Recirculating Biopellet Reactor - Jns Alpha 2
I purchased a couple of JNS reactors a year or so ago off a local who was getting out of the hobby - the reactors had not actually been used and the price was just too good to refuse. I had no immediate use for them but thought they would come in handy eventually.
I had tried biopellets in the past with a TLF550 with limited success as there was not enough water flowing through these reactors to keep the pellets in suspension.
I had also read of some issues with the biopellets in that they can become too efficient and strip the water of all the nitrate if they have too much flow through them. Thus, it can be hard to reach a balance. One solution has been the recirculating reactor such as that produced by Reef Dynamics
So, after reading through a post by @Meller I decided to mod my JNS Alpha 2
From
To
Total cost was about $12 (not including the reactor) and an added benefit is that I have not damaged any part of the original reactor - it can be returned to its original form extremely easily.
None of the pieces are glued, with a push fit more than adequate in this situation. Whilst the original mod incorporated a union fitting I wasn't sure it was required - in hindsight it is a bit difficult to get it put together, and to remove the lid to access the pellets, so I will be adding one soon.
Overall, this is an extremely easy modification and a water test looked good. For the outlet, I have used a some irrigation components which do leak slightly - I plan to get some John Guest fittings to tidy it up.
Looking forward to trying it out on my new tank.
I will detail the modifications in the following post.
Cheers
I had tried biopellets in the past with a TLF550 with limited success as there was not enough water flowing through these reactors to keep the pellets in suspension.
I had also read of some issues with the biopellets in that they can become too efficient and strip the water of all the nitrate if they have too much flow through them. Thus, it can be hard to reach a balance. One solution has been the recirculating reactor such as that produced by Reef Dynamics
So, after reading through a post by @Meller I decided to mod my JNS Alpha 2
From
To
Total cost was about $12 (not including the reactor) and an added benefit is that I have not damaged any part of the original reactor - it can be returned to its original form extremely easily.
None of the pieces are glued, with a push fit more than adequate in this situation. Whilst the original mod incorporated a union fitting I wasn't sure it was required - in hindsight it is a bit difficult to get it put together, and to remove the lid to access the pellets, so I will be adding one soon.
Overall, this is an extremely easy modification and a water test looked good. For the outlet, I have used a some irrigation components which do leak slightly - I plan to get some John Guest fittings to tidy it up.
Looking forward to trying it out on my new tank.
I will detail the modifications in the following post.
Cheers
