Tunze algae reactor return

[Clownfishy]

I am considering the Tunze algae reactor 3182 but I have what is possible, a dumb question. I have a Nano aquarium with no sump so I want to check if I put the pump in the main display and the reactor on the floor, will the pump be able to push the water back up to the main aquarium and will the pressure in the reactor leak? I did not know if the reactor chamber outlet had to be higher than the water e.g. gravity feed the water coming out of the reactor into the aquarium

 

[ReeferSpot]

I did this with a 520gph pump that came with my sumpless All in One Tank. It worked but the flow was very slow.There were no leaks but the chaeto never grew and ended up dying. Maybe it would have been more successful with a stronger pump.

 

[rvitko]

The included pump is 12V or 24V. If you use the optional 24V power supply, the pump can handle up to 4ft of head. If you install it this way, while it is possible, you will need to do some plumbing work, you will need valves to shut off the water and service the reactor, you will need a J tube for intake and return to avoid kinks going over the edge, in general the simplest and most cost effective is to make these from 3/4 PVC with hose barbs, the hose is almost 1" so you will need to find reducer barbs, Use PVC Union valves in these hard lines to be able to disconnect the unit for service.

 

[ReeferSpot]

I misread that you would put the pump in the main display. I didn't want the pump that came with the Reactor in the main display so I had to use a different one small enough to fit in the rear chamber.

 

[rvitko]

The pump can be placed anywhere as long as it gets water, but the included pump is important, the reactor needs a specific flow that is high volume and low pressure to function.

 

[Cflow]

I have mine plumbed in line with a canister filter. No leaks. I do not use any extra pump other than my canister filter. I have a ball valve on the tunze so the flow is even lower, maybe 150gph. This is on a 50 gallon system. No issues at all. Still grows chaeto like a champ.

 

[Clownfishy]

The pump can be placed anywhere as long as it gets water, but the included pump is important, the reactor needs a specific flow that is high volume and low pressure to function

Many thanks. So the reactor will not le

The included pump is 12V or 24V. If you use the optional 24V power supply, the pump can handle up to 4ft of head. If you install it this way, while it is possible, you will need to do some plumbing work, you will need valves to shut off the water and service the reactor, you will need a J tube for intake and return to avoid kinks going over the edge, in general the simplest and most cost effective is to make these from 3/4 PVC with hose barbs, the hose is almost 1" so you will need to find reducer barbs, Use PVC Union valves in these hard lines to be able to disconnect the unit for service.

Good point about the shut off valves for maintenance, I had not thought about that.
Many thanks

 

[TheXpander]

The included pump is 12V or 24V. If you use the optional 24V power supply, the pump can handle up to 4ft of head. If you install it this way, while it is possible, you will need to do some plumbing work, you will need valves to shut off the water and service the reactor, you will need a J tube for intake and return to avoid kinks going over the edge, in general the simplest and most cost effective is to make these from 3/4 PVC with hose barbs, the hose is almost 1" so you will need to find reducer barbs, Use PVC Union valves in these hard lines to be able to disconnect the unit for service.

Thank you for this, just unboxed it and couldn’t work out what was needed as I have no sump.

 

[aquascaping2reefing]

I have mine plumbed in line with a canister filter. No leaks. I do not use any extra pump other than my canister filter. I have a ball valve on the tunze so the flow is even lower, maybe 150gph. This is on a 50 gallon system. No issues at all. Still grows chaeto like a champ.

May I ask how this setup is going? I have something similar, 40gallon, 850 biomatser oase and recently plumed the Tunse 3181 in line with a golf ball size of cheato. The feed back I got from a friend whose been in the hobby a lot longer is that the cheato is spinning to fast and won't make it. So to slow it down I thought put some ball valves on it and restrict the flow a little bit, but then your potentially compromising the pump in the canister and I don't want to break it (even though Oase says that you can restrict flow on their canisters). Your experience is greatly appreciated, thank you.