Best Macro Algae Reactor?

[SCH14]

Looking for an algae reactor for my 310g. Just the reactor don’t need a pump and all that.

Don’t want to spend $700 like I’ve seen a few out there.
Any recommendations? Probably $100-300 range?

 

[kenchilada]

Looking for an algae reactor for my 310g. Just the reactor don’t need a pump and all that.

Don’t want to spend $700 like I’ve seen a few out there.
Any recommendations? Probably $100-300 range?

I'm in the market as well. There's really not a lot of feedback on these lately. Older feedback varies wildly.

If you read up on Pax Bellum reactors, there is a mix of love and hate. A couple years ago, people were dumping them super cheap. I've not been able to really tell if they are more work and expense than they are worth. They have gone through many design modifications over the years, so be careful buying used. The company seems supportive from what I can tell. Their additives are pricey.

GEO has the AR418 and AR618 and I see absolutely zero feeback on those. They are priced like they're god's gift to reefing. Looks like a total roll of the dice to me. Even with a Black Friday sale right now, you'd have to be a fool to pull the trigger on these unless you have a friend with one or something. They don't even have any kind of promotional video on their own YouTube channel showcasing results. One guy in the marketplace had to price his below half MSRP to sell it. And the output has to be above the water line, so make sure you even can fit one.

Tunze MAR has pretty good reviews. I've seen several people mention it can leak if used outside the sump. I'm not crazy about the look of these given the price. It looks pieced together as an afterthought with parts Tunze already had.

I'll probably go with a Pax N24 or Reef Octopus LR-200. The N24 is $300 more than the LR-200 though, and so far I can't really find any justification for the extra cost.

 

[SCH14]

I agree w all of that. Pax is a little on the expensive side for a reactor IMO. I dont think the reef octopus has red in the spectrum of lights, which if it did I would buy it