Is calcium reactor worth the buck?

[X-37B]

I knew that you turned one into a calcium reactor. I might not even need to add a second chamber, I ran it in the past without one.
what sort of reactor are you dripping it into.
I can just drip mine into my chaeto and help

corey

I dont remember the name.
Its only 2 1/2" dia and 8" tall.
It may help ph but my reactor is tuned pretty well and my ph is 7.9-8.2 and was a year before I brought it online.

I have thought about routing it into my 30g fuve but just have not seen the need.

Currently the fuge runs the same schedule as the lighting.

 

[CayeCaulker]

I used to run an MTC reactor on my old system. It made things so stupidly easy. I did have to monitor PH and had a closed-loop safety shut off of the solenoid and I added kalkwasser with an old hospital pump. That was 15 years ago. I ran a mixed tank with quite a bit of SPS so uptake under bright light and good flow were constant.

I am setting up a new system today and plan on exactly the same thing. They are easy to dial in and adjust to uptake. They look complex but they are stupid simple. On a larger system, they will save you money.

​

 

[mattfish]

I use calcium reactor for simple reasons. I am cheap, lazy and adverse to risk.

A good regulator, feed pump and flow control pinch is still eons ahead of a trident in terms of reliability and my reactor is as stable and steady as anything out there (I long since have abandoned any trust in pH probes, so I just let it run 24x7). I learned how to tune mine and can just glance at it and see if it is running OK and along with weekly carbonate tests, that is all that I have needed for a decade. I bought good used CaRx a long time ago and they just run and run and run with no issues, so I am probably down to $20-25 a year in costs which is mostly media and co2 refills. The laziness is that carbonate, mag and calcium all gets taken care of for me and all that I have to do is change some water every few months ($12 in IO for 44 gallons) and everything works great - I only have to dose some iron if I get busy and miss out on some water changes.

CaRx is not for folks who don't want to dig in and learn something all the way. You need to know how the thing works, how to tune it and all of that before you try and have a co2 regulator do things for you - they are mostly a mess and eventually all of the pH probes fail. Learning to tune a reactor by hand is paramount, IMO. It can be hard at first, but it is like figuring out a carb and timing on a car where at first, you are terrified, but after a while, you can just smell the exhaust and check the throttle response and know exactly what needs to be done.

The effluent from the reactor does almost nothing to my tank and pH, which I rarely check, is about 8.39 in the day and 8.05 at first light. Keeping the home aired out does way more to help than any effluent can do to harm. Of course, when the home is closed up in the winter, my pH can drop .1 in a few weeks, but I can always find a nice day a few times a month to let the 48" 10k+ CFM attic fan take care of the air in the house.

Lastly, I have had CaRx components fail and nothing crashes. It would take weeks to get out of whack to cause a crash which means that I was not paying attention. Pump on Kalk, pump on 2 part failure and you have a crashed tank in a few minutes.

Jada , hope you can help -- On your paper thoughts and Tuning , under Reactors in General 2nd page second paragraph you say you use a mainline T , are you T- ing the Eheim pump ? Because i have the Korallin C4002 and using the Carbon Doser , cant seem to get a constant bubble { little red light } There seems to be a lot of back pressure in the reactor , regulator works correctly off the reactor when i do the bubble test in the glass of water., So are you reducing the pressure some how with that main line T ?

 

[jmichaelh7]

I dont remember the name.
Its only 2 1/2" dia and 8" tall.
It may help ph but my reactor is tuned pretty well and my ph is 7.9-8.2 and was a year before I brought it online.

I have thought about routing it into my 30g fuve but just have not seen the need.

Currently the fuge runs the same schedule as the lighting.

So tonight I heard the sound of gas and I went to the calcium reactor and it sounded like it was coming from the whole regulator or tank valve.

The left gauge didn’t have much pressure left so the tank was almost empty. 5 lb tank since January , near empty? Not sure if it leaked or it’s time for refill. I touched the tank and it was cold.

When my dkh is too high the apex will shut the regulator off, and turn it back on when dkh levels are too low. Turning the regulator on and off this way , would this cause a 4 month old diaphragm to blow ?

I’m going to refill the tank tomorrow and see if it still leaks. I sprayed soapy water around the entire top and could not see any bubbles. I could just hear the sound.

Let me know your thoughts much appreciated

 

[Borat]

So tonight I heard the sound of gas and I went to the calcium reactor and it sounded like it was coming from the whole regulator or tank valve.

