Calcium Reactor Dial-in Assistance

[jblasi]

Has anybody even seen mushed media? This is almost like a reefing Sasquatch. I have seen it once, but only have really heard tall tales and stories about it the rest of the time. The fears greatly outweigh the sightings. The only time that it happened to me, the pH got well down into the 5s and there was so much co2 that the reactor would barely work.

I have run my reactors at 55 dKh and not had media melt, so don't freak out about 25 dKh.

Okay. Well after my 1200 test. Both my alk and cal had went up without dosing. So with the reactor at 6.5 it was definitely adding. Actually ended up adding to much for my current demand.

 

[ReefGeezer]

I have a question... I have a dual zone regulator. Where should I start the low side pressure? Thanks & apologies for butting in.

 

[jda]

Just high enough so that you get consistent bubble rate. 15-20 is a good place to start. These are not super high quality pieces of equipment and the values can vary from brand to brand, so 10 might work for some and others might require 30psi.

 

[ReefGeezer]

Just high enough so that you get consistent bubble rate. 15-20 is a good place to start. These are not super high quality pieces of equipment and the values can vary from brand to brand, so 10 might work for some and others might require 30psi.

Wow. Had no idea that the pressure would be that high. I was thinking like 2-5 PSI. It would have taken me a long time to adjust the pressure that high and I would have been worried. Thanks for the info and quick response. I've got a really good needle valve on the regulator. Hopefully that'll help.

 

[jda]

It depends. You cannot have it so high that it will push right through your needle valve... so just pay attention and you will figure it out.

 

[jblasi]

@jda what should I do since it is currently adding more to the tank then is being demanded? Slow the effluent flow?

 

[sawdonkey]

Thank you for posting the effluent dKh... it is the only thing that matters.

Do this and report the effluent dKh back in 24 hours:

• Stop using the pH controller - plug the solenoid into a wall outlet and let it run
• Lower the effluent rate by about 25% - roughly, don't obsess over this exactly
• Leave the bubbles where they are
• Continue to supplement your tank with 2 part (or whatever you are using), for now... you can stop after tuning is done, of course
• We can make more adjustments tomorrow

Effluent dKh is the only thing that matters.

What about the amount of the effluent you’re making? That obviously matter too.

 

[jda]

You need to find your uninterrupted magic ratio. Then you raise and lower both the bubbles and effluent in that same ratio to meet tank demands.

I do not know what to do if you are stopping the co2 with a pH controller.

 

[sawdonkey]

You need to find your uninterrupted magic ratio. Then you raise and lower both the bubbles and effluent in that same ratio to meet tank demands.

I do not know what to do if you are stopping the co2 with a pH controller.

But how do you nail that ratio. Number of bubbles / ml of effluent? It just seems too imprecise to know how to dial up both CO2 and effluent.

 

[jda]

You let the reactor run uninterrupted for any reason and move the bubbles OR drips one at a time until you hit about 25 dKh on the effluent. Once there, then you count and measure and stuff.

 

[jblasi]

So after a few straight days tinkering with this guy. I think I finally have a full understanding of how changing the effluent flow, PSI and bubble count all effect each other. So after allowing the reactor to drop all the way down to 6.5, dKH to 25, flow at 15ml/min, and regulator at 10 PSI. The reactor was making way to much for my current tanks demand. (Unfortunately my tank is still an infant and only had coral in it for 2 months now.) my ALK started climbing from 8 to 8.5, CAL from 435 to 500. I know these are not exactly bad numbers, especially ALK. But I needed to slow it down before it got out of hand. I dropped the PSI from 10 down to 1. I started seeing a single small bubble verses multiple good size bubbles. Slowed the Kamoer down to 5 ml/min. Yes my PH started rising in the Chamber but as several of you stated on here, I am no longer using the probe as a controller but a reference. PH is currently ~6.8 the carbon doser never turns off and it’s keeping the ALK consistent at 8.1. I feel like it was a little more difficult to turn this because the demand in the tank was not drastic. I have a whole shipment on acros coming in very soon so hopefully I can take this reactor from a slow crawl to a leisurely walk. I do want to thank all of you that assisted and gave input. It really helped give me an idea on what I needed to do. I really appreciate it!

