wasp Posted May 21, 2007 Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 Thing I’ve noticed over and again in various threads, is people having problems getting their calcium reactor to generate enough calcium and alkalinity. In theory, it should work great, the reactor is full of media, you set a slow drip rate of water going through, add Co2 to drop pH to where the media is dissolving, and should work fine. But often it doesn’t. Most people who have problems, say they cannot keep their drip rate steady. They either have some kind of tee’d off arrangement to feed water to the reactor, or some kind of small pump. Almost invariably they complain of clogging and having to fiddle with the drip rate to keep it steady. When this was happening to me, I had to reduce Co2 input or else the small pump that fed my reactor would not handle the back pressure and drip rate would slow or stop. Anyhow, think I’ve sussed it. Now my reactor is being fed water by a peristaltic pump. It is adjustable and can be set to any drip rate I want, but most importantly, it has a very high head pressure. It just feeds the set drip rate through, regardless. So I have been able to turn the Co2 up really high and the drip rate just carries on regardless, unlike before on the low head pressure pump I had. When I put the peristaltic pump on the reactor couple of weeks back, the dkh of the tank was 4. I wanted to see how the peristaltic pump would go so resisted the temptation to add baking soda, but instead wound the reactor up pretty high, and in just 3 days dkh was up to 7. I have now slowed the reactor to hold dkh at around 8, where I want it. Now I have not had to fiddle with the reactor at all, drip rate has remained steady all the time. All a person really has to do is set the Co2 pressure at a minimum of 1 bar to make it easy to get bubble rate where they want it, then have a peristaltic pump with good head pressure running the reactor, and the reactor should be able to work as designed, set and forget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkey Posted May 21, 2007 Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 mmm food for thought Im just setting my reactor up :bounce: . What media are you useing? I need to get stabilaty into my systeem. do you run it into a Po4 removal media at the outfeed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogmatix Posted May 21, 2007 Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 Wasp you should try the Carib Sea ARM media for your deltec (i think HFF still has some) My PF509 has run spotless since using this. Sharkey this media will be good for you too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted May 21, 2007 Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 Sounds awfully complicated just to add some calcium and bicarb. Why not use the dosing pump to dose calcium and bicarb directly? ;-) Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDM Posted May 21, 2007 Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 excellent idea wasp! i think i saw the thread on the pump you are using but to make sure, what brand of pump is it? also, is the out put tube size easy enough to rig up to the reactor? im going to give this a go, got 2 applications for it now i think of it, one on the Ca reactor and one on my sulphur denitrator, great! love new toys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted May 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 I'm just using the standard Deltec media. Is this Carib Sea one OK for a Deltec circulating reactor? The pump I'm using is this http://www.innovativeaquatics.com/produ ... ilis2.html , simply because it is adjustable dose rate, good head pressure, and a good price, but any peristaltic pump should do provided it's adjustable dose rate in the range we would want for a calcium reactor. The tube size just happens to be right for my reactor inlet, but wouldn't matter much just some stretchy type tube could be adapted onto anything. I'm not running the reactor effluent into a Po4 remover but have considered this, some people do. Just as an aside, my corals have been looking better over the last week or so, plus more growth than normal, it might be the stable parameters. Also I started up the zeovit again 3 weeks ago so that could be kicking in, so don't know which one is doing it, or maybe both, but anyway, I'm feeling good about the reactor. In the past, when I've been out of town for a few days I've turned the reactor off, just in case. But now I'm fully confident I could let it run while I'm away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted May 21, 2007 Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 plenty of people in the states do exactly this - as in force feed their reactors with peri pumps as they work very well against back pressure, its even suggested in some advanced aquarist articles. i did for a while but my peri pump was not adjustable, so i just went back to gravity feeding it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogmatix Posted May 21, 2007 Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 I'm just using the standard Deltec media. Is this Carib Sea one OK for a Deltec circulating reactor? Works perfectley in my fluidised reactor, dissolves a bit faster than the rowalith c+ too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puttputt Posted May 21, 2007 Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 Good one wasp, thats exactly what I was going to do on the new tank, having a spare peri pump now that i bought the tunze auto top up unit. Good to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tee-em Posted May 21, 2007 Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 Wasp awesome... just as i was pondering what to do to set mine up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkey Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 Wasp do you run the tunze top up into a kalk dispenser or straight H20? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 Wasp where did you purchase the pump? From Reef? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 This is the same problem I am having. I use a small ehim pump, the smallest and when I turn the drip rate down it stops. good work. but I need to know where to get one in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogmatix Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 Anthony Preston in howick has them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 how much Ben? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDM Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 hay wasp, what currency is the $199 in? do you mind me asking how much yours was landed? cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted May 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 Wasp do you run the tunze top up into a kalk dispenser or straight H20? Just straight water. Wasp where did you purchase the pump? From Reef? Got it from http://www.innovativeaquatics.com/produ ... ilis2.html although I think Reef has peristaltic pumps, as does Steve, although different brand. And according to Dogmatix, A Preston. hay wasp, what currency is the $199 in? do you mind me asking how much yours was landed? cheers. US$ I'm afraid, although the high NZ$ helps, I got a conversion rate just over 74 cents. cost me NZ$338.17, that was the pump, an optional backup battery, and a spare 3 year hose (although they packed two), plus freight. Also had to get a step down transformer from Dick Smith for $69.00 as it runs on 110 volts. So like many things marine it is not cheap, but i'm very pleased I did it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 Layton will have some soon. how far away are the pumps Layton? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 Software is virtually done, the hardware is working. But still organising cosmetic stuff, and regulatory testing which will take a couple of months. Overkill for just driving a calcium reactor, but great for 2 part dosing ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted May 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 Any idea on cost yet Layton? Special opening price for NZ Reefers? Free beta test model for your old buddy wasp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted May 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 BTW I can organise you regulatory testing for NZ and Aussie at a keen price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted May 26, 2007 Report Share Posted May 26, 2007 Any idea on cost yet Layton? Special opening price for NZ Reefers? Free beta test model for your old buddy wasp? I wasn't ignoring you wasp been overseas for a few days. Cost wise, you're looking at around US$399 for a three channel, similar to the Tec III? But it's easier to use, and a little more flexible. For a two channel, you're looking at around US$299. The prototype is just a two channel, (because I only got two sample pumps from Japan). BTW I can organise you regulatory testing for NZ and Aussie at a keen price. Sounds interesting. What lab? Do they do testing for EU and FCC too? Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted May 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2007 Those costs sound good. You didn't mention the free beta! The lab I have an interest in primarily only test for NZ and Aussie but may be able to sort the rest of the world for you. PM'd you re which lab, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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