So Zeo media needs a reactor of sorts, Brightwells recommends a simple external canister filter.

My question is:

Would one of the rear chambers of the Solana system provide sufficient flow over the media to not need an external filter?

or would I be better off experimenting with something like this:

http://www.marinedepot.com/Tom_Aquatics_Ra...IFRCFUH-vi.html

???

FWIW I used vodka instead of the zeovit media in my solana display, and then the additives like coral vitalizer, b-balance, pohl's xtra, and zeospur2. Was thinking about the bacteria but it was kind of pricey...

I thought that with a zeolyte reactor you had to shake or stir them every so often?

Apparently Brightwell promotes just jacking up the flow through the canister filter to blast off any biofilm that forms.

Check out zeovit.com. Some nano users there run the media passively. You will have to shake the media daily or twice daily, though. Personally, I use a modified sapphire aquatics nano reactor.

How'd ya modify the reactor?

That's kind of hard to describe! I removed the stock interior piece from the SA reactor. Then I cut down the thread rod to about an inch and screwed it in the stock threaded hole in the bottom of the reactor, and inserted one of the foam pieces. So now we have an empty reactor with a 1" long rod sticking up in the bottom and foam surrounding it.

Then a bought a piece of thin wall PVC that just fits inside the reactor. I don't recall what size, but if you bring the reactor into HD with you, you will find it (its a standard size). Then I cut it down to 9" I believe, sanded both sides flat, and glued one of the stock bubble plates to one end. On the other end, I glued a 5" or so long rod into the open end, sticking out (the point was so my hand doesn't have to touch the water to pump the reactor). then I simply slid the PVC tube into the reactor and filled it with the appropriate amount of stones. To pump, I just grab the rod, and shake up and down for about 15 seconds.

I am changing my zeo rocks this weekend, so I will get a photo then!

edit: here's a sketch

Interesting, I looked at the SA reactor but didn't think it would work, nice job!

Ever think about adding a ball valve to be able to adjust flow and blast off biofilm?

From reading some stuff at RC Chris Brightwell doesn't actually recommend using a zeo system in tanks with a total water volume under 30g... which mine is. A lot of people have recommended I skip the media and only dose liquid.

There is a ball valve on the pump itself to tune flow. It would be a pain to use it twice a day, as I'd have to turn off the reactor, completely remove it, dripping water everywhere, turn up the flow, replace the reactor then turn it back on for a few seconds, then do the whole thing in reverse. The ball valve idea is more for large reactors in sumps, with easily accessible plumbing.

I don't know a lot about Brightwell's system. I chose zeovit over brightwell because of the huge support community they have, which has been very helpful to me. Zeovit's been around for a long time, and has many experienced users, and Brightwell is a recent copy. Not to say that it's bad, but on our little tanks cost comparisons are not even an issue.

This is how I am running mine.
Using a phosban reactor with maxijet 1200 and 400. The 400 runs continuously and the 1200 times on for 10 minutes a day to flush.
I had to scale back the media though. I initially added too much when starting and it shocked the zoanthids stripping the water of ammonia.
Since cutting back the dosage everything has been doing marvelously.


I now have the return going to the display instead of the back chamber where the mulm was being taken byt he skimmer. It now directly feeds the corals.

Interesting, thanks!