Here are some pictures of the different designs I have had. I am currently finalizing the current design which is version E. This is what version A through E look like. BTW Version C is still running with no ill effects from cement or chemicals used.

Version B was too tall at 36" high

version A , had cement contamination

Version D was too short at 12" and underpowered with a Ehiem 1050 [158 GPH] But had a more simplified plumbing with the use of poly line which could bend instead of using elbows. A pump change found that it really needed something around 300 to 400 GPH and a much more powerful pump circulated the media back to the pump. Going short was a good idea though because it would require less of everything like CO2 and water to run. It might work well for a smaller tank but I am trying to run this on a 125 with a 40 sump.

Version C, still in operation at this time but has minor design flaw and poor quality quite one 3000 pump. The current quite one pump does not always restart after a power interuption or failure. Even with the flow problems with the input coming in the side of the reactor chamber the affluent's Calcium checks out at a constant 500!

Version E is Shown here running currently a mag 9.5 pump. I made a design change that proved to be extremely effecient where the return line comes in and up from the bottom. The reactor had to be mounted to a wood stand for this. It uses a mag 9.5 which uses 93 watts. That transmits to a lot of heat not to mention I am having trouble keeping the screen in place because of the flow. This leads me to believe I will change the pump shortly to a mag 5 at half the watts. I used about a third of a gallon of media in this and could have used more if it were not for all of the flow this design has. Any more in it as is had the media blowing right back around to the pump. Since I did not put a screen in the top I thought this to be a bad idea.

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