Calcium Reactor Programming and Tuning

[FDAWG]

Hello Reefers,

I need some help with my CALRX programming and tuning. I've been running my calcium reactor for about a couple days now and I want to know If my solenoid should be cycling ON/OFF every 80 mins? Right now, My solenoid is programmed to open at 7.00PH and shut off at 6.90PH. I currently have my effluent drip rate at 1 drop a second and my bubble count is about 1-2 bubbles a second and I'm using Caribsea A.R.M. with Two Little Fishies ReMag media for the reactor.

Should my solenoid be cycling ON/OFF frequently or should it be maintained to stay on?

 

[FDAWG]

This is showing duration of cycling and duration of how long the solenoid is latched on.

@Terence

 

[James Kanouff]

My two cents, Try n get to a point where your reactor is more stable with out much apex control. Such that c02 is on for a longer periods of time and off a short amounts of time, I think the bubble rate is too fast. try n get to one bubble every 5-10 seconds.
For reference my unit is at 4.5 psi, one bubble every 10 seconds and about 2 drips per second. ph is at 6.95. I have a low demand on a 550 tank system. I use a low flow MJ1200 for flow to the ca reactor and I use a Carbon doser with an amazing super high quality Harris double stage regulator to control it and apex programing to send alarms if things get out of my tolerances. It does not shut down the system completely, only the power to the Carbon doser electronic regulator if ph goes under 6.70. and beep if under same or over 7.10.

I suggest and use a pinch style clamp to manage the drip rate vs a flaky needle valve contraption.

Very slow drip rate is too hard to manage.. better to raise the ph than lower the drip rate under 1 drip every two seconds IMO. its just very hard to manage very very slow drip rates.

You will quickly find out how you unit likes to operate but try n keep it simple over all to reduce variables. And test the ALK every day or you gonna cook you corals.

I quickly upgraded to a very high quality double stage harris c02 low range regulator system and a electronic bubble counter "carbon doser unit" to reduce variables. And it took me maybe 2-4 months to really understand my unit and its quirks and the correct "ZONES" of adjustment that was relative the the range the unit is designed for. Now its pretty much forgotten about at a year old. Just ticking along. i manually adjust all up a bit each week as needed. so i never over shoot my consumption. and i can obviously just drop the ph a bit if i see the need which has not happened yet.

 

[FDAWG]

My two cents, Try n get to a point where your reactor is more stable with out much apex control. Such that c02 is on for a longer periods of time and off a short amounts of time, I think the bubble rate is too fast. try n get to one bubble every 5-10 seconds.
For reference my unit is at 4.5 psi, one bubble every 10 seconds and about 2 drips per second. ph is at 6.95. I have a low demand on a 550 tank system. I use a low flow MJ1200 for flow to the ca reactor and I use a Carbon doser with an amazing super high quality Harris double stage regulator to control it and apex programing to send alarms if things get out of my tolerances. It does not shut down the system completely, only the power to the Carbon doser electronic regulator if ph goes under 6.70. and beep if under same or over 7.10.

I suggest and use a pinch style clamp to manage the drip rate vs a flaky needle valve contraption.

Very slow drip rate is too hard to manage.. better to raise the ph than lower the drip rate under 1 drip every two seconds IMO. its just very hard to manage very very slow drip rates.

You will quickly find out how you unit likes to operate but try n keep it simple over all to reduce variables. And test the ALK every day or you gonna cook you corals.

I quickly upgraded to a very high quality double stage harris c02 low range regulator system and a electronic bubble counter "carbon doser unit" to reduce variables. And it took me maybe 2-4 months to really understand my unit and its quirks and the correct "ZONES" of adjustment that was relative the the range the unit is designed for. Now its pretty much forgotten about at a year old. Just ticking along. i manually adjust all up a bit each week as needed. so i never over shoot my consumption. and i can obviously just drop the ph a bit if i see the need which has not happened yet.

Thanks a lot for the great response, I now believe my bubble rate is too fast. I'm operating at a PSI of 18 and a bubble rate that looks close to about 2 bubble a second and I also have a high quality Matheson dual stage regulator with a ultra low flow needle valve but for some reason I'm having trouble tuning the bubble count because sometimes I get 1 bubble a second and then a second later a burst of 6 bubble shoots out. I'll try adjusting to a 5 psi operating pressure and see if that give me precision on my Co2 dosage.

