn't I think of that!!!!!

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[Harry H]

Dear all, thank you for the kind messages. One bro even offered to host the Pure Marine blocks to seed it for me. Very grateful for the kind thoughts. Over the weekend, I bought 8 cubes of Marine Pure. Stick them together to form a block that I can squeeze into the half-chamber of Fluval Canister 206 together with the Fluval filter foam pads. It works. So I am planning to remove the foam pad one by one over several days. In a weeks' time, my canister will become a "reactor" with no filter medium. Thanks for all the advice!

[SubzeroLT]

I'd put the marine pure blocks in a bucket of your old tank water. Pour in some bacteria product. Run a small pump (eg 600l/hr type) & cycle it externally. You can 'feed' the bacteria with skimmate or fish food. After a few weeks, the marine pure blocks would be ready for use.

[Harry H]

Dear all, the transition from canister as a nitrate factory to a multi purpose reactor is completed. The canister now houses the marine pure blocks pasted together into a slab (the standard size is too big), 3 packets of activated carbon, deNitrate, Phosguard. And the tank is crystal clear. Thanks for all the good advice and help.

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[Harry H]

My fishes and corals say thank you!1535941873507

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[Harry H]

My fishes and corals say thank you!1535941873507

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See photo

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[Zoas]

Amazing work bro, intending to apply this for my canister filter too. Are you running a protein skimmer btw?


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[Harlequinmania]

Great idea on the DIY denitrator !

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[Harry H]

Dear Zoas, yes i run a Tunze 9001. Previously on my IM 10G, i had to remove the magnet to slot into the tiny chamber, now on the Aqua Excel US 16G (of course the water amount is less than that), the chamber is much larger. And it works. Downside is that your water level must be within the recommended level. In any case, if it falls too low, you need to top up anyway.

I just added a MiniMax Desktop (smallest) Biopellet "reactor" into the AIO chamber. Poured some biopellets and quite a bit of Zeolites. I have no idea if mixing them is a good idea but lets see. Nitrate today is 0.20 mg/l or 0.2 ppm.

 

Dear he, thanks! Talk about me being an amateur.. keep calling anything cylindrical as Reactor lol. I read somewhere that technically only a Calcium Reactor should be called a Reactor, and the rest should be called something else. So it is a denitrator - you learn something new.