OCTO OCT-MF300B 2.5 Inch Media Reactor

I was hesitant based on all the reviews, but still bought and have no regrets. I have a Reef Octopus skimmer so I was going of the name and reputation of a great product. This unit is probably the same as the AQUATOP MR-20 (not Prime), but like I said, brand name based… **When I bought this was sold by Amazon (was Prime) it out of stock now from them** I have a phosphate problem in the local water supply (hard Midwest water) it was high (+5ppm) within 1 week of use with phosban media… it is now 0ppm in my 90 gallon and there is a noticeable change in the algae growth in my tank. Its more manageable by my cleaner crabs and snails.I did some mods to fit my sump setup, but it is used like the factory recommended setup is. I added hose Eheim ½ in (12/16mm) to the output so it empties into my sump return vs right next to the input pump in my skimmer chamber. If you hang on tank, it comes ready to rock as is. I also changed the stock pump (95GPH at 8watts) to a Cobalt aquatics MJ-900 (230GPH at 8.5 watts). The included pump is weak, but functional I just had a MJ900 laying around and thought why not! In the reaction chamber it looks like it has the same amount of “churn” movement on the media. As I did try the stock pump first. Some reviews said the stock pump broke… I have been using it in my curing bin for live rock for circulation for about a month plus… it’s still working no clicking or failure.Some Pros and Cons:Pros:+ It works (+5 ppm to Zero in < 1 week).+ Customizable. Pump, hose, foam and media can be changed for your setup if you so desire.+ Simple. Input, media reactor chamber, output. Cons:- Weak (but functional) pump. I just chose to change mine for more GPH benefit. But for a smaller tank it would do fine in it.- About $20 more than the like version. You are paying for the Reef Octopus printed logo on the reactor and the Reef Octo OTP300 pump.- Instructions are very vague and have little value, just pictures really. Made me laugh a little… Green hands! But in reality, this thing is simple enough to figure out with pictures if you have been in aquariums for any amount of time. Just be sure to have the foam pads touching the reactor media then the plastic guards so nothing gets through and the hose connections are tight.Again no regrets, it works and looks good next to my other reef octo skimmer. If you don’t want to pay for the prime benefit get the aquatop version (no easy returns via prime/amazon) so if you do return, it will almost cost the difference to ship to a third party seller. Hope it helps… any comments add them before you so say unhelpful. I will try to reply

I don't understand some of the negative reviews. I suspect people did not read the assembly instructions. You need to use the flexible tubing to make connections to the lid.Pump is quiet. No leaks. Perfect.

Pump is a little weak

The product is fine, but the pump is a piece of crap. If someone has a suggestion for the best pump to run with this reactor please let me know.

I use it as a de nitrate reactor and actually turned the flow down. Assembly instructions non existent as usual from all products from China. Once you spend an hour hopefully figuring it out it is fine. I did not use the rigid tubes. Fits is a small space on the tank which is a plus. Comes with foam filters.

Worked great for the first two days. On day three I noticed a chattering noise coming from the pump. I unplugged the pump, plugged it back in, and the sound went away. Woke up on day 4 to the pump chattering again. This time I could not get the pump to quite down. I took the impeller out to make sure nothing was caught and causing the noise. It was clean. I noticed that when I dialed the flow down via the included control valve, that's when the chatter started. I'm using the reactor to run GFO, so the flow needs to be low so the GFO doesn't get ground up. Long story short, as much as I wanted it to work, it doesn't, so it's being returned. Going to try a different brand, maybe you get what you pay for, so I'll try something that costs a little more.

I was looking for a media filter for my reef tank.And for the price of this unit I thought i would give it a try.I was impressed with everything about this unit ,its very quiet ,and I think its helping my diatom issue I was having .I would recommend to anyone looking for away to control different issues there having with their tank to get one .there are a lot of products that you could use with this unit .

Worse reactor I have ever seen. Completely useless. It leaks, poor instructions, the pump isn’t strong enough to tumble my pellets. Stay away don’t buy!