Calcium reactor Q's

[Brianemone]

First Question is what method do you use to keep the pH stable

I know alot of people drip kalk top off water at night, do those of you that use this method use a timer on a pump ect??? just trying to figure out the easiest method of control and topoff.

[reef]

why is ph a problem?/

a ph of 7.8 to 8 is fine in a acro tank, it has been show that acros will grow faster.

refer fishes and corals by dieter brockmann.

[Brianemone]

i thought that the pH can potentially go alot lower than is safe.

[reef]

At tank with co2, will swing between 7.8-8. not problem at all.

[JoeBlog]

I feed the effluent into my skimmer.

[Brianemone]

yip i plan on that as well.

why is it them that people say they have pH problems when using calcium reactors.

[chimera]

After adding a calcium reactor, many aquarists complain that the pH of the tank is lower than it was previously. Aquarists often think that excess CO2 in the effluent that has not had time to react with and dissolve the media is the reason for the reduced pH. However, remember that the calcium reactor is adding alkalinity, mainly in the form of bicarbonate, (which itself will depress the tank pH) until excess CO2 is degassed into the atmosphere. Some of the bicarbonate is then converted into carbonate. This is very similar to the effect observed when adding sodium bicarbonate to your tank as a buffer.

In order to rid the tank of any excess CO2 and maintain a good pH, it is essential to have good circulation at the air/water interface.

The pH can also be boosted by using limewater as top-off water. Limewater (also known as kalkwasser) works by using the CO2 in the tank water and the hydroxide ions from the limewater to increase the alkalinity. In turn, removal of the excess CO2 leads to an increase of the tank pH.

Another popular technique to remove excess CO2 is to degas the effluent, either by running it through an additional container of calcium carbonate chippings or by dripping the effluent into a small container housing an air stone. Results from these methods vary, with some aquarists reporting significant increases in alkalinity or pH and others seeing little observable difference (probably due to different calcium reactor designs and their effectiveness). With both of these methods you must be careful. As the pH is driven back up towards natural seawater levels, some of the bicarbonate is converted into carbonate. Once the water becomes supersaturated with carbonate, it will be more inclined to precipitate onto calcium carbonate surfaces, and some alkalinity will be lost.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-05/sh/feature/index.php

I drip my reactor outlet into the sump right where water flows from the refugium (plenty of bubbles) Run the pH of the effluent at about 6.5 - 6.7 for optimal results.

[suphew]

I do the same as chim (bubbles from over flow).

For my kalk top up I use a peristolic (sp?) pump on a timer feeding from a 50 liter barral, the pump does 9 liter an hour, I think I currently have it set 5 x 15min through the night

[chimera]

For my kalk top up I use a peristolic (sp?) pump on a timer feeding from a 50 liter barral, the pump does 9 liter an hour, I think I currently have it set 5 x 15min through the night

pretty much identical to me although no kalk no im on zeovit. similar with the dosing, on a timer, feeds from a 220 litre barrel for 10 minutes every hour throughout the night. auto-top off would be nice

[Brianemone]

yip the autotop off is a handyone, still waiting on robin to finish his one.

so the moral of the story is as long as the excess CO2 is dispelled quikly it will not affect the pH too much

[Control]

I feed the effluent into my skimmer.

Why.

The biggest problem that people have when they first start to use calcium reactors is that they do not think of it as a calcium additive.

Drip feed only not flow it is not a filter.

That is why people have so much trouble. the low pH that comes out is nothing compared to the effect of the calcium that enters the tank.

[Brianemone]

that was a little hard to follow.

they feed it into i highly aerated place (skimmer or overflow into sump) to disperse the CO2

[chimera]

Why

coz a skimmer is generally well aerated so disperses excess CO2. quite obvious i thought.

[dogmatix]

when mine works i drip feed it into a basket of aragonite

[Brianemone]

what do you mean when it works??

[SteveA]

Effluent from reactor goes thru second media chamber then drips into sump. All water from sump is returned to tank via the protein skimmer. Kalk water is used as top-up, which is automatic.

Steve

[dogmatix]

I've ionly had it for about 9 months and have gone through two impeelors so far, the second just went so ill try and fix it when i get back :evil:

[wasp]

Yes i think that may be a problem in the highly abrasive environement of a recirculating reactor using tumbling media.

Can't be argued it's efficient in terms of giving steady output, but it is hard on impellors.

[Ira]

You can get pond pumps that are designed for pumping dirty water. Maybe something like that would work? If it can deal with fairly big clumps going through I'd imagine a bit of dust wouldn't be a problem.

[Control]

If you have CO2 coming out of your reactor then it is either a single chamber type (which is a bad type to use without adding a second chamber on the drip output) or it isan't tuned properly.

My DIY reactor is dual chamber, the first chamber is for the cycle and the second is on the output to use up any leftover CO2.

Dissolved calcium can be removed by skimmers, so what is the point of putting it through one when you need it in the tank.

[dogmatix]

fully i dont see the point in feeding into the skimmer for the same reason, i like having the media basket above the water line and feed the effluent into aragonite JMHO