spongless reactor?

how can i desponge my brs dual reactor and still keep the media in the apropriate places? my sponges are clogging up very fast.im running vertex bio pellets in the 1st reactor and carbon in the second

 

I would put a sponge as a prefilter if they're clogging up on you. You really need the sponges in the chambers; they hold the media.

 

What/where are you feeding into the reactor? What is your flow rate, maybe your media is grinding down and adding to the plugging, maybe slow the flow rate. You want to use the cleanest water possible so most of us use water out of the return section which is a clean as it gets in the sump. My sponges don't plug up for 2 or 3 months if I let it go that long.

 

What kind of carbon are you using. ROX .8 is too small for anything else. The pellets can use needle point backing you get from arts and crafts stores. Plastic mesh that comes in round shapes. I cut one for the bottom ring of the inside chamber. And one for up top to keep my pellets in.

So the pellets will be fine like that and can be kept on line and will not require cleaning.... but it you run your carbon in series, then that will clog up and lower flow. I took my water from the return section but the sponges clogged up in about 2-3 weeks. Ideally you want to run your pellets and carbon parallel not in line.

 

For my BRS reactors, I keep extra filters on hand and change them out as I change the media...this gives me more time to dry them out and "clean" them for the next round...BRS sells replacements in packs of 3...

 

i was running a maxijet 1200 but i upgraded to a rio 1700.ill try the needlepoint stuff that sounds perfect.i do run a prefilter on it the rio was turned down about to about 3/4 flow.i know its better in a reactor alone but i dont want to invest in another reactor till i have my new tank online

 

I don't get it.... do you have one reactor or two? What carbon are you using? What size is your tank and how much pellets do you have?