Aquarium Sand reactor

thingiverse

I decided to create a sand reactor to remove ammonia from my tank by passing water through the sand. The sand becomes liquefied and deposits ammonia as it flows through it. I installed the reactor in my newly built refugium, using a 2-liter Coke bottle that I cut the bottom off of and trimmed to fit with a rectangle-shaped opening to prevent water spillage. I placed an inner tube into the bottle and filled it with approximately 3-4 inches of sand, experimenting to find the optimal amount. Initially, I tried placing a round filter sponge at the bottom, but it was ineffective in keeping the sand in place, so I discarded that idea. Surprisingly, the reactor works better without it. As the stable base, I utilized an Aquarium - Brine Shrimp Hatchery (Modular) design by Psychotic_Chimp, downloaded from Thingiverse on December 25, 2018. The link to the design is available below: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3313194 I trimmed the base to fit my refugium's dimensions and sealed the holes with silicone sealant, creating a sturdy foundation. The outer tube diameter measures 16.4 mm, fitting snugly around the inner tube, while the hose has an inner diameter of 16 mm and an outer diameter of 22 mm, making it a 16/22 pipe connection. The principle of operation involves water flowing down the center of the tube, hitting the bottom, and then traveling up the outside of the tube through the round base and into the sand. The fine floss inside the bottle was my wife's idea to capture fine particles; we'll see if it works effectively.