Phosban reactor and a few other questions

[Samper]

I've been considering a Phosban reactor lately and don't really know what to look for. They are all reasonably priced I just wanna know what I need to be comparing between the models....what brands you guys recommend and if I even need one or can I just use the media somehow....

I'm about to hook up my calcium reactor and plumb my ro unit in to the tank and I figured since I'm getting all nerdy about things I might as well look into some other gadgets and gizmos...also considering using ozone. What do you guys think I should do.

Anything I get I'd like to be able to use on this small system for now but the ultimate goal is to move everything over to my 75g when I set it up so the equipment needs to be able to run on both.

[Samper]

Also if I choose to get one what media should I purchase?

[dougc]

I just started running a Phosban reactor a few weeks ago to combat the hair algae that is becoming an annoyance in my tank. I am using Rowaphos, but not for any particular reason other than the fact that they have a mid-sized package that was affordable. Phosban comes only in a small, one-shot container and a large bulk quantity. So much for science. I will probably stick with Rowaphos for now.

The reactors are just a fluidizing chamber and there is no magic involved. I have the new Phosban reactor with the screwtop lid, which is better than the old thumbscrew version. I don't know that there is a reactor that doesn't have an easily removable lid.

Because of the possible ill effects that iron-based phosphate removers can have, I am starting slow. The reactor is undersized for my tank and I am running it with only 100g of Rowa. I plan to run that for a month and then bump up the quantity a bit. So far, I have seen no dramatic effect, good or bad.

[Samper]

are you testing your phosphates?

[dougc]

Not anymore (See my other post today). I test for phosphates, but they always come up 0. I was thinking of getting a high-sensitivity kit (Hach, I think).

[The R/C Man]

Hey Guys!

I would recommend the good test kit and go from there. Be careful you don't jump onto a bandwagon. If you test for phosphates and get 0 then why add a reactor? I was reading an article in Coral Magazine and you can actually go into a phosphate deficency and this can be bad. I don't remember the particulars though. You can always feed a little less and do a water change or two. If you don't have a refugium you can try adding one. They seem to be algae magnets. Most of the hair algae seems to grow in there as opposed to the display tank. Just an observation...

On a side note what brand of salt are you using? I switched to Oceanic and had some major problems with hair algae. Switched back to IO and the problem is gone....