What carx should I buy???

PerplexyHexy · Mar 24, 2019

I recently received a bunch of sps corals and a carx... ive wasted over 12 hrs trying to get the carx to settle in... there is a leak in the top fitting now and you cam also see air bubble coming out of the fitting from co2 leaking... Im over it... Should I take it apart and try to fix it to save money? I have $1k to drop on a new carx... what would yoo guys do? Im looking at Reef Octopus dual chambers and Geosreef dual chambers... also would need a regulator and possibly a parastalic pump... i have a 300 gallon frag growout system... one tank is sps and hard stony corals and the other is for all soft corals... both plumbed in line... im a vwry busy guy, so I dont have time to waste 12 hrs a week with something and not get anywhere... I need to find something more efficient and a little more forgiving with my time... any adive would be greatly appreciated... this will be eventually a very big growout setup... id say I have around 100-150 frags currently

stephj03 · Mar 24, 2019

What kind of CaRx do you have right now? What is the ALK of the effluent coming out of the reactor?

You can try to apply some silicone to the outside of the fittings you think are leaking. Not everyone will agree with me on this but I would keep in mind that the goal is to melt the media in the reactor to dose ALK into the tank. As long as it’s not leaking fluid out, you may still be gtg if the ALK level of the effluent coming out of the reactor is high (over 12). If water is coming out on to the floor you prob need a new fitting or O-ring.

I have a Schuran jet stream and love it but I’m not sure you can get them anymore.

IMO, You can’t go wrong with Geo if you decide to replace.

A masterflex peri pump and a carbon doser regulator will save you a lot of time and hassle with setup either way. A stainless reg can be ever better but might not fit a 1k budget all in.hth

PerplexyHexy · Mar 24, 2019

stephj03 said:
What kind of CaRx do you have right now? What is the ALK of the effluent coming out of the reactor?

You can try to apply some silicone to the outside of the fittings you think are leaking. Not everyone will agree with me on this but I would keep in mind that the goal is to melt the media in the reactor to dose ALK into the tank. As long as it’s not leaking fluid out, you may still be gtg if the ALK level of the effluent coming out of the reactor is high (over 12). If water is coming out on to the floor you prob need a new fitting or O-ring.

I have a Schuran jet stream and love it but I’m not sure you can get them anymore.

IMO, You can’t go wrong with Geo if you decide to replace.

A masterflex peri pump and a carbon doser regulator will save you a lot of time and hassle with setup either way. A stainless reg can be ever better but might not fit a 1k budget all in.hth

https://www.marinetechnical.com/page13.html
Currently using this reactor

PerplexyHexy · Mar 24, 2019

Ive been able to get the effluent to 7.5-7.7 for 24hr which has been the longest... then it either skyrockets or divebombs... and the co2 bubble fizz instead of doing perfect bubbles

PerplexyHexy · Mar 24, 2019

Tank has been anywhere from 9.3-9.75 dkh

stephj03 · Mar 24, 2019

MTC makes solid gear buy yours may have a few miles on it. What kind of regulator do you have right now? How are you sending tanknwater through the reactor?

How much effluent is coming out of the reactor? I had problems trying to tune with it dripping out so I opened mine up and have a stream coming out. And I try not to have my controller turn C02 on and off, just monitor. I test effluent ALK and make sure it’s high and increase both in small increments if tank ALK is dropping.

I would silicone the fittings you’re worried about or maybe just replace them in one go.

stephj03 · Mar 24, 2019

It’s been easiest for me to set bpm and effluent flow as steady and constant via reg and peri Pump and adjust both up or down to match tank.

I felt like I was up and down a lot when trying to control via ph during setup.JMO

Remember, the goal is to melt the media, if the KH of the effluent is high, then you are accomplishing the goal. Everything else is style point.

If however you can’t achieve high effluent KH, then the air leaks and ph may require sealing to achieve the goal

But I would recommend verifying the Kh of the effluent first.

stephj03 · Mar 24, 2019

Helpful specs would be:
Bpm of CO2 from the reg

ml/min of effluent coming out of the reactor

KH of the effluent at low ph (7’s in your case”

KH of effluent when ph swings higher

Change in tank KH over the 24hr period after an adjustment.

