Grrr. My biopellet reactor died

[asylumdown]

erhm, I was just putting those there for, uh, visual effect. I didn't spill any of either (I actually did all the brushing and gluing in the sink, which might have been worse actually), but I did get a large dollop of silicone on my floor that I just discovered. oops.

in any case, success! I just dosed the reactor with MB7, and things are tumbling away. I can already tell it's improved as particulates that previously would have just hung around tumbling with the pellets are now rising and evacuating the reactor. My main problem now is that the force of the water leaving the enlarged effluent pipe is now stronger than the suction of my protein skimmer. Before with that little hose resting right on the lip of the skimmer intake line 100% of the effluent got sucked in to the skimmer. With 3/4" plc pipe sitting in the same place, it's blowing down right past the intake. I might have to cut an inch or two off the effluent pipe.