How much will a reactor help my 180 gallon freshwater tank
- Thread starter splurge23
- Start date
What are you trying to accomplish with the reactor? Bio filtration? Chemical filtration? What media are you going to use in the reactor?
I am trying to keep Nitrites in check and get crystal clear water. I have a pair of Green Terror I will be adding once the tank is done cycling .
Tried a slow flow denitrification reactor and I got some results out of it. Was able to do water changes about once a month. Still think it could’ve been better but others have done algae scrubbers and worked well. Much better consistent results than what i did I believe.
If you are going to add a nitrate reactor imo it would be better to wait until your tank/cycle are more established -- adding the nitrate reactor may possibly cause a bacterial bloom if you're using bio pellets (which happened with my brief experience, I didn't make it as far as kno4te or jaws7777 -- when I saw the bacterial bloom I chickened out and said screw it, at 15-30 ppm nitrates and weekly water changes I don't really need this (granted I probably should have been more patient).
I don't think a reactor would do you any good in fw. Well not enough to justify the effort.
I would look into plants maybe a fuge, better water RO, cutting your tap with RO something like that. If your worried about it, but you need to be really on point with how your parameters are being affected.
Waterchanges and pothos would be my recommendation.
The problem is your starting with such a crappy base of water with tap most of the time I don't know if it would be wise to implement a sw style system.
I would look into plants maybe a fuge, better water RO, cutting your tap with RO something like that. If your worried about it, but you need to be really on point with how your parameters are being affected.
Waterchanges and pothos would be my recommendation.
The problem is your starting with such a crappy base of water with tap most of the time I don't know if it would be wise to implement a sw style system.
I have never used nitrate reactors, I find water changes to be easier, and most effective, and beside that, nitrate isn't the only thing I do water changes for, they help buffer acids (add alkalinity), and other minerals, and remove hormones etc.
Beside the water changes, I find emergent plant refugiums, Pothos, or algae scrubbers simply more interesting tools.
With my latest tank, I have put the sumps in half day direct sunlight, so they easily grow lots of algae.
So far using this method, aquatic submerged and floating plants, nitrate has been almost undetectable, the tanks small side panels get enough of that sun, so they are covered in algae.
Beside the water changes, I find emergent plant refugiums, Pothos, or algae scrubbers simply more interesting tools.
With my latest tank, I have put the sumps in half day direct sunlight, so they easily grow lots of algae.
So far using this method, aquatic submerged and floating plants, nitrate has been almost undetectable, the tanks small side panels get enough of that sun, so they are covered in algae.
A couple better views of the kind of algae, I am trying to encourage in the sump.
