Reef Octopus BR-110 questions

[buddy08]

bought one from bulkreef last week and have had it setup and running 5 days or so. I only had a maxijet 1200 powerhead to feed it and have 1 1/2 cups of media in it. question is, how much flow should be going through this (or better yet, how much tumble action do i need for it to work properly?) also, the cup at the top with the strainer net has a white stringy film on it. is this normal? I am dying to tamper with it and remove the filth on the strainer but of course the directions say to leave it be for 4 to 8 weeks... need opinions and advice.

 

[BL1]

For the 110, you should have 350-500 gph going through it.

 

[buddy08]

okay, i need more gph definitely... what about the film on the strainer?

 

[fastrd400]

What media are you running in the reactor?

 

[buddy08]

bulk reefs bio pellets that came with the reactor

 

[fastrd400]

you should only need about 100 gph running through it. You want a very gentle tumble of the pellets for them to work correctly.

 

[BL1]

you should only need about 100 gph running through it. You want a very gentle tumble of the pellets for them to work correctly.

Wade, where is the 100gph from? RO reccomends 350-500 for the model reactor that Buddy is using.

 

[fastrd400]

I got that from Jon Warner of Warner Marine. Bio-pellets are meant to tumble very slowly in order for them to work correctly. Carbon and GFO you can force more water through.

I should have stated it a bit better. You need at least 100 GPH going through the reactor. However you find yourself having to dial the flow down depending on the size pump you are using in order to achieve the correct tumble.

 

[buddy08]

i honestly think i have to little of flow running through it, i dont see the same tumble as others have in youtube videos. its running off a maxi 1200 which states its pushing 295 gph but with headloss im sure its well below that based on the tumble i can see.5/8's of the media seems to be moving, the rest is just siting there, occasionally moves side to side but definitely not tumbling

 

[BL1]

I got that from Jon Warner of Warner Marine. Bio-pellets are meant to tumble very slowly in order for them to work correctly. Carbon and GFO you can force more water through.

I should have stated it a bit better. You need at least 100 GPH going through the reactor. However you find yourself having to dial the flow down depending on the size pump you are using in order to achieve the correct tumble.

Gotcha, have you seen the promo for the RO reactor? You think that's too much flow for them?

 

[fastrd400]

The best way I can describe mine is like this: they almost look as if they are crawling up the wall of the reactor. Not all of them, just a stream of them on opposite sides.

 

[fastrd400]

Gotcha, have you seen the promo for the RO reactor? You think that's too much flow for them?

I think I saw it a while back. I honestly have no idea about the BRS pellets. I did a ton of research before I started mine and found that there were a lot of mixed reviews and disasters for people running anything other than the Warner pellets. I think that there is a fine line between success and disaster with these.