calcium reactor sizing?

coralbeauties · Jan 1, 2020

I currently have a two chamber mrc reactor that isnt keeping up with the demand of my tank. I am adjusting it with a method of using a constant high speed drip and using my neptune to turn on and off my co2 to maintain a preset ph reading. I am running a ph of 6.15 in the reactor and my alk levels are still slowly dropping. Should I look into a larger reactor or just keep lowering my ph level in the reactor? My reactor uses a mag 5 pump for the re circulation.
thanks for any advise or opinions
Jeff

lapin · Jan 1, 2020

What is the alk of your effluent ?
What is the rate of effluent ?
What media are you using?

jda · Jan 1, 2020

It is not the reactor, it is how you are running it. It is wasteful/inefficient and usually won't keep with a tank with even medium demands. A larger reactor will not likely help much... and if it did, not for long.

If you want to learn how to actually tune the thing and be efficient, then I can help. If not, then I will bow out and just offer good luck and happy reefing.

coralbeauties · Jan 1, 2020

By all means I would love to learn the best method!! I have mine set up from a guy on your tubes method of setting a drip rate just short of a stream and monitor my tanks alk levels and adjust the ph accordingly to maintain the alk level that I want. It has worked great for several years but with adding a 100 gallon frag tank with a lot of new frags I have been having to add alk supplement to keep the level up
Thanks
Jeff

coralbeauties · Jan 1, 2020

lapin said:
What is the alk of your effluent ?
What is the rate of effluent ?
What media are you using?

The effluent just tested well above what my salifert kit would read. In guessing in the 17 range. Currently using reborn and my drip rate is just shy of a steady stream. Basically a very fast drip
Thanks
Jeff

jda · Jan 1, 2020

Is it the guy that says "too easy method" or something like that? It is crap. This is why videos from people who do not have mature tanks are just completely worthless even if their setup looks "nice." Never trust anybody who tells you to throw your instructions away.

You need to stop using the co2 probe and controller and tune the thing by hand by checking the effluent dKh and nothing else. If you want to do this, then you will have to still test your tank and supplement for a while until you get it all figured out.

Cody had the same issue a while back, so you can thumb through this, or else I can help you with steps:

calcium reactor cant keep up with alk

I have a korallin calcium reactor that is working great but it cant keep up with my demand. I have the effluent all the way open and ph set at 6.4 inside. Would adding a second chamber help a lot or not really? I really do not want to buy another whole calcium reactor right now. If a second...

www.reef2reef.com

Think about this since it is a paradigm shift. It is easy to learn even if it seems hard at first... before long, you can just glance and the CaRx and can just "know" what is happening like Neo, Trinity and Morpheus looking at the green characters in the Matrix.

jda · Jan 1, 2020

You can keep on adding the final 1ml syringe to the salifert test and just add them together... or do a low res test.

BTW - I ramble a lot in that thread. Sorry... but it does get somewhere. In any case, if you decide to do this, we can start with just daily instructions and testing. You have to wait about 24 hours to retest your CaRx.

X-37B · Jan 1, 2020

jda said:
You can keep on adding the final 1ml syringe to the salifert test and just add them together... or do a low res test.

BTW - I ramble a lot in that thread. Sorry... but it does get somewhere. In any case, if you decide to do this, we can start with just daily instructions and testing. You have to wait about 24 hours to retest your CaRx.

Do it his way. Set mine up that way and it is so simple and straighforward. It should be the standard way to set one up.

jda · Jan 1, 2020

Here is my falsely equivalent, horrible-in-nature analogy to what that video is saying... when learning to drive a car, set the throttle at 7000 RPM (redline), keep the car in first gear all the time and use the clutch to control speed while feathering it the whole time. ...or you can just learn how to drive a standard transmission car. Horrible, right?

coralbeauties · Jan 1, 2020

Just checked with my Hanna and tested at 14.2
I locked on the co2 which is currently at 30 bubbles a minute and the drip rate at a steady stream of individual drops. Will retest my effluent in a couple hours
Thanks

jda · Jan 1, 2020

You are going to need to wait about 24 hours to see any real changes that will stick. Make sure that there is no way that the flow or bubbles can be interrupted for any reason (other than a power failure) in that time.

Let us know what it is tomorrow.

coralbeauties · Jan 2, 2020

checked my levels tonight and it actually went down. Got doing some investigation and found my regulator was set at only 20. I am wondering if the pressure being that low might have not been overpowering the recirculating pump's pressure completely. Turned it up to 30 and will see how it tests tomorrow.
Jeff

billwill · Jan 2, 2020

I recommend googling the subject and follow the many links you find on this and other forums. You haven’t mentioned anything about your system size or what’s in it. Your methodology so far doesn’t make a lot of sense. Make no mistake though, setting up a calc reactor to maintain alkalinity correctly has no correlation to having pictures of a mature tank other than it’s possible.

jda · Jan 3, 2020

Do you want help? If so, then stop touching things and just report back with a 24 hour effluent dKh level.

coralbeauties · Jan 3, 2020

24 hours after increasing the pressure from 20psi to 30 psi I am now getting 22 alk effluent output. bubble count is about 60-70 bubbles per minute with drip rate just shy of a steady stream. My tank's alk is now at 8.5 My system is a 350 gallon total water volume with mostly sps.
thanks
Jeff

vetteguy53081 · Jan 3, 2020

What media are you using and what is your bubble count and amount of pressure from tank ?

biecacka · Jan 4, 2020

I just took the probe out of my CaRx and tuned it @jda way. Was pretty easy to do and in a few days, it was holding steady at 8.1-8.3. I don’t have a huge demand right now, but adjusting it is easy enough that as my demand goes up it will be easy to stay on top of.

corey

coralbeauties · Jan 4, 2020

vetteguy53081 said:
What media are you using and what is your bubble count and amount of pressure from tank ?

reborn media, pressure at 30psi and bubble count at 60-70 per minute
Jeff

C. Eymann · Jan 4, 2020

Not using a pH controller is not really new or anyones "way" , its actually how reactors were originally designed to run like old Knop and schuran reactors.

pH probe is probably calibrated wrong, have you used a pH test to confirm?

make sure pump is not obstructed

CO2 proof tubing.

Consistent effluent rate

vetteguy53081 · Jan 4, 2020

You to a high degree Must use ph unit. You want it at about 6.5 at the reactor.
Bubble count should be 2-5 per second which is typical for many. At 70pm, I cant imagine what the PH is.