Making Sense of media reactors

[Paulip]

If you have media tumbling in a reactor, wouldn't the constant surface abrasion of the media particle lead to the release of chemicals back into the water?

 

[willtheld]

Depends on the media. I run my carbon reactor backwards forcing water down on to the carbon to prevent the carbon from tumbling and breaking apart. Gfo on the other hand clumps so I run the water upwards to tumble it but I do so a low rate so it takes tumbles gently.


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[jrpark22000]

Depends on the media. I run my carbon reactor backwards forcing water down on to the carbon to prevent the carbon from tumbling and breaking apart. Gfo on the other hand clumps so I run the water upwards to tumble it but I do so a low rate so it takes tumbles gently.
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Well said. These are the two most common media and it's how to run them. The ferric oxide (GFO) chemically bonds with the po4 so the tumbling won't release material back into the tank unless you have enough flow to force the media up and out of the reactor into the tank. Even then, it's easy enough to siphon out of the tank.