 

[dank reefer]

So after a few straight days tinkering with this guy. I think I finally have a full understanding of how changing the effluent flow, PSI and bubble count all effect each other. So after allowing the reactor to drop all the way down to 6.5, dKH to 25, flow at 15ml/min, and regulator at 10 PSI. The reactor was making way to much for my current tanks demand. (Unfortunately my tank is still an infant and only had coral in it for 2 months now.) my ALK started climbing from 8 to 8.5, CAL from 435 to 500. I know these are not exactly bad numbers, especially ALK. But I needed to slow it down before it got out of hand. I dropped the PSI from 10 down to 1. I started seeing a single small bubble verses multiple good size bubbles. Slowed the Kamoer down to 5 ml/min. Yes my PH started rising in the Chamber but as several of you stated on here, I am no longer using the probe as a controller but a reference. PH is currently ~6.8 the carbon doser never turns off and it’s keeping the ALK consistent at 8.1. I feel like it was a little more difficult to turn this because the demand in the tank was not drastic. I have a whole shipment on acros coming in very soon so hopefully I can take this reactor from a slow crawl to a leisurely walk. I do want to thank all of you that assisted and gave input. It really helped give me an idea on what I needed to do. I really appreciate it!

Is your effluent still at 25dkh?

I followed JDA advice, but I had to drop my effluent down to about 15dkh so that it would stay with my demand for now.

 

[biecacka]

The effluent of 25 is a baseline for a tank using a fair amount of alk I believe. I use this method and my effluent was 18 and my tank has been steady at 8.0-8.5 for close to a month now.


corey

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

I am remiss to jump into this at this point, but I will say that the "old school" way of counting bubbles and affluent drips is just a recipe for unhappiness.

I read sooo much stuff when setting up my reactor and there are basically two schools of thought.. control PH with apex or try to get your bubble counter dialed in.

I have the carbon doser regulator and could not get the ph to stay stable in the reactor. After a week of screwing around I did the following and it worked flawlessly.

Set the ph in the reactor through your apex to something that will melt the media. Start with a lower end flow on your kamoer pump. Like say 50ml.

Adjust the co2 bubbles so that they are slow enough that that the ph doesnt keep dropping so much after apex closes the solenoid. The ph in the reactor will rise and fall but it doesnt matter! There will be an average ph and average dkh of the affluent.

You need more alk? Then pump the kamoer up a little. The apex will automatically make the changes in co2 for you. If you find that the dosing pump is running too quickly the affluent is not strong enough. So just lower your PH range a bit.

The apex really takes a lot of work and fuss out of the equation.

My 2 cents

 

[jblasi]

I am remiss to jump into this at this point, but I will say that the "old school" way of counting bubbles and affluent drips is just a recipe for unhappiness.

I read sooo much stuff when setting up my reactor and there are basically two schools of thought.. control PH with apex or try to get your bubble counter dialed in.

I have the carbon doser regulator and could not get the ph to stay stable in the reactor. After a week of screwing around I did the following and it worked flawlessly.

Set the ph in the reactor through your apex to something that will melt the media. Start with a lower end flow on your kamoer pump. Like say 50ml.

Adjust the co2 bubbles so that they are slow enough that that the ph doesnt keep dropping so much after apex closes the solenoid. The ph in the reactor will rise and fall but it doesnt matter! There will be an average ph and average dkh of the affluent.

You need more alk? Then pump the kamoer up a little. The apex will automatically make the changes in co2 for you. If you find that the dosing pump is running too quickly the affluent is not strong enough. So just lower your PH range a bit.

The apex really takes a lot of work and fuss out of the equation.

My 2 cents

That is pretty much what I ended up doing. I turned my carbon doser all the way down to 10 sec per bubble and set the apex to shut off if it ever goes below 6.8. The Kamoer is circulating to where the carbon doser stays on constantly and keeps the PH stable.

 

[jblasi]

Is your effluent still at 25dkh?

I followed JDA advice, but I had to drop my effluent down to about 15dkh so that it would stay with my demand for now.

No my effluent has dropped down. When I was following his advice it was. But that strength was a bit much for my young tank. Once I dialed it back I think I’m at 14-15 now.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Good to know that it is working. no matter what I tried I couldn't get my co2 set to where it was constantly on and hit my target PH. Not sure why, could be because I have a monster CalRX?

One last piece of advice.. If you place the effluent tube near your skimmer inlet then the CALrx will have less of an effect on your tank PH (as the skimmer off gasses the co2).

 

[jblasi]

So I finally have my reactor running very stable it’s keeping my ALK at 8.25 - 8.3 just like I want it. However I am noticing that my cal is starting to gradually rise and now it’s right around 500. I have never kept my CAL above 435 until now. Is this something I need to try and dial back? Or is there even a way to do that?

 

[David Cher]

tagging along