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Assembly of the reactor
Step 1 – Positioning. Choose a suitable place to position the reactor so that you have easy access to all parts
for operation and for maintenance, especially the media chamber for topping up.
You must also decide where to position the controller relative to the reactor. This should be quite close to
the aquarium or sump taking into account the length of hose and cable runs.
The two halves of the reactor are located in position on a custom base plate to space the 2 chambers apart.
Step 2 - Starting with the media chamber, take off the lid by rotating the top section anticlockwise using the
2 handles. Note that after running, the lid may become harder to open and so 2 clear pipe handle extensions
have been supplied to provide better leverage. These should not be used to overtighten the lid.
Step 3 - Some early versions of the reactor were supplied with a sponge at the bottom of the media
chamber. This is not required and should be removed.
Step 4 – Pre-wash the media to remove any fine dust and add to the media chamber, filling to within 2cm of
the return suction pipe on the lid. Ensure that no media goes down the centre pipe by using the handy
blanking cap attached to the outside of the lid and keep the pipe in the middle of the reactor whilst filling.
Note: You have an option to fill the larger media chamber with water at this stage whilst the lid is removed.
Step 5 – Replace the lid on the media chamber, having first checked that the large O-ring is in place on the
top of the main tube. The lid is then rotated clockwise to lock in place by hand. Do not over tighten.
Step 6 – The 2 reactor chambers are held together at the top by the recirculation pump assembly. Check
that the two O-rings are in position on the pipe unions then screw the pump assembly onto the two reactor
chambers and tighten hand tighten the unions. (image 1)
Image 1
Step 7 – For this reactor you will need a CO2 bottle,
2 stage CO2 regulator and CO2 tubing.
Connect the regulator to the bottle and CO2 hose from
the regulator to the solenoid valve taking care that the
Image 2
flow is in the correct direction as indicated by the arrow.
Connect a second CO2 hose from the other side of the solenoid to the lid of the reactor as shown in image 2,
ensuring that a non-return valve is fitted in line just before the reactor.
IMPORTANT:
1 – Always use specific CO2 hose with this reactor.
2 – Keep the distance between the regulator and the solenoid as short as possible, ideally less than 30cm.
3 – Ensure that a non-return valve is fitted between the solenoid and the reactor.
4 – Check the CO2 system for leaks by brushing soapy water around the joints when under pressure.
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