DIY ZEOlite Reactor

Discussion in 'I made this!' started by mdbostwick, Jul 23, 2015.

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  1. mdbostwick

    mdbostwick Vlamingii Tang

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    So i wanted to try the ZEOvit system but as my sig refers to no half assing, I decided i would need a reactor and was not willing to pay that kind of price tag. So I have built my own.

    The items you will need:

    Nylon Hose Barb Adapter 1/4 in ID x 1/2 in MIP
    3" All PVC Snap-In Drain
    4" Diameter PVC Toilet Flange plugged
    1/4" PVC pipe
    3" PVC pipe
    4" PVC pipe
    3" Slip Coupling
    Maxi jet pump (what i used)
    PVC pipe (matching diameter of pump outlet)
    JG ball valve (which will fit between your pump and the PVC pipe i would suggest taking the output of the pump with you to the store)
    Plastic Canvas
    PVC Primer and Cement
    Aquarium safe Silicone

    Sorry I don't have a picture of every piece, I guess some of them got lost along the way.


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    So the first thing I did was put the barb adapter in the drain
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    Now cut a circle out of the Plastic Canvas to fit snugly inside this drain and cut out the center so the Barb Adapter pokes through it as well.
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    Heat the end of the 1/4 pvc, I used my electric burner and kept it a couple inches from the surface.
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    Then pressed it onto the barbed adapter.

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    I then put the plastic canvas in the drain.

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    I put silicone in the adapter end so water would not shoot up the tube when i shook it, also I think it helps hold it all together.

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    Cut your pvc coupler in half to the flange on the inside, you can see the flange a bit in the picture

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    Cut your 3 and 4 in pieces of PVC to higher than the level in your sump, mine is about 6 inches higher than the water level so i have room for expanding later. :D

    Assemble the 3" PVC drain and coupler, no cement needed here for easier maintenance down the road. (Inner Cylinder)
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    Cement the 4" PVC and the Toilet Flange together. (Outer Cylinder)

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    Measure how high your pump outlet needs to be and mark it.

    Drill a hole just big enough to tightly fit the PVC matching the pump output and press the PVC into the hole.

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    Make sure you are drilling low enough to go through the flange as well to keep the inside cylinder from hitting the pipe here and damaging anything

    Connect the JG ball valve to the PVC and to the pump and then put the inner cylinder into the outer cylinder.
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    Cut the 1/4 PVC high enough above the rest of the reactor that you can easily grip it for shaking the ZEOlites.

    I don't have a handle fashioned for it at this point and when i find a good way to make one i will add it.

    It has been running for a month now and the only issue i have had is with the pump itself. That is what i get for not buying a new one.
     
    zesty and MarineDepot like this.
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  3. mdbostwick

    mdbostwick Vlamingii Tang

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    Running in my sump
    [​IMG]

    Tip: When buying especially the 3" Coupler, make sure you dry fit them in the store because not all PVC is created equal.
     
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  4. Av8Bluewater

    Av8Bluewater Giant Squid

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    A couple things you may want to think about.
    The bottom screens may have holes too big? A zeo reactor has very small holes about 1/16th". The Zeolites come in a bag with very tiny stones mixed with all sorts of sizes. They are not small bits of the bigger stones but different actual zeolites. You want the small stones too. So you don't want them to fall out the bottom.
    Are you able to shake the stones hard enough to get the mulm off?
    If you put a handle put some swing arms down in there to knock the rocks around.

    Either way nice job.. hope it's working good for you. I've been zeo for a while. I stopped doing full zeo just trying to find my sweet spot. I still run the stones and think that's the best thing in the whole system. No more GFO for me. I pretty much just use bacteria and stones. No carbon source at all. But I don't have many fish either. Also the passive carbon thing zeo users do didn't work for me at all.. I went back to regular carbon in a reactor.
     
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  5. mdbostwick

    mdbostwick Vlamingii Tang

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    Thank you for your comments.
     
  6. Av8Bluewater

    Av8Bluewater Giant Squid

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    Sorry. Maybe swing arms is the wrong words. If you look at photos of the vertex and KZ reactors they have little arms when you turn the handle back and forth it impacts the rocks hard to knock off the mulm. If you're able to easily pick up the whole reactor and shake it that would certainly do the job but seems that might be a chore if you have to unhook stuff to do that. I reach in a couple times a day and give about a 10 second hard twist back and forth. At least once every couple days is a must to shake off the mulm.
     
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  7. FaceOfDeceit

    FaceOfDeceit Hockey Beard

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    I just tell my controller to vibrate my reactor to shake the mulm. :rolleyes:

    Seriously though, nice DIY.
     
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  9. FaceOfDeceit

    FaceOfDeceit Hockey Beard

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    I just tell my controller to vibrate my reactor to shake the mulm. :rolleyes:

    Seriously though, nice DIY.
     
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  10. zesty

    zesty Sailfin Tang

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    I would like to hear the remix of mulm shaker! :D
     
  11. civiccars2003

    civiccars2003 Great Blue Whale

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    Build me one please.
     
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  12. mdbostwick

    mdbostwick Vlamingii Tang

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    I see what you are talking about now. I will see if there is something i can add to this for that.

    To remove the mulm you actually only have to grab the rod in the middle and lift and only the inner chamber rises and falls while the outside cylinder stays on the bottom of the sump, it makes it pretty easy to shake it off that way but being able to spin it is definately something I will look into adding to this.