FRaNKeN'ReaCToR - rated 200g

[Bloke]

Well, I needed a new reactor for the 36g corner tank. I fiddled around with a few others and thought I would just go without one since I know, here in the near future, this tank will be coming down. (I know - I'm never satisfied, but LFS love the money, so whatever...). Anyway, I did NOT want to throw another $300 into a reactor, but the lack of one on this system has really caused it to fall off from where it had been a month ago.

A quick visit to Lustercraft where I spent $45 on acryllic. $30 for 24" of 3.75" tube, a small scrap for a base, and two 6" diameter discs. I enlisted dngspot's help. He has some Weldon and a little more ingenuity that I do, so off to Bramblewood...

The first step was the measure the space alotted for this project and I knew that the base could NOT be more than 5.5" x9", so I'm dealing with a very small footprint. After the base was cut, I had to figure out how to best mount the Mag pump I had so that the plumbing took as little space as possible.

Finally, attachment of the cylinder. A piece of 3" ABS was cut to fit inside the tube. This provided stablility for the pump attachment as well as an inner base for the bottom place where the media will rest. A few inches were cut off of each side, but in total, the reaction chamber is about 22". I am sure it will hold a little more than 6lbs of media; plenty enough for a system of 200g!

It didn't take long after attching the cylinder for me to realize that a union would be required between the pump and the tube so that it could be removed for cleaning, impeller changes, etc.

The top was drilled and tapped for a 1/2" male insert and eight 1/4" vinyl screws.

So far, this is what it looks like...

 

[Bloke]

With the absence of an O-ring, there has to be a gasket to seal the lid. For $.99, Hobby Lobby sells sheets of this spongey material. Tracing the lid gives a nice custom fit!

Now for attaching the lid to the top of the reactor. I know most people go for dark/smoke colored discs for the top, but I did not want to have to cut my own and Lusterraft had these 6" discs pre-cut in clear, so functionally sound, but asthetically, a little different. With the black gasket, it might still "look" ok.

Attaching the lid with some Weldon #16. CAUTION: Fumes known to cause blurred vision.

Attached and drying, waiting for the fun part of routing...

 

[Bloke]

Alright, now with the top in place and drying, attention can be focused on getting the gasket to fit neatly.

Using the drill press and the holes in the lid as guides, holes were drilled through the gasket to ensure proper seating.

Then came the violently messy part of routing out the center of the top. Once dried, the router went straight into the top and created a nice, flush, and clean edge to the inner chamber wall.

Top glued and routed, gasket cut and drilled, and finaly the lid attachment. Coming along nicely...

 

[Bloke]

So, with everything glued and dry, now we can start looking at getting things plumbed. Here, the pumped at attached to the lower union allowing a straight input into the reaction chamber.

The beginnings of the loop using basic schedule 40 1/2" PVC. I decided to go with a second union on the verticle section of the loop for easy assembly and removal.

Plumbing complete. All that remains is tapping for the water & CO2 inputs, as well as the lid for effluent and bleed lines. In all though, this is what she'll look like. Water testing and installation ahead.

So, $45 in acryllic and just under $15 in PVC and plumbing parts means a simple franken-reactor for $60. Of course, you would have to add in the cost of a pump, regulator, CO2 bottle, and 1/4" hosing to get the final costs for the reactor. However, I would still bet that including those expenses, it should be a far cry of what a factory CA Reactor would run.

My thanks to dngspot for ALL his help and efforts and moreover to his wife for her babysitting ablities.

 

[Bloke]

Well, I didn't get much done regarding getting the reactor up and running, but I did get the 10lb bottle connected to the 90g and I made a few plumbing adjustments to this one. I plan to take the 5lb bottle I was using on the 90g upstairs on the 36g tank.

I did not like the way the water intake and CO2 were being added to the plumbing. Previously, the two lines were drilled and tapped right above the connection to the pump intake. It was quite effective, yet looked like Frankenstien bolts sticking out of the vertical run shown here:

So, I cut the PVC and added two "T"'s to the plumbing. This makes it VERY similar to the Reef Octopus CA-100 I have on the 90g. Here is a pic:

Of course, I had to reduce the 1/2" opening to a 1/4" JG fitting:

Once changed, I wanted to see how we did on the footprint given the limited space:

 

[Dr. Dee]

Thats nice,good job

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Fun looking job, thanks for sharing

 

[plack]

Thanks for the pictures I always thought of making a slight press fitting top and having the center all ready routed out and just needing to be glued.
But your way is quicker and easier !!



Paul

 

[Bloke]

Glad it could be of use. I plan to make a simple second chamber to increase the media capacity and install this reactor on my 180g system.

 

[salmonslayer]

Well done thanks for sharing. Keep the pics coming. Look forward to seeing up and running. Best of luck.

 

[tat2z_21]

Nice acrylic work. Now I am running out to get some acrylic. Thanks alot for the pictures I needed a picture guide on how to do this. I have read and read and now I have the visual to go along with it.

 

[Ed Hahn]

Thank you very Much!!

I love it. Thanks for sharing. Its awesome to see step by step illustration.

 

[eliterecon14]

That is Amazing, Have you made a Young Franken-reactor (like young frankenstein only a handful will get the horrible joke) Will you make a mini one for your 36 gallon tank?

 

[mmn_usn]

That looks awesome... where in KS are you from... I am from Scott City.

 

[SeaMonster]

looking good but I think the pondmaster pumps have to be submerged

 

[Bloke]

I live just outside of Wichita and no, the Mag3 does not have to be submerged.

 

[mmn_usn]

So my brothers and I all have SW aquariums. We are coming home at the end of July... till the first week of Aug... We would love to come and see your set up.

I am in the process of buying a new house and am getting a room designated for my fish...

 

[Bloke]

You're coming home to Kansas? Feel free to contact me when you're in da hood.

 

[mmn_usn]

We are coming..."There's no place like home" The 3 of us are coming home. I know that I haven't been to a family reunion for 10 yrs. We are all in the military 2 Navy, 1 Marine... and have been stationed various places. One is coming in from Japan. We would love to come see the tank and when it gets closer to the date I will be sure to get contact info from you. We also have an Aunt that lives in Derby.. so I am sure we will be visiting out that direction

 

[SeaMonster]

I'm trying to bake a bigger version of the samething and it leaks no matter what I do. the gasket leaks, its just rubber gasket material from the HW store. any ideas?