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Calcium Reactor Solution


wasp

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. :hail:

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.

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Any idea on cost yet Layton?

Special opening price for NZ Reefers?

Free beta test model for your old buddy wasp? :D

I wasn't ignoring you wasp :wink: 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

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Those costs sound good.

You didn't mention the free beta! :D

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.

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