 

[James Kanouff]

I can't imagine when you would go over 6-8 psi unless you had to over come a high head pressure of a very strong supply pump to the ca reactor.

Several things are happening in a reactor. your over coming the incoming psi of the supply pump. your over coming the PSI out put of the c02 input and your working against the recirculation pump's resistance thru the media. BTW I suggest coarse or medium garage material.

you never want such a low regulator psi that if the needle valve gets restricted the water pushes back into the regulator. mine is right at that point that if my check valve will hold back about 8 feet of c02 filled clear tubing going to my bubble counter for a few days maybe a week before the check valve leaks enough to get near my regulator section. i think some day the check valve will fail. or the internal recirculation will fail or the drip rate will stop and then the Ph in the reactor will get out side my allowances and send me notification. I suggest considering those fail point in your design. Dialing in the drip n ph is really a matter of trial and error and it is best done slowly and track your changes on a chart so you can see if your getting better or worse from you target. Once there dialed in there super easy. Just set your self up for success by avoiding the above listed common failure points as best possible Im actually doing a talk on Ca reactors this month at our club meeting so this has helped me think of the points i want others to know about these great devices.

I'll also say i have made my own Sulphur denigrator out of a old ca reactor and man is that thing incredible! follows a lot of the same concepts as a ca reactor with out the c02 input factors n pieces. Just slow monitored flow thru media. after a few months of use i have fond the parameters you need to keep for good function. for me its all in the fun of the Reef tank hobby.

 

[Victor Guyton]

I have issues with my bpm. I upgraded to versa pump but still has same issues. Psi is 15

 

[ca1ore]

I can't imagine when you would go over 6-8 psi unless you had to over come a high head pressure of a very strong supply pump to the ca reactor.

I run my reactor at an internal PSI of about 4 which requires me to run the carbon doser regulator at about 15. Otherwise I don't get adequate bubble sizes.

 

[ca1ore]

My sense is that many (most?) long time CaRx users have set theirs so that it runs essentially 24/7. The solenoid is there just in case, but it is open all the time (I do cycle mine once a day to make sure it is not stuck open). Requires a bit of trial and error, but it is pretty simple to get the effluent and CO2 addition balanced so that a specific pH is maintained. I run mine at nominally 6.7 with reborn

 

[dadnjesse]

My sense is that many (most?) long time CaRx users have set theirs so that it runs essentially 24/7. The solenoid is there just in case, but it is open all the time (I do cycle mine once a day to make sure it is not stuck open). Requires a bit of trial and error, but it is pretty simple to get the effluent and CO2 addition balanced so that a specific pH is maintained. I run mine at nominally 6.7 with reborn

Doesn't the solenoid on the Carbon Doser open and close between seconds for the bubbles not from on and off from the apex.

 

[ca1ore]

Doesn't the solenoid on the Carbon Doser open and close between seconds for the bubbles not from on and off from the apex.

I’m relatively new to it but that is how I understand the carbon doser dispenses CO2 yes, but it did not appear from the pictures that the OP is using one. Though even with the carbon doser you can use apex control to turn it on and off based on pH. I probably don’t need to be cycling it though .... good point.

 

[bubblemytip]

I prefer to run my reactor with a bubble count high enough that, remotely, I can decrease the pH set point of the reactor if my alkalinity results are trending downwards (from Alkatronic). You can figure out a bubble rate that, if the solenoid were stuck on, the pH would only drop to a certain point, and for me, the Alkatronic would shut off the regulator if my tank's alk were to go too high. If I were to have a set bubble rate that kept the pH at one point and I needed to change the effluent concentration, I could not do it without manually adjusting.

 

[X-37B]

I run my reactor at 20 psi.
On my system the solenoid is on unless power goes off.
ADA dual stage regulator with swagelok needle valve.
My carx is rather small- Tunze 3171.
I run Tunze manmade media.
64bpm and 30mlpm effluent.
This gives me 22DKH effluent and a steady tank DKH of 8.
No controler and no ph probe in reactor.
I started at 10 psi then 15 now 20.
On my system 20psi was needed to keep the bpm consistent.
I believe it took the higher psi to overcome the check valve to be consistent.
IMO you have either an air leak or something is not right with your regulator/needle valve if you get a rush of bubbles like you said.
Spray some soapy water on all regulator fittings to check for a possible leak.
I am actually a little above 20psi.