DIY Acrylic Reactor

[sbash]

Hi Everybody!

I'm looking for some insight to build a tall reactor (for fluidized sand). I'm currently using a random calcium reactor I got, and it works great; pictured below. I reached out to the builder of the reactor and he didn't provide me with anything useful. I don't need most of the calcium reactor parts, and I just put a valve on them or closed the loop in some fashion. I put a much stronger pump on it, and I can get a couple pounds of sand moving well. A such, I broke the closed loop with the pump, so the bottom inputs from the pump with the top outputs into the sump.

Alternatively, the Aquaforest AF90 type design may work (it's more like a traditional media reactor), as it is more sturdy than the Phosban style reactors. I tried the Phosban 550, and it worked well... Until the sand wore through the bottom (LOL)...

Anyway, the pictured design is ideal, and can get most of the parts easily enough, but how are they secured together, for example?

I appreciate any input and experience!

Thanks

 

[Flippers4pups]

Bump

 

[mav3rick478]

Check this out
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0144860905001184

 

[Karen00]

Check this out
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0144860905001184

Wow, this is a great article! What is very interesting is that it takes only 6 - 24 hours to go anaerobic if water stops flowing through it (thinking of a power failure) and it loses its effectiveness which I guess could take a bit to re-establish. This means a good battery backup for the tank is needed (or this unhooked from the system and it's left running on a battery in a bucket with a pump to keep the flow) or your doing vigilant testing after a power failure to make sure parameters are in check.

 

[sbash]

Check this out
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0144860905001184

Wow, crazy details, thanks!

Wow, this is a great article! What is very interesting is that it takes only 6 - 24 hours to go anaerobic if water stops flowing through it (thinking of a power failure) and it loses its effectiveness which I guess could take a bit to re-establish. This means a good battery backup for the tank is needed (or this unhooked from the system and it's left running on a battery in a bucket with a pump to keep the flow) or your doing vigilant testing after a power failure to make sure parameters are in check.

Yeah, it doesn't take long. My main one has been good after a 3 hour power outage. I now have it on a UPS and can easily connect it to my generator when the power goes out. I'm not fully satisfied with the power distribution on my fish system, but it's good enough for now (until it isn't, lol).
My smaller ones are toast after 3 or so hours. They are just running in a cheapo Phosban 150 size reactor powered by a Mag5. It's interesting to see, the sand is much lighter when it is not populated, the level it flows upward drops about 2 inches when it is cycled.

Okay, so we have the design out of the way, what about construction? How do the pieces bond together?