Two Little Fishies PhosBan Reactor 150

My last entry was a little over the top with satire, but I was serious about my aggressive action plan to neutralize the Dinoflagellates that have developed in my aquarium.

One part of my action plan included the addition of GFO (granular ferric oxide) media. I added a Two Little Fishies PhosBan Reactor 150 to the setup. I was pretty excited to get home and set the reactor up. Upon opening the box of the reactor, I was impressed with the simplicity of the setup. The instructions in the box were detailed and easy to follow. The reactor had only a few pieces, and was no trouble to assemble.

I purchased a Maxi-Jet 600 to feed water to the reactor. The MaxiJet is a great little power head with seemingly endless possibilities, and I was impressed with all the attachments and adapters included with the pump. Maxi-Jet power heads are simply awesome, and I can’t stress that although many consider them old technology, they are strong pumps, they are extremely versatile, and they are very affordable.




A great benefit of the Two Little Fishies PhosBan reactor is the options you get with one reactor. The media reactor is flexible; you can use it for GFO, activated carbon, or even NPX Bio Plastics* (*with the addition of the screen adapter). The reactor is compatible with many pumps as long as you use the included ball valve to adjust the flow for the media you are using (you shouldn’t mix medias in one reactor). In fact, the Maxi-Jet I purchased is overpowered for this reactor, and it may come in handy if I choose to run carbon instead of GFO media. I wouldn’t mind purchasing another reactor for activated carbon as well, and I am itching to run NPX Bio Plastics in the future.

The installation of the reactor was simple. All you need to do is assemble the inner components and adjust the sponge, add the media (I’m using Two Little Fishies PhosBan), connect the tubes and pump, and plug it in. The process only took a few minutes, and now my fish system is ready to reap the benefits of a GFO media reactor. I used 1/2 inch clear vinyl tubing, and forced it onto the maxi-jet outlet (which is 5/8 inches). I heated some water in the microwave for two minutes, put the end of the tubing in the hot water for about a minute, and then slipped the tubing right over. The included hose clamp holds the tubing in place on the Maxi-jet. The reactor can be mounted on the back of an aquarium, outside a sump, or even inside a sump. I installed my reactor by hanging it on the edge of the sump, but with the reactor body sitting inside the sump. This is a simple precaution to prevent and overflows due to leaks in the reactor. I’d rather be safe than sorry.

The Two Little Fishies Phosban Reactor is versatile, easy to set up, and will provide many benefits to my aquarium and my aquarium's inhabitants. The reactor, with GFO media, is expected to keep phosphate levels at zero, and hopefully it can help me tackle this Dino problem. Until next time...