DIY carbon reactor question

[Miller]

Currently we have a bag with 1-1.5 cups of carbon hanging in the fuge where the water enters. We were thinking that the carbon might be more effective if the water was being forced through said carbon instead of possibly flowing through it or maybe even just around it.

Here is a link to Kevin McG DIY reactor, looked at a few others online and seems fairly simple to make.
http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php?p=393650

Here are my questions....

#1 Is 1-1.5 cups of carbon enough for our tank (33 gallons total volume. Water seems clear, but maybe it could be clearer.)

# All the DIY carbon reactors I have seen have been quite long/tall, I am guessing that was because they were larger tanks and needed more carbon, so I could make mine shorter right?

#3 What pump would you recommend I feed said reactor with? MJ1200 like Kevin did?

Thanks for suggestions and thoughts.

 

[Rob]

Tagging along

Hope you dont mind.....I'll be making one this week also.
I have a 210 with 100 gall sump/fuge

rob

 

[Miller]

Hope you dont mind.....I'll be making one this week also.
I have a 210 with 100 gall sump/fuge

rob

LOL, no problem....your system is about 10x the size of my little one.

 

[Rob]

they look simple to make

Pvc,endcaps, union, Guest fittings, little bit of hose and a pump.

max 1200 seems like it would be fine...

my question is how much carbon should it hold?

mines just tossed in my sump too, dont seem too efective.

r

 

[Miller]

one BRS member recommended to me 1/2 cup per 10 gallons of water. That would be 15.5 cups of carbon, I have no clue how much PVC space that would be.

 

[Tone]

LMK how you made out iam thinking of one myself

 

[maxfischer]

Pi x radius squared gives your area of a circle
4” id pipe 3.1416 x 2 x 2 = 12.56si
12.56 x 12” (length of pipe) =150.72ci volume
There is 1728 cubic “ in a cubic foot (12 x 12 x 12)
There is 7.48 gallons in a cubic foot
150.72 / 1728 = .087 x 7.48 (gal) = .6524 gallons

 

[stevenp]

one BRS member recommended to me 1/2 cup per 10 gallons of water. That would be 15.5 cups of carbon, I have no clue how much PVC space that would be.

That's way too much carbon. More like 2-3 cups per couple HUNDRED gallons of water. For your total volume of 33 gallons, I would think 1/2 cup or so total would be fine.