Increasing CaRx Effluent potency

[gdemos]

I have been growing SPS successfully for several years. Demand is very high with several fairly massive colonies 275g system

Tank likes alk around 7. If i go below 6 i get concerned. Currently at 6.4. Ca at 420

I run a dual chamber calcium reactor (CaRx) each cannister 8”. I control via masterflex peristaltic. I use kalk in my top off (mechanical valve).

CaRx media is coarse + neomag
CaRx effluent tests low at 10.9dkh
Effluent drip rate at 140 ml/min
CaRx pH at 6.45
Bubble count: too fast to count (pinpoint regulators)

Too keep up with demand my default move is to increase effluent rate
I have had to dose 2 part (usually just B) when numbers get really low. Id much prefer to meet demand solely by CaRx (and kalk)

Id like to find a balance to increase effluent potency without blasting too much gas and making mush (if i run below 6.4 too long ive seen too much media melt)

Tank runs pH 7.98-8.2

True or False: lowering effluent rate while keeping CaRx pH consistent, will yield a more potent effluent in time (increasing dwell time)

Whats my best proven process to increase CaRx effluent potency without pushing total system alk above my 7.0 happy place?

Thanks-Greg

 

[jda]

Lowering the effluent rate while keeping the bubble rate the same will lower the PH in the reactor, but also usually increase the dKh and Calcium in the effluent. Do you currently test the dKh in your effluent? If not, you can do this with salifert by just keep on taking the last syringe and adding the numbers together - 1.50 is 24... 2.50 is 40, etc.

I do not like to get below 6.5 in the reactor - I use ARM and it melts easily.

As long as you do not have excess CO2 from your reactor, the tank PH will not be bothered by the CaRx effluent PH. Does your reactor trap excess Co2 in the top like a Korallin, or others? The second chamber can help with excess Co2 and do nothing for effluent without any excess CO2.

To figure this out, you need the dKh from the effluent and the mls/min. You can raise the reactor PH to 6.6 if you want to push more mls through. In the end, this all mostly washes for me. ....slower at lower PH or faster at slightly higher is the same.

 

[gdemos]

That was my slight concern- its a bit of a wash: slower/lower vs faster effluent and a but higher CaRx pH

Yes my effluent tests at 10.9dkh which id like to raise to say 17 or higher

The peristaltic does a good job at making sure no gas gets trapped

 

[Bacon505]

I think the formula is weird. Im new to carx so what i understand is that the longer the water stays in the chamber will have higher potency. My effluence rate is a constant stream and i dont adjust it. I only adjust my bubble counts and bubble size to get where i want my potency to be.

 

[Mr.Fishtank]

When was the last time you calibrated the ph probe? Could be that it is reading 6.45 but the ph is actually higher. If it is reading correctly then you might just have too small of a reactor for your demand.

 

[gdemos]

Calibrated reactor probe 3 months ago.
I have to think this beast can meet demand
I can increase effluent rate from 140ml/min and i suppose i can keep cranking the gas up. But my hope is perhaps getting dwell time up may make effluent more potent

 

[cilyjr]

Greg and I have been discussing this the last few days.

His display is a 120g pretty full and a full connected frag tank so I believe the demand is high.

I'm of the opinion that the effluent dKH of 10 seems low for the size of the reactor even at 140 ml/m. I'd expect to see a bit higher.

Maybe @ca1ore @Randy Holmes-Farley might have an opinion.

 

[jda]

If the PH is truly 6.45, then I would expect more dKh from the reactor regardless of rate. Does the media need changed? I run mine closer to 6.6 with ARM get about 19-21 dKh.

When I was using man-made stuff, I had to drop that low to get 8.0 in the effluent, which is why I quit using it.

 

[cilyjr]

I'm using arm coarse with a 6 inch chamber (4 inch 2nd chamber) and I get around 17dkh at 80ml/m
My 2nd chamber is passive like Greg's and I've tested both before and after 2nd chamber ph and found a .04 difference so I'm maybe getting a small benefit from that but not 7dkh

 

[Mr.Fishtank]

I agree with changing to a different media. I am running a small GEO 612. I have the effluent at 80ml per min, with the ph at 8.2 and get 15-18 dkh. I'm using reborn media.

 

[jluspo]

What about changing the circulation pump to a bigger pump? Won't that increase dwell time through the media?

I have a korallin c3002 (the tall 24" model) and it's keeping up on my 120 gallon system. I do have some large colonies and a 12 inch clam. I thought about replacing the small eheim 1048 pump with something larger.

 

[ReeferBud]

No, dwell time is set by the volume of the reactor and the throughput (effluent rate). The circulation pump’s purpose is to ensure that the reactor chamber reaches equilibrium and is mixed properly.