My new reefmania.net media reactor
- Thread starter LA-Lawman
- Start date
Personally I'm not a fan of PVC fittings glued into the side of round acrylic. If you put any kind of pressure on the connected pipe, the acrylic will crack at the point of attachment, which is the weakest point. The leverage created by the long pipe will only serve to exacerbate this potentiality. Unfortunately, I've seen this happen with many otherwise well-built products and experienced it myself on more than one occasion. It happened to me recently with a large Knop Ca reactor that was built similarly to this reactor. Same thing happened with a Precision Marine Ca reactor. MTC skimmers were notorious for this as well. Acrylic isn't very flexible in that configuration and it doesn't take much pressure to crack it.
Some manufacturers have resorted to flattening the acrylic in the area of the fitting and using bulkhead-type connections or reinforcing the area around the connection to overcome this problem. Alternatively, if you use a thick-walled acrylic tube, the fitting can be screwed into the body of the tube, but this isn't a very economical solution.
Greg
Some manufacturers have resorted to flattening the acrylic in the area of the fitting and using bulkhead-type connections or reinforcing the area around the connection to overcome this problem. Alternatively, if you use a thick-walled acrylic tube, the fitting can be screwed into the body of the tube, but this isn't a very economical solution.
Greg
I agree with Greg, FWIW. It can be reinforced with a patch so that the joint is stronger, or support can be added to connect the PVC pipe to the side of the rxtor.
There is better design that move the side feeding tube to the top, but that will add a bit of labor to the fabrication.
However, you can only make it more resistance to damage, since to some people, no reasonable amount of engineering can make anything unbreakable
There is better design that move the side feeding tube to the top, but that will add a bit of labor to the fabrication.
However, you can only make it more resistance to damage, since to some people, no reasonable amount of engineering can make anything unbreakable
I paid $180... i need to look. I was worried about the pvc fittings at first but they feel very sturdy and such. I generally don't bang things around anyway.
I like the the way the reactor feeds. i dont have a center tube to deal with. so no worries about dropping media down the center pipe... I am gonna place some dLS pad as another filter floss to prevent the fine particulates from entering the tank...
I think when i can set the cash aside I am gonna get another one. so i can run carbon as well.
I like the the way the reactor feeds. i dont have a center tube to deal with. so no worries about dropping media down the center pipe... I am gonna place some dLS pad as another filter floss to prevent the fine particulates from entering the tank...
I think when i can set the cash aside I am gonna get another one. so i can run carbon as well.
There is no reason, other than build quality, which you've already mentioned. Same reason why Hyundai and Mercedes both sell cars. Also, don't forget, that the Magnum comes with a built-in pump.
Having said that, I've had My Reef Creations custom build a few reactors for me. In my case, I had special needs and wanted custom fittings, so the extra expense was somewhat justified.
Greg
Having said that, I've had My Reef Creations custom build a few reactors for me. In my case, I had special needs and wanted custom fittings, so the extra expense was somewhat justified.
Greg
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