Jump to content

Calcium Reactor tuning issues


Recommended Posts

Equip:

 

Korallin S-1502 reactor converted over to C-1502

Currently fed by a Maxi-jet 400 (considering getting a masterflex pump...)

Tropic Eden large grain media

CarbonDoser from AquariumPlants.com

120 gl tank, 40 gl sump, and 40 gl refugium/frag tank

(will be plumbing in a 135 gl folwr in a few months)

 

Settings:

 

Steady drip (much more and it would be a stream)

6 seconds per bubble

6 psi

makes my PH in reactor fluctuate between 6.73 and 7.2 (seems like a lot?) Apex set to shut off at 6.5

PH Probe was brand new 3 months ago and calibrated using 4.0 and 7.0 then recently verified with Borax and was off by .11 which seems close enough.

 

Issue:

 

Alk and Calc won't stabilize. Started at Alk 10 and Calc 425. Ran autodoser with reactor for a few days and then turned off autodoser. 3 days later alk is at 6 and calc at 375. (tested with Salifert and Seachem) I have to keep adding 2 part to bring back up. Then 2 days later falls back down. Tank uses 144 ml a day and I don't see any precipitation occuring... Adding ESV 2 part with autodoser over 24 hrs to avoid PH spike.

 

Open to suggestions...

 

Would it be wise to run Kalk in tandem?

Is PH to high for the media?

Helpful to add on a secondary chamber?

Anyone have a Masterflex pump for sale?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would slow down the effluent, should be around 40 drops per minute with that model to start. I always had best luck with a gravity feed, or aqualifter feed with the Korallin, they don't like to be over pressurized with two large of a feed pump.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got mine set (geo 612, pinpoint ph controller with ancient probe) like this.

 

Effluent - very fast drip, almost a stream, but not quite.

Bubbles- at 1 per second or so. Not really important since I have a controller.

Ph- "7.1" per the ancient ph probe. I'm sure it's not that high otherwise it wouldn't work. But as long as it's consistently inconsistent, I'm fine with it.

Alk now runs at 10.3.

 

So it looks like you have an apex. Use that as your ph controller. The regulator should have a solenoid to shut c02 on and off. Set the apex to have that on between 6.7 and 6.8 and off below and above. You'll have to set your bubbles a little higher too most likely unless your effluent is real slow. Keep effluent at about the speed you have it. Monitor alk daily.(calcium follows alk, so no need to test it. If you start even, if alk is low you know cal is low) If it's going down, just lower the ph some on the apex... Lower both numbers .1. A small amount is a big difference. If you see yourself down to about 6.5 or so, that means you need to up your effluent and start over.

 

The concept is, the more the effluent, the higher your ph can be and have the same effect. The lower your effluent, your ph has to be low to make the effluent strong enough to keep up with demand. There is a point of no return where your media will turn to mush, which you want to avoid. That's why you up the effluent and raise ph and keep testing alk.

 

If that's confusing I can call you or whatnot to explain it. You should not need to do any supplemental dosing with a reactor. Unless you had a tiny one with a massive tank. Now, you may choose to do a little kalk in your top off because most reactor tanks have low ph, kalk will raise it.

 

Recap. If your alk is dropping like it is, you need more effluent. Double the drips per second. It's not going to go to 13dkh overnight, just be sure to check alk daily and make an adjustment after 2 days or so. Reactors are a little slow, so fast adjustments don't show right away. Use that apex to keep ph in reactor at 6.6-6.9. I wouldn't let it drift much more than .1. So 6.6-6.7 or 6.8-6.9. If it drifts too much then you'll have inconsistent effluent concentration. If you find yourself not being able to keep the ph down in the reactor, up the bubbles per min/sec. With a ph controller(apex) the bubbles aren't super important. If you have too many bubbles, your apex shuts it off, if you don't have enough it turns it back on

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, I ran the denitrator with gravity feed, worth trying again as a CaRx. Read that about Korallin and not liking pressure in a RC thread also...forgot about that.

 

"Keep effluent at about the speed you have it. Monitor alk daily.(calcium follows alk, so no need to test it. If you start even, if alk is low you know cal is low) If it's going down, just lower the ph some on the apex... Lower both numbers .1. A small amount is a big difference. If you see yourself down to about 6.5 or so, that means you need to up your effluent and start over."

 

"The concept is, the more the effluent, the higher your ph can be and have the same effect. The lower your effluent, your ph has to be low to make the effluent strong enough to keep up with demand. There is a point of no return where your media will turn to mush, which you want to avoid. That's why you up the effluent and raise ph and keep testing alk."

 

That makes a lot of sense and will definitely prove to be a helpful reference.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Once you get it set, you only have to test alk bi-weekly or even monthly.

 

Use that apex you have to keep the ph steady in the reactor. That will keep the effluent concentration consistent and make tuning it easier. With it going from 6.7 to 7.2, it's very inconsistent. The ph number scale is a power of 10. So ph of 6 is 10x more acidic than a ph of 7. So you can see where a range that big will change how much it disolves by a large