A variety of chemical resins are available to an aquarium keeper to help manage their system. Some products act on many different contaminants and some are designed to target specific compounds.

Getting the most effective results out of your chemical media should always be a consideration when employing them. Many media can be employed in a bag placed in the flow of a sump or external power filter but this doesn’t always work as well as we would like. After a while the bags can form a coating of bio film and detritus that forces the water around the media. Channels can also build up in the media that keeps the water from defusing throughout the product.

Using a Fluidized Bed Reactor
A fluidized or upwelling reactor is a vessel that contains your chemical resin and pushes water trough it from the bottom up. Provided with the correct amount of water flow this results in the media being suspended in the water moving through the reactor ensuring that the media doesn’t compact and channel. It also helps ensure that the water makes contact with the full surface of the media. A good reactor will have a valve inline with the input pump so that you can set the flow rate to gently stir the media enough to fluidize it without causing too much stirring that can cause the breakdown the media.

Media Reactors
There are several different rector types available today, here are some examples.

TLF Phosban Reactor

TLF Phosban Reactor TLF Phosban Reactor

The Two Little Fishies Phosban Reactor is a fairly simple example of these products but is very effective. You can use it for many different types of media and it is rated for up to 150g systems. It can be used hanging on the aquarium or in a sump.

Magnavore Simplicity Reactor
Magnavore Simplicity Reactor Magnavore Simplicity Reactor

The Simplicity Reactor is an in sump reactor that can be used with several different medias. It is unique in its ability to utilize large amounts if media in a compact reactor, up to 454g at a rate of 500gph.

Ultralith-Filter
Ultralith Reactor Ultralith Reactor

The Ultralith filter is an example of a fluidized bed filter designed for a specific purpose. The Ultralith system is designed to reduce nutrient build up in a reef system by adding probiotic additives. The Ultralith filter uses special zeolites as a surface for these bacteria to grow on and has a media capacity of up to 2L. What makes filters designed for this use unique is the stirring handle designed to facilitate the agitation of the media.

Chemical Resins
Here are examples of some chemical resins available for use in media reactors organized by their intended use.

Phosphate Removal
Phosphate removing resins are usually based on either aluminum compounds or granular ferric oxide. Aluminum based products like Phosguard are effective but implicated in causing problems in coral systems so it is better to use GFO in reef systems. GFO is available under many bands including Rowaphos, Phosban and Pura Phoslock.

Nitrogen Removal
There are several products that target nitrogen compounds in the aquarium water like ammonia and nitrate. These products use zeolite minerals or synthetic resins to remove nitrogen compounds through ion exchange. Zeolite ammonia removers only work in freshwater tanks but synthetic resins will work in fresh or saltwater. Fluval Nitrate remover, Chemi Pure and Purigen are all examples of media in this category. Some of these media can be recharged and used several times.

Activated Carbon
Activated carbon has long been used in aquariums to remove metals and organic compounds. It’s effectiveness is greatly increased by employing it in a carbon reactor.

Sulfur Media
Sulfur media is used in chemical reactors to encourage the growth of anaerobic bacteria that take remove nitrate from the water column. Sulfur De-Nitrators need to have no oxygen in them to work right so they must use very low flow rates and the output is often slightly acidic so the effluent is usually passed over calcareous material to increase the pH.