calcium reactor cant keep up with alk

[BOWHUNTER4250]

I do use a solenoid hooked up to a wall outlet. It only should go off when the power the whole house is off. ...so, emergency only.

Sweet ! thank you for the response , i want to pick your brain about tuning my reactor the same as you have been describing , reading what you've posted and thinking about in in very simple terms it makes perfect sense ........ its just a matter of getting there ?

 

[jda]

When you start keep a log and pay attention the trends. When you are tuning, only change one thing at a time, never effluent rate AND bubbles at the same time. Just do one or the other... usually bubbles since they are easier to count. You will get it. It is like how people struggle with carburetors at first, but then after a while, some old dude can just smell the exhaust and know whether it is the mixture, timing or both that needs changed. Once you get it, then you get it. I can pretty much look at a tank, look at the effluent rate and look at the bubbles and tell you if it is close or not. It is not even as hard as a carburetor.

 

[BOWHUNTER4250]

When you start keep a log and pay attention the trends. When you are tuning, only change one thing at a time, never effluent rate AND bubbles at the same time. Just do one or the other... usually bubbles since they are easier to count. You will get it. It is like how people struggle with carburetors at first, but then after a while, some old dude can just smell the exhaust and know whether it is the mixture, timing or both that needs changed. Once you get it, then you get it. I can pretty much look at a tank, look at the effluent rate and look at the bubbles and tell you if it is close or not. It is not even as hard as a carburetor.

lol .... i liked the old carburetors , they were simple and too the point , not all the electric crap now , so im old school , lamens terms , the KISS method .... ok if i PM you later to discuss

 

[lapin]

Same here. Only closes in emergency

 

[Breadman03]

FWIW, such a setup will not have added head pressure, though longer lines will offer a bit more friction. What will be true, is that the internal pressure inside the reactor will be a bit higher, but I would view this as a good thing as it helps to ensure the CO2 dissolves completely. I run mine under slight positive pressure for just this reason.

@ca1ore @jda, since this aligns with the OP's post I've got a couple questions here.

I'm using a Neptune DOS to pull effluent from my reactor and a Carbondoser for CO2 control. Teeing off of my basement return line would pressurize my reactor, allowing more CO2 to remain in solution. While not a current issue, about how much of a boost in performance might be expected with about 12 feet of head pressure? Would this also reduce the amount of CO2 used for a given amount of dkh provided by the reactor? Thanks for your input.

 

[jda]

I am going off of a long memory, but I seem to remember that Dr RHF indicated once that while the pressure can do something, the benefits are probably minimal... so cool if you have it, but not worth chasing if you do not. Ever since then, I just consider it a non-issue.

The only way that I have found to reduce an appreciable amount of co2 is to tune the reactor correctly for 24/7 operation.

 

[Breadman03]

Thanks.

 

[prfishgirl]

Hi jda I’ve been reading your posts regarding the reactor you have.. I’m actually trying to set mine up..same reactor as you.. Except it’s the 1502 if I remember the number correctly.. your using the small quiet one pump to fill the reactor? Can I use the aqua Toms lifter to fill it? My ehiem pump is shot I purchased a siccie with the same ghp can I use that to recirculate the water? I’m also using the new kamoer continuous peri pump.. so use the designated outlet port and not the top port.. just close the top port to trap co2...thank u in advance

 

[jda]

All of that works. If Toms is not made for continuous duty, then it might be short lived, but I have no idea since I have never used one.

 

[HawaiianReef]

Wow.. Just Wow.. This should be a sticky
The information in this thread is Gold.
Thanks so much for contributing jda.
"My first Ca reactor was in 92 when I was 16. We only used a notebook back then..." Dang!!

 

[JaimeAdams]

Tagging this as Im setting one up for the first time this week after I put my new tank in place.

 

[mjt82]

My korallin is working awesome. Alk has been pegged for like 3 weeks, corals are responding very well. I’ll be glad to help any way I can!

