Re: External Reactor

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

> >>Does AquaBotanic sell or have you heard of any reactor that you can
> put
> out of
> the way under the tank, attatching it to a canister filter?
> 
> - - -- Stephen<<
> 
> Yes, Aqua Medics Reactor 1000. Its a monster 15" long and 3" in
> diameter
> full of bio balls. Scott Hieber has one, as well as a few other
> people on
> this list who can tell you all about it!

I only know of one unit even more complex and much more costly than the
Aqua Medic, another german item with a diffuser incorporated into the
reactor design -- I don't have the url anymore.  If the Eheim diffuser
is the volkswagon beetle of injectors for its economy in engineering,
then this thing other was the Rube Goldberg patent holder.

On the other end of the spectrum is the elegant design by Tom Barr for
less money.  It uses it's own small powerhead, which is included in the
about $40 price and contained bio-balls.  The Barr design hangs on the
back of the tank, although, there's no reason why you couldn't run
longer in/out tubes (maybe with a slightly more powerful powerhead) and
put the reactor down below the aquarium [As long as your intake and out
put tubes both come from/go to the same tank, whatever extra push is
required to go uphill, is made up for by the downhill run -- so it
should be no net loss except for the extra friction of longer tubes]. 
I don't know if he still makes and sells these these items -- where
does he find the time?  But if so, he can tell you where to see one and
how to obtain one.  When they were commercially produced, I think
Robert H. handled them also.  You'll get 100% absorbtion of CO2 with
either of the external reactors.

Scott H.

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