So, I've had the Avast Marine Works MR-5 Reactor from @K&J Aquatics for about a week, so time for a bit of a review I reckon.
Situation: Tank previously had a TLF150 running NPX Biopellets. Under rated for a system my size, so I won't judge it on the effectiveness of its purpose - just its ability to function. Running about 100ml of pellets in this reactor works well for a while but the pellets clump up and after a while they just stop moving despite me having a 1200l/hr pump on the end of it.
Not sure that its short comings were either the fault of the reactor or the specific pellets or a combination of both.
Given the increasing bioload on my system and some minor increases in phosphate I decided I really needed to move up to a reactor that could hold enough media for my size system (around 600l with the DT, frag tank and sump). I decided on the Reef Octopus Bio-Spheres as the media as these are marketed to reduce both nitrates and phosphates. They are quite large compared to the NPX bio pellets, and I'm hoping as they start to do their job that their size will help keep them tumbling better.
Reactor: I have to admit, I'm a fan of the Avast gear. The name is cool, they make some cool looking stuff, they do a lot of DIY year, and their stuff looks solid. I grabbed the MR5 which can hold up to 7 cups of media. The unit comes with a couple of pads to use depending on your choice of media. For bio-pellet use, there is a Biopellet nozzle that can be purchased that helps increase the pellet movement and reduce clogging. This nozzle requires a slight modification to the centre pipe in the reactor but is nothing that a ruler, marker and about 15 seconds with a hacksaw won't fix.
The first thing I love about this reactor is how damn solid it feels. If you squeeze the TLF, you feel like it's going to break. The acrylic is thick and reasonably heavy. The top is also different to remove. It's held down by 4 nylon screws, and with clear acrylic you can see the seal to know when you've got it sealed up properly. The inlet and outlet are screwed into the reactor and have hose fittings that allow for nice secure fittings to be made; the TLF models seem to just sit there and don't provide a lot of confidence in their ability under pressure.
I find it easier to open, though the acrylic screws are a little hard on the fingers when sealing the unit back up.
It does have a fair foot print given the solid base when compared to a TLF reactor, but on the upside, this unit can stand on its own.
A week after installing it, so far the media - all 500mls of it are bubbling up and down all around the reactor. Using the same pump that under 100ml of biopellets in the TLF150 can barely move. Not sure if it'll be the same story in 8 weeks, but so far, so good.
Things I don't like:
- Lack of HOB. A cool feature the TLF reactors have is a bracket to mount their reactors on the side of the sump. The current version of the MR-5 doesn't have this. I knew this in advance, and it wasn't a deal breaker, but it would be nice. I have it propped up on a box so the hoses are a little tidier.
- Thumb screws can be hard on the fingers. A benefit of the clear acrylic is that you can see if it's not sealing. Trying to seal it tight with those screws is a little hard on the finger tips (my finger tips are pretty tough) at times.. especially if you've been playing with them for a while.
Overall: The Avast MR5 is what I expected it to be - a solid reactor that could hold the amount of media that I wanted, and actually keep it moving, and to do that with a price tag that was exceptional. It retails for only a little more than my TLF150, but it looks and feels like a far superior product. I love these products and it's great that someone has them in Oz so we don't have to deal with the otherwise prohibitive shipping costs.
Situation: Tank previously had a TLF150 running NPX Biopellets. Under rated for a system my size, so I won't judge it on the effectiveness of its purpose - just its ability to function. Running about 100ml of pellets in this reactor works well for a while but the pellets clump up and after a while they just stop moving despite me having a 1200l/hr pump on the end of it.
Not sure that its short comings were either the fault of the reactor or the specific pellets or a combination of both.
Given the increasing bioload on my system and some minor increases in phosphate I decided I really needed to move up to a reactor that could hold enough media for my size system (around 600l with the DT, frag tank and sump). I decided on the Reef Octopus Bio-Spheres as the media as these are marketed to reduce both nitrates and phosphates. They are quite large compared to the NPX bio pellets, and I'm hoping as they start to do their job that their size will help keep them tumbling better.
Reactor: I have to admit, I'm a fan of the Avast gear. The name is cool, they make some cool looking stuff, they do a lot of DIY year, and their stuff looks solid. I grabbed the MR5 which can hold up to 7 cups of media. The unit comes with a couple of pads to use depending on your choice of media. For bio-pellet use, there is a Biopellet nozzle that can be purchased that helps increase the pellet movement and reduce clogging. This nozzle requires a slight modification to the centre pipe in the reactor but is nothing that a ruler, marker and about 15 seconds with a hacksaw won't fix.
The first thing I love about this reactor is how damn solid it feels. If you squeeze the TLF, you feel like it's going to break. The acrylic is thick and reasonably heavy. The top is also different to remove. It's held down by 4 nylon screws, and with clear acrylic you can see the seal to know when you've got it sealed up properly. The inlet and outlet are screwed into the reactor and have hose fittings that allow for nice secure fittings to be made; the TLF models seem to just sit there and don't provide a lot of confidence in their ability under pressure.
I find it easier to open, though the acrylic screws are a little hard on the fingers when sealing the unit back up.
It does have a fair foot print given the solid base when compared to a TLF reactor, but on the upside, this unit can stand on its own.
A week after installing it, so far the media - all 500mls of it are bubbling up and down all around the reactor. Using the same pump that under 100ml of biopellets in the TLF150 can barely move. Not sure if it'll be the same story in 8 weeks, but so far, so good.
Things I don't like:
- Lack of HOB. A cool feature the TLF reactors have is a bracket to mount their reactors on the side of the sump. The current version of the MR-5 doesn't have this. I knew this in advance, and it wasn't a deal breaker, but it would be nice. I have it propped up on a box so the hoses are a little tidier.
- Thumb screws can be hard on the fingers. A benefit of the clear acrylic is that you can see if it's not sealing. Trying to seal it tight with those screws is a little hard on the finger tips (my finger tips are pretty tough) at times.. especially if you've been playing with them for a while.
Overall: The Avast MR5 is what I expected it to be - a solid reactor that could hold the amount of media that I wanted, and actually keep it moving, and to do that with a price tag that was exceptional. It retails for only a little more than my TLF150, but it looks and feels like a far superior product. I love these products and it's great that someone has them in Oz so we don't have to deal with the otherwise prohibitive shipping costs.