Hth

PerplexyHexy · Mar 24, 2019

Thanks for all the info bud... i just pulled the trigger on a geosreef, carbon doser and a kamoer dosing pump...

ca1ore · Mar 24, 2019

MTC MiniCal is a bit small for a system that size - you’d have needed its big brother the ProCal. MTC is out of business, so used would have been the only viable route. Geo is a solid option.

Rick.45cal · Mar 24, 2019

PerplexyHexy said:
Thanks for all the info bud... i just pulled the trigger on a geosreef, carbon doser and a kamoer dosing pump...

Do yourself a favor and get a Sicce .05 or Sicce 1.0 pump and feed the reactor with it, and use the Kamoer to pull the effluent. Your setup will be much more gas efficient and you won’t have any gas build up in the reactor. Enjoy it, I love my GEO

Rick.45cal · Mar 24, 2019

PerplexyHexy · Mar 25, 2019

Rick.45cal said:
Do yourself a favor and get a Sicce .05 or Sicce 1.0 pump and feed the reactor with it, and use the Kamoer to pull the effluent. Your setup will be much more gas efficient and you won’t have any gas build up in the reactor. Enjoy it, I love my GEO

Comes with a sicce syncra 1.5

ca1ore · Mar 25, 2019

Rick.45cal said:
Do yourself a favor and get a Sicce .05 or Sicce 1.0 pump and feed the reactor with it, and use the Kamoer to pull the effluent. Your setup will be much more gas efficient and you won’t have any gas build up in the reactor.

Not entirely clear on what you mean? Sicce as circulation pump or as a feed pump to build a bit of pressure inside the reactors?

Rick.45cal · Mar 25, 2019

ca1ore said:
Not entirely clear on what you mean? Sicce as circulation pump or as a feed pump to build a bit of pressure inside the reactors?

You need to use a small pump as an additional feed pump to provide slight positive pressure in the reactor.

PerplexyHexy · Mar 25, 2019

Rick.45cal said:
You need to use a small pump as an additional feed pump to provide slight positive pressure in the reactor.

2019 model doesnt need that

Rick.45cal · Mar 25, 2019

PerplexyHexy said:
2019 model doesnt need that

Good to know

ca1ore · Mar 25, 2019

Ah, OK. I use sump height differential for that.

jda · Mar 25, 2019

I saw once that a few PSI of pressure melted like .1 more media, or something insignificant like that. I would not sweat it too much if it does not work out organically.

A reactor is a simple beast, they just recirculate water with a port for entry, exit and one for co2. Reverse flow, ehiem pump and the ability to trap excess CO2 is all that I am looking for... but in reality, reverse flow is not as big of a deal anymore with larger media, ehiem pumps are still good and I can always tilt my reactor to the side a bit to trap excess co2... so they all can be good if you buy a quality brand.

I use a pair of Korallin and like them. I have used GEO before and liked them. Had a knopp in the past and it was fine. Have a third reactor set up now from AquaMaxx (won it at a raffle) and it is fine too.

In all seriousness, if you have a high-demand system, get a second bottle to keep as a backup. The co2 always runs out when you leave on vacation or Friday evening when the welding store is not going to be open until Monday. I use 20lb cylinders, but I have a spare 5lb in the garage just in case.

PerplexyHexy · Mar 25, 2019

jda said:
I saw once that a few PSI of pressure melted like .1 more media, or something insignificant like that. I would not sweat it too much if it does not work out organically.

A reactor is a simple beast, they just recirculate water with a port for entry, exit and one for co2. Reverse flow, ehiem pump and the ability to trap excess CO2 is all that I am looking for... but in reality, reverse flow is not as big of a deal anymore with larger media, ehiem pumps are still good and I can always tilt my reactor to the side a bit to trap excess co2... so they all can be good if you buy a quality brand.

I use a pair of Korallin and like them. I have used GEO before and liked them. Had a knopp in the past and it was fine. Have a third reactor set up now from AquaMaxx (won it at a raffle) and it is fine too.

In all seriousness, if you have a high-demand system, get a second bottle to keep as a backup. The co2 always runs out when you leave on vacation or Friday evening when the welding store is not going to be open until Monday. I use 20lb cylinders, but I have a spare 5lb in the garage just in case.

Thanks jda... always like your input on halides and calcium reactors...