CoppyCat Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 I am setting up a Lagoon 25 gallon soon but will not be filling it up with as much rock and I normally would in a reef tank. So I was wondering if having a reactor full of Matrix or Life Bio Fil could help make up for the lack of rock in the display. Any advice is welcome! Link to comment
malacoda Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Don't know anything about Life Bio Fil, but I can tell you that Matrix and/or De*Nitrate work better if they have 'dedicated' flow going through them... I had Matrix sitting in my sump in a mesh bag below my overflow drain pipe (e.g. highest 'passive' flow area of my sump) for 6 months and didn't really see much of an impact on my nitrate levels.) Then, about 6 weeks ago I removed the Matrix (had gotten a bit cruddy from not have any real flow brushing over it) and instead placed some De*Nitrate into a 'reactor' I made from a mayonnaise jar that is fed by tee off of my return line, and within 2 weeks my NO3 had fallen from the 15 ppm it used to hover at down to just 2 ppm and has stayed there ever since. So yeah, Matrix or De*Nitrate (same exact thing only smaller pieces) will help to make up for the lack of rock in the display - as long as it has the recommended 20-50 gph of flow passing through it. Only real maintenance either requires is a good rinsing it off every 3-6 months or so to ensure detritus doesn't build on it and block the micro-pores the bacteria live in. Other than that it never needs replacing. In fact, if I wasn't feeling lazy about it, I could've just rinsed off the old Matrix from my sump and re-used in the reactor I made. But De*Nitrate is a bit better for a 24g tank (smaller pieces = more bacterial surface area) so I decided to just drop $10 for new stuff instead... Oh, and if you put in a normal reactor, make sure it doesn't tumble. Link to comment
CoppyCat Posted February 17, 2017 Author Share Posted February 17, 2017 Thank you for the well thought out response. So if the flow was higher than 50gph it wouldn't work as well? I was thinking about just getting a BRS reactor and packing the media into it so it wouldn't tumble and a SICCE 1.0 pump for the flow. Link to comment
lkoechle Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 No comment, havent been impressed with matrix as "passive". BUT you should get reef-cleaners rock for your display since its super pourous so that will help make up the biofiltration versus a solid rock. Link to comment
CoppyCat Posted February 17, 2017 Author Share Posted February 17, 2017 2 minutes ago, lkoechle said: No comment, havent been impressed with matrix as "passive". BUT you should get reef-cleaners rock for your display since its super pourous so that will help make up the biofiltration versus a solid rock. Already ahead of you on that. I will be ordering some real soon once I have the stand fully built and painted. Link to comment
malacoda Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 2 hours ago, CoppyCat said: Thank you for the well thought out response. So if the flow was higher than 50gph it wouldn't work as well? I was thinking about just getting a BRS reactor and packing the media into it so it wouldn't tumble and a SICCE 1.0 pump for the flow. If it's over 50 gph, the aerobic bacteria on the outer surface will still convert ammonia into nitrite and nitrite into nitrate - just like live rock in the display. But, the anaerobic bacteria in the inner micro-pores will not have enough time ... and be fed too much oxygen ... to properly consume the nitrates. 2 hours ago, lkoechle said: No comment, havent been impressed with matrix as "passive". BUT you should get reef-cleaners rock for your display since its super pourous so that will help make up the biofiltration versus a solid rock. +1 As mentioned earlier, i had it passive in my sump for 6 months and it didn't do a thing. Then I placed it in a homemade reactor with 30 gph flow and it took my nitrates from ~15 down to 2 and has held them there ever since. I should also mention that I used aqua-cultured man-made 'Walt Smith' live rock in my DT - which is far less porous than pukani, etc. So the De*nitrate has been very helpful with the final step of turning nitrate into nitrogen for release from the system. But, if you plan to use rock with a LOT of very small pores in your display, the addition of Matrix/De*nitrate in a reactor may not even be necessary. Link to comment
sprite Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 I have a 25 Lagoon and run 1 liter of matrix in the compartment after the filter socks. I have 1 clown and 6 chromis that are fed heavy and my nitrate is always 4 or below on red Sea pro kit. So it should work for you also. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.