 

[AaaRr]

Been having tuning issue with my CaRx. I have been chasing bubbles and effluent counts. This seems so much easier I'm switching to this now. Thank you for all the detailed info jda.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Yea this method should be standard for people first starting out with a calcium reactor. People these days seem to feel the need to automate everything with probes and whatever gadgets they can. Keeping it simple is they key to getting a reef tank to grow out well ime.

 

[jda]

Learn how to do it by hand. You will get to where you can just look at the thing and know if it is working, or not. It is kind of like when people mostly HAD to know how to tune a carburetor and set timing by moving a distributor housing... it seemed daunting at first, but it was easy once you dug it and got resolved to learn... and then it enabled you to know so much more down the road when working on all kinds of things that use gas.

Even if you want to automate everything, it is good to know how to make it work by hand... it will help in times of trouble or even day to day running. The probe is the most unreliable piece of equipment in this setup, so better to know when not to trust it and when you can trust it by knowing what you are looking at when it is running.

 

[SeaDweller]

I know many people disagree with jda on different issues, but this is one thing that nobody should disagree on.

 

[jda]

Sorry for two posts, but just as an example, I was at a local friends home about six months ago and he was complaining that his GEO setup was just junk and could not keep up and asked me if I wanted to buy it since he was going to go back to 2-part. He set it up with the youtube video or using the BRS instructions to trust a pH probe/controller. We all know that GEO are solid pieces of equipment, right? We went over and looked at it and I could tell right away that there was no way that it was running at 6.55 pH and probably closer to 7.5. We unplugged the pH controller and I set it real quick. Over the next few days, and I walked him through how to fine tune it with a few text messages - being patient almost killed him, but he did it. When he got it all figured out and no longer needed any help, he calibrated the probe and it was still WAY off... he should have been somewhere around 6.6, or so, with the bubbles and effluent that he was at and his probe was like .8 off and there was no way that he could get it calibrated (I was pretty close with my eyeball guess). He was going to order a new probe when it hit him that he would never trust it anyway, so he just took it offline. Now the setup uses 1/3 of the co2, is rock solid and he only has to dial it up every few months as his stuff grows and demand increases.

/tldr

 

[X-37B]

Learn how to do it by hand. You will get to where you can just look at the thing and know if it is working, or not. It is kind of like when people mostly HAD to know how to tune a carburetor and set timing by moving a distributor housing... it seemed daunting at first, but it was easy once you dug it and got resolved to learn... and then it enabled you to know so much more down the road when working on all kinds of things that use gas.

Even if you want to automate everything, it is good to know how to make it work by hand... it will help in times of trouble or even day to day running. The probe is the most unreliable piece of equipment in this setup, so better to know when not to trust it and when you can trust it by knowing what you are looking at when it is running.

Exactly!
I have been running mine for 4 months now.
I can look at the bubble rate and effluent rate and know my alk level. Test once a week now and its very stable.
Very simplistic method that works, period.

 

[blstravler]

Hi @jda - question for you. My reactor is set at 60ml/min effluent ALK is at 20. I recently raised it to this as my Calcium was a little low at 400. My output ALK had been at 16 before increasing CO2. My Calcium really hasn’t gone up but my tank ALK has gone from 8.0 to 9.3.

I really don’t want my tank ALK any higher but my Calcium really hasn’t gone up. It’s only been 2 days so maybe I just need to wait a little longer to see calcium go up?

My tank is packed with all SPS and I don’t doubt if they are using the Calcium up that quick but I thought I would see a difference in calcium with the increase in output. I’m running Caribsea ARM as my media if that’s makes any difference?

 

[jda]

Make sure that your test kits are fresh and accurate. Then wait a few more days. My tank does not use calcium and alk in pure balance, but I can true it up about every 3-4 months with just a few tablespoons of dowflake (calcium chloride driveway melt).

Adjust your reactor based on carbonate and then adjust the calcium if you need to. I have never found it to work very well the other way