The left gauge didn’t have much pressure left so the tank was almost empty. 5 lb tank since January , near empty? Not sure if it leaked or it’s time for refill. I touched the tank and it was cold.

When my dkh is too high the apex will shut the regulator off, and turn it back on when dkh levels are too low. Turning the regulator on and off this way , would this cause a 4 month old diaphragm to blow ?

I’m going to refill the tank tomorrow and see if it still leaks. I sprayed soapy water around the entire top and could not see any bubbles. I could just hear the sound.

Let me know your thoughts much appreciated

THe regulator is not using the diaphragm but a needle. The needle should work fine - provided it does not rust. I heard some of the CO2 bottles (refilled fire extinguishers) may contain residues of water - that can lead to needle rusting.

You controller should generally switch t he regulation on/off infrequenty (as a good practice) - mine switches on/off 2-3 times a day only. How often does your regulator switch?


Btw my 5L fire extinguisher bottle lasted for exactly 1 year (4 foot tank).

 

[jmichaelh7]

THe regulator is not using the diaphragm but a needle. The needle should work fine - provided it does not rust. I heard some of the CO2 bottles (refilled fire extinguishers) may contain residues of water - that can lead to needle rusting.

You controller should generally switch t he regulation on/off infrequenty (as a good practice) - mine switches on/off 2-3 times a day only. How often does your regulator switch?


Btw my 5L fire extinguisher bottle lasted for exactly 1 year (4 foot tank).

It switches on and off every other day . I started reading on Milwaukee regulators … I don’t think it would go out in 4 months. Again I didn’t see any leak from bubbles i just heard the sound off gas.

Do you ever untighten the gauges? Im thinking of unscrewing everything and putting Teflon tape again

 

[Borat]

It switches on and off every other day . I started reading on Milwaukee regulators … I don’t think it would go out in 4 months. Again I didn’t see any leak from bubbles i just heard the sound off gas.

Do you ever untighten the gauges? Im thinking of unscrewing everything and putting Teflon tape again

You are not meant to seal the connectot with any teflon tape (don't use any!). What seals it is is this ring:

 

[Borat]

Normally a good regulator would come with 1x spare ring...

 

[jmichaelh7]

Normally a good regulator would come with 1x spare ring...

I did last night I can take it off. Is there anything else to tighten that might be making that sound.

 

[X-37B]

On a 2 stage regulator the left one is the pressure going to your reactor. It should not be zero ever unless you close it manually. Even if you close the co2 from the tank the 2nd gauge should still not move. If it does their is a problem
The right gauge indicates volume of co2 and should not move until the tank is almost empty.
Something is not right if you can hear co2 leaking.
It may be your solenoid valve is the issue.
My system runs 24/7 so their is always co2 entering the reactor.
No controller used and the solenoid valve is always open unless the power goes out or I unplug it.
The place you get your co2 filled should replace the washer. I just exchange my tank for one as its faster. The washer should be replaced every time the tank is filled.
Teflon tape is a no go on co2 systems.
You do have a check valve on your co2 outlet? It should be down stream from your needle valve and not sit right on top of it. If any salt water gets by that valve it will compromise the solenoid first then the rest of the system.

 

[92Miata]

The fact that you don't have PH issue is not indicative that adding CaRx effluent does not impact PH. I don't have PH isssue because I counter CaRx PH drop with Kalk. But that does not mean that CarX does not affect PH. It just means I have to take extra care to elevate PH back to where it should be.. Simple maths..

The problem is that there are a lot of variables in the math, and while every reactor will impact pH - the degree of impact is enormously variable.


I run my reactor at pH ~6.1-6.2, and 5ml/min. I see very little impact on pH in the tank because I use so little CO2 because the drip rate is so low. I see people with similar coral loads running 50ml/min through their reactors (at higher reactor pH), with much higher CO2 usage, and much larger tank impact, because so much more CO2 is being wasted getting the reactor down into the right range, and then flowing out the effluent line.

 

[jda]

4-5 months on a 5lb bottle is about right, especially if you "control" it and dump co2 which is somewhat wasteful. I doubt that your regulator is bad and Milwaukee ones are usually pretty good.

A 20lb bottle gets me between 5-7 months anymore, but sometimes longer when the tank is not as full.

