Help using calcium reactor

[Nht]

Hey all. I just set up my Precision Marine calcium reactor. Its hooked up to a my AquaController jr and is setup to turn off the Co2 when the pH drops below 6.5. My friend actually came over to set it up but didnt explain to me how everything works.

The thing is, I am a bit clueless of how and why things work in the whole setup. Is there a "for dummies" guide on setting up a calc reactor somewhere? Or could someone explain the basics to me? Thanks!!

 

[rdvab]

c02 lowers ph,when it is injected into the chamber of the reactor the ph drops.Low ph(below7)dissolves the media in the reactor ,releasing minerals as a liquid from the reactor.The effluent exiting the reactor isbelow 7 but actually helps to maintain a stedy ph in the display tank.When you have a constnt release of "additives"like this your tank becomes very stable.Not like pouring in and raising everything andthen it drops until next time...
That is my basic understanding.
fwiw

 

[gflat65]

I've been fighting one for a few months now... dKh is around 17 right now.

As rdvab mentions, adding CO2 to the chambers with media reduces the pH. Typically, you want the effluent to be 6.5-6.7, but this can vary on the type of media (smaller media will dissolve much faster under lower pH's, etc.). I'm not familiar with a Precision Marine Ca Rx, but on my CR6 (MRC), I control the bubble input amount with the regulator and a bubble counter and the effluent out of the chambers to the display with another needle valve. After you let it run for a few days to let the effluent stabilize, test the effluent (into the display) to see where you are in terms of pH. If it is high (well out of the 6.5-6.7'ish range), reduce the effluent flow rate into the tank. The number of CO2 bubbles into the chamber staying the same will decrease the pH in the chambers. You'll likely need to adjust both, but lower effluent out and high CO2 in is going to result in low pH in the chamber (just so you know for adjustment).

You also need to test the alk and Ca in your tank after it's had some time to stabilize in the chamber and the tank. If your alk is low, you need more effluent to the tank. As a general guideline, increase proportionally (if you double effluent, double CO2 input). The fun is in the initial setup. Once you get the pH of the effluent correct AND the alk/Ca balance correct in the display, you should only have to monitor every couple of weeks to detect swings. In the beginning, expect some potentially big swings. If you start with lower output and adjust up, you won't have as many issues. I've had a number due to equipment and GIGO... I think I've got it on track now, though. dKh is coming down finally (color is popping since the dKh went up so much, though). HTH...

 

[Nht]

So...I want the effluent to be at a constant 6.5-6.7 right? What if it goes above 6.7...what do I do? With the effluent at this range, that means the co2 is always on. I WANT the co2 always on right? It just seems like with it on all the time, I can go thru a small 5 lb bottle pretty quickly.

 

[chadfarmer]

efflluent must below 6.7 to dissolve the media (on my old tank i was running the effluent at 6.0 but my amount of water was half what it is now)

you dont have to have the co2 always on (i run mine on a controller)

you want a broken stream out of the effluent hose

test your water every 24 hours the alkalinity

also if you want to check to see that the effluent doesnt get clogged thats why its a broken stream (anything less usually gets clogged)

i have used 6 brands of reactors and they all work the same

 

[rdvab]

You shouldn't be going thru c02 very fast.1 bubble/sec and a 20#tank lasts about 6 months.

 

[chadfarmer]

depends on his demand depends on how long the co2 tank should last

i ran a 5 lb for 1 1/2 year in the past

 

[gflat65]

So...I want the effluent to be at a constant 6.5-6.7 right? What if it goes above 6.7...what do I do? With the effluent at this range, that means the co2 is always on. I WANT the co2 always on right? It just seems like with it on all the time, I can go thru a small 5 lb bottle pretty quickly.

If the effluent goes above 6.7, either reduce the effluent flow to the tank, or increase the bubble count. More CO2 in the chamber gets a lower pH. I run mine on a controller, too, but I may do it different than others. I have the CO2 solenoid turned off if the tank pH drops to 7.85. I don't have the effluent set up with a probe (manually test output). If you have a high load and have a lot of effluent going to the tank, the CO2 will run a lot more (has to keep up with need of low pH in chamber). If the demand is lower, less effluent going to the tank should mean less CO2 required to keep the pH correct in the chambers. Keep a close eye on it early on. If anything goes way out, don't over react and correct too fast.

I have a friend with a Shuran Ca Rx and when he explained how it works to me, I couldn't quite follow. We weren't talking in the same terms to begin with, but what I think he was telling me had several differences to what I'm used to seeing.

 

[Nht]

ok....so in essence. 6.5 on the effluent is just a starting point right? If I dont have any high calcium demanding corals in my tank right now, then I could bump up the solenoid to kick on at like say for example, 7.0? What do I do if my calcium and alkalinity is too high or too low? I'm still not quite following. This is the most confusing part of tank setup thus far. Thanks for all who have been helping.

 

[chadfarmer]

to high turn off calcium reactor

to low (more effuent or lower ph)

 

[Nht]

I understand that much. Lets do an example. If my calcium is, lets say 350. What do I do then? What if my calcium is, lets say 500? What action do I take? I was able to get my effluent to read 6.5 all day today so my solenoid has been on all day. Is this where I want to be at? Do I want the Co2 to always be pumping thru?

 

[gflat65]

I watch alk more than Ca... The system should almost balance, so if the alk is correct, you should be good on Ca (or have to supplement a little-not likely if you have no demand).

Get pH correct in Ca Rx (~6.5-6.7, much higher and it may not dissolve properly and lower it will dissolve too fast).

If display alk low-increase effluent (and CO2 by same percentage to hold pH in reactor).

If display alk high-decrease effluent (and CO2 by same percentage...).

You can probably tweak a little here and there with the effluent pH, but this should be a general guideline.

Basics-if the alk is too high and Ca too low, add Ca supplementation and let Alk come down on its own until they balance (and vice versa). Don't correct too fast.