Please help me dial in my CalRX

[gideon2086]

Hey there. I’ve been running a CalRX for a few months now, and I can’t seem to dial it in - conflicting info on the interwebs isn’t helping. I find that I still need to dose alk to keep my SPS dominant 220g happy. Setup is as follows:

geo calrx
Carbondoser
Apex probe
Versa pump

One thing that I’ve noticed is that not much media is melting. I recently dropped the PH in the reactor from 6.7 to 6.4. It’s been about a week, and not noticing much of a difference. I have the effluent running at 30ml/min and the bubbles at 3 sec per bubble.

I need to dose about 30ml of Alk a day to maintain 8 dkh.

I suppose my primary question is what do I do to increase the alk output of the reactor? Lower PH further? Increase effluent flow? Decrease effluent flow? Increase bubbles? Throw my hands up in the air and regret this $2k investment?

 

[GarrettT]

What’s the effluents dkh? This will help us guide you in the right direction. Assuming your dKh is appropriate, you’ll simply just need to increase your flow and bubble output using the correct ratio.

 

[gideon2086]

What’s the effluents dkh? This will help us guide you in the right direction. Assuming your dKh is appropriate, you’ll simply just need to increase your flow and bubble output using the correct ratio.

I have not measured it. I’ll do that today.

 

[Snoopy 67]

Calcium Reactor Thoughts and Tuning

Some copied and pasted stuff from over the years. I will try and keep this document green and updated from time to time. If anybody has any suggestions, send me a PM on RC or r2r - jda on both. Feel free to send this link to anybody who might need it. Preface: This is for people who want to l...

docs.google.com

Best explanation I ever read, made it easy!

 

[Dburr1014]

Hey there. I’ve been running a CalRX for a few months now, and I can’t seem to dial it in - conflicting info on the interwebs isn’t helping. I find that I still need to dose alk to keep my SPS dominant 220g happy. Setup is as follows:

geo calrx
Carbondoser
Apex probe
Versa pump

One thing that I’ve noticed is that not much media is melting. I recently dropped the PH in the reactor from 6.7 to 6.4. It’s been about a week, and not noticing much of a difference. I have the effluent running at 30ml/min and the bubbles at 3 sec per bubble.

I need to dose about 30ml of Alk a day to maintain 8 dkh.

I suppose my primary question is what do I do to increase the alk output of the reactor? Lower PH further? Increase effluent flow? Decrease effluent flow? Increase bubbles? Throw my hands up in the air and regret this $2k investment?

Also, what media do you use?
Different media, different melting point.
Arm is good at 6.4 but that is lower in the melting point than other media typically is.

 

[GarrettT]

I have not measured it. I’ll do that today.

I like to use salifert for measuring my Alk, as the kit allows for you to measure a higher dKh level. Just fyi.

 

[gideon2086]

I like to use salifert for measuring my Alk, as the kit allows for you to measure a higher dKh level. Just fyi.

I’m thinking my Hannah can handle it

 

[GarrettT]

Hanna will only go up to 20dkh. I have both and use both for different things. Hanna for tank. Salifert for reactor. It should work to tell you if you are below that number though.

 

[X-37B]

Yea measure effluent and report back.
You systems effluent and bpm are very low, imo, for the volume.
Shoot us a pic too.
You are at 20 bpm
And effluent at 30mlm.

All systems are different but your numbers are low.

As an example I recently setup my carx again on my 80g 120g total system.
I am running 40 bpm and effluent at 60mlm. This keeps my alk steady at 7.

 

[GarrettT]

Much will depend on the size orifice of your co2 that’s being injected. I run mine through a Fluval bubble counter so mine my be different than the next guys, but likely similar.

 

[gideon2086]

Yea measure effluent and report back.
You systems effluent and bpm are very low, imo, for the volume.
Shoot us a pic too.
You are at 20 bpm
And effluent at 30mlm.

All systems are different but your numbers are low.

As an example I recently setup my carx again on my 80g 120g total system.
I am running 40 bpm and effluent at 60mlm. This keeps my alk steady at 7.

What do you want a pic of, the reactor?

 

[X-37B]

What do you want a pic of, the reactor?

Your tank. I looked at your old build thread and wanted to see what the 220 looked like.

 

[gideon2086]

Effluent DKH is 15.7

 

[gideon2086]

Your tank. I looked at your old build thread and wanted to see what the 220 looked like.

Don’t mind the dead SPS. Lost the big colony in the center from dosing trace elements. Started ripping out chunks this morning.

 

[GarrettT]

Effluent DKH is 15.7

That would explain it. You’ll need to raise it by either reducing the flow or increasing co2. Preferably to 22-28 dKh.

 

[X-37B]

Effluent DKH is 15.7

Ok you need to be 20+ consistently to maintain your system.

 

[gideon2086]

That would explain it. You’ll need to raise it by either reducing the flow or increasing co2. Preferably to 22-28 dKh.

Someone else had already said my flow was half of what it should be.

 

[X-37B]

Don’t mind the dead SPS. Lost the big colony in the center from dosing trace elements. Started ripping out chunks this morning.

Yea thats alot of coralline, nice.
Get your effluent to 20+ and recheck.

 

[gideon2086]

Ok you need to be 20+ consistently to maintain your system.

How do you recommend I achieve this?

 

[X-37B]

I would increase co2 bpm and recheck every 12hrs. Its not a fast process. Once you get 20+ then check alk and adjust manually to whatever alk you want to run.
Measure alk daily and if its low increase bpm.
Thier is a relationship between co2 and effluent. Once found its easy to raise or lower your alk level.
For now just adjust co2 until you get 20+dkh.