3hrs on/3 hrs off

[jake2045]

What timer are you using to turn the pump to the Zeo reactor on/off? Maybe a heavy duty ap. timer? Anything digital with multi settings out there?

[Aged Salt]

Jake, I just used a peg-type from Lowe's. Others may have used more sofisicated digitals, who can jump in with their suggestions. You may need a inline small check valve to prevent back-siphoning[depending on the water height in which the reactor sits], as the stones will need to remain submerged when the filter pump is "off". Bob

[jake2045]

Thanks Bob

[scottw]

you can also run it 24/7 as I have from day 1. I dont trust those cheap timers so I just run with it on all the time. I am sure a lot of others do as well, this is just an option for you .

[Chad W]

I thought the zeovit guide recommended running 3 on/ 3 off until nutrients got to a lower level. Maybe he's already there and I'm missing something?
I used a digital timer myself but the type Bob has recommended are pretty easy to set and the on/off action is done mechanically. Not alot of room for user error.
Chad

[Aged Salt]

No, Chad you're correct as is Scott. The zeo-reactor can be used continuously from the beginning, but nutrients are not balanced reduced as they would be with cycling the reactor. One can reach Phase 3 with the continuous use of the zeo-filter, it just takes longer. Bob

[scottw]

Bob, I have to let Kelly see that post, she says I am never right . lol

Hey I want to come over tomorrow and spread the holiday cheer, you going to be around. Shoot me a pm and I will give you a buzz..

[fkadir]

Yup, I have running my reactor continously as well.. It will definately get you to stage 3 but it takes longer like what Bob mentioned

[Orion76]

I see the Zeo reactor more as a bacteria reactor than a filter and I believe the 3 hour OFF time is highly beneficial to the breeding of bacteria.

There's nothing more reliable than the good old peg timers Bob mentioned

[G.Alexander]

While stopping the flow through the reactor, the environment changes from aerobic to anaerobic. While the environment changes the bacteria, hosted at the surface of the zeolite, consume more PO4 than at a constant environment. If the pump is started again, the same thing happens, reverse. This only happens while the environment change.

G.Alexander

[Orion76]

There's nothing more reliable than the good old peg timers Bob mentioned

AAAGGGGHHHHHH I wish I hadn't said that, Neptune did not look kindly on this statement

I always manually switch the timer to ON when it happens to be OFF when I need to pump the stones or dose the bak & food.

Lately I had noticed some tissue browning and even some hair algae appear here and there

Today I decided to investigate and found that the peg timer was able to switch to OFF but not to ON

So the reactor had been running for only one or two hours a day after my manual switch to ON for I don't know how long :disgust:

[marcrothschild]

Im no Microbiologist, but it seems that the filter would either host primarily aerobic or anaerobic bacteria, but not both. Over the course of time wouldnt the filter have an average concentration of o2? My guess is that the filter with 3 on and 3 off would still be a fairly aerobic environment. Am I totally off base here?

[Aged Salt]

Hi Marc, even with the filter running continuously, the biofilm formations occurring deep in the porous structures of the stones, create 02 deficit anaerobic bacteria. These anaerobes are more abundant though with cycling the zeo-filter on & off. Bob

[Orion76]

You guy's aren't as hardcore as me :p us hardcore Zeoheads run two 11 hour OFF cycles and two 1 hour ON cycles

[Aged Salt]

hardcore or hardhead? Bob