 

[92Miata]

You are not meant to seal the connectot with any teflon tape (don't use any!). What seals it is is this ring:

I've swapped from using nylon rings/fiber washers/etc to using "Leak Stopper" fittings - just find them much easier to deal with. They just screw into the tank: (o-rings on both sides)

 

[jmichaelh7]

I've swapped from using nylon rings/fiber washers/etc to using "Leak Stopper" fittings - just find them much easier to deal with. They just screw into the tank: (o-rings on both sides)

Where is this located on the regulator? The rings need to be replaced every time you switch tanks?

On a 2 stage regulator the left one is the pressure going to your reactor. It should not be zero ever unless you close it manually. Even if you close the co2 from the tank the 2nd gauge should still not move. If it does their is a problem
The right gauge indicates volume of co2 and should not move until the tank is almost empty.
Something is not right if you can hear co2 leaking.
It may be your solenoid valve is the issue.
My system runs 24/7 so their is always co2 entering the reactor.
No controller used and the solenoid valve is always open unless the power goes out or I unplug it.
The place you get your co2 filled should replace the washer. I just exchange my tank for one as its faster. The washer should be replaced every time the tank is filled.
Teflon tape is a no go on co2 systems.
You do have a check valve on your co2 outlet? It should be down stream from your needle valve and not sit right on top of it. If any salt water gets by that valve it will compromise the solenoid first then the rest of the system.

I can hear the sound of gas or leak. But when I sprayed bubble water I couldn’t find any leak. The tank got cold and then I figure maybe it ran out of co2? The left gauge was all the way low sitting barely above empty.

I mentioned that when my tank dkh is 8.5 or higher I would shut it off on my apex controller board on my app. I was wondering if shutting this off and on would have an impact on the diaphragm

 

[X-37B]

First thing is tighten the regulator nut to the tank.
Where is your check valve located?
A pic of your setup would help.
Again the gauge used to set co2 flow should never go to zero.
My tank is off, valve closed to the bottle. Both gauges still register.
Here is a pic.
The left gauge is my reactor set pressure. Right is tank pressure.
My system has been off for a few weeks as I took down my 120 and the need is not their yet for the new system.
You should be able to tell if a 5g tank is empty as it will be light enough to tip over if your not carefull.

 

[92Miata]

Where is this located on the regulator? The rings need to be replaced every time you switch tanks?

It screws between the regulator and the tank and replaces the nylon/fiber washer that they typically give you when they fill the tank. The screw side screws into the internal threads on the CGA-320 fitting that is part of the valve on the tank.


I don't replace mine. I've found them much less likely to leak than the compressed fiber washers that the local airgas has.

 

[X-37B]

It screws between the regulator and the tank and replaces the nylon/fiber washer that they typically give you when they fill the tank. The screw side screws into the internal threads on the CGA-320 fitting that is part of the valve on the tank.


I don't replace mine. I've found them much less likely to leak than the compressed fiber washers that the local airgas has.

I may try one thanks! Although I have never had one leak unless I did not tighten it correctly.

 

[ikaros70]

IMO.. Ca reactor is well worth the investment, especially if you have a large tank / system.
One smaller systems, I would prob just dose 2 part and automate it with a dosing pump controlled by your apex or whatever system you have in place.
The reactors do require general maintenance.
I always replace the little washer when I refill my tank (new washer comes with my refill) and/or check o-rings, etc.
Replace as needed.
Also make sure any o-rings are lubed, will make them last longer and seal better.
Won’t bind up if lubed well, etc.
If it’s fairly new, It takes some time to dial Ca reactor in, go slow.
Patience, is key, your friend in this hobby.
I would just replace the washer/o ring at each refill, shouldn't have to worry about it much.

 

[jmichaelh7]

I may try one thanks! Although I have never had one leak unless I did not tighten it correctly.

4-5 months on a 5lb bottle is about right, especially if you "control" it and dump co2 which is somewhat wasteful. I doubt that your regulator is bad and Milwaukee ones are usually pretty good.

A 20lb bottle gets me between 5-7 months anymore, but sometimes longer when the tank is not as full.

It screws between the regulator and the tank and replaces the nylon/fiber washer that they typically give you when they fill the tank. The screw side screws into the internal threads on the CGA-320 fitting that is part of the valve on the tank.


I don't replace mine. I've found them much less likely to leak than the compressed fiber washers that the local airgas has.

Hopefully the video uploads.

Here is the Milwaukee regulator that I have the tank closed, and then i turn it on. You instantly can hear the gas / co2 leaking somewhere.

Like i mentioned i tried the soap and water , and nothing.

If you take notice, once i close the tank, the gas does not immediately stop. It takes a while to rid of what gas is in there