media reactor turned into a bio pellet

So I decided to try out this Media Reactor to see if it would work with bio pellets.  It comes with different filtration pads, 1/2" tube, and john guest fittings.  It looks pretty simple to install and pretty much plug and play.  

                                                          I drilled in 2 screws and made sure it would be leveled.  The John Guest fittings slip really easy to a 1/2" pump output.  The issue I was experiencing here is that I don't have enough space on my chamber to work with,  I placed the pump on the far right chamber, had to force it a little to make it fit.

After leveling the cap on the screws, the next step was to add the bio pellets.   I measured the amount with a measuring cup for 1/4 . I sealed it up and realized the screen is not enough to hold the pellets. Since I can't use the sponges I had to remove them.  I used some left over filter bag to cover the screens.

I placed the return hose on the protein skimmer chamber, I connected the pump and turned on the valve.  To my disappointment there was not enough flow to get the pellets to tumble.   The next thing was to upgrade to a higher pump.  I got the MJ 1200 and to my surprise the pump has a smaller footprint than the one I had connected to the reactor and not to mention more flow. I'm pretty satisfied with results. I dosed some micro bacteria to the pellets to speed up the process and now just have to wait a week to increase the bio pellets for 1/4 cup

Aquamaxx HOB 1 What a Beast!

So I got to say I'm very excited about the aquamaxx hang in the back.  I read upon several people that had use it.  Did my research and decided to go ahead and try one out.

The Aquamaxx HOB1 is rated up to 75 gallons.  Has a dimension of 7.5"x 3.5"x 17". Comes with a shark 1.0 made custom for the HOB 1 and has a power consumption of 11 watts. It's design to fit inside the protein skimmer to reduce noise and save space. Easily hangs over the back on any aquarium regarding if it's rimless or has rim bracket.  It has two screws that easily attach to your aquarium.

The Aquamaxx has a small custom needle wheel that inserts right in the shark pump.  The needle wheel turns the water into micro bubbles.  This air and water movement removes organic waste and sends it straight into your collection cup.


The quality of the skimmer is laser cut by computer and is made to last for years. It comes with a built in silencer to further reduce noise. FYI!!! this skimmer is really quiet, don't know how some people say it's noisy, so far it's the quietest skimmer i ever heard.

After installing this on the back of my tank I hit that wall that everybody experience with it.  I was unable to open the lid from my 28 gl nano.  So a few alterations where done to the return and send plumbing.  I had to cut at least half of each tube and end up gluing the return line since it was dripping water.  After I let the glue dried i re-installed it and gave it another shot.   The lid open up, no leaks, no fuzz and it was working like a charm.  It only took three days for the break in period for it to start skimming some good ol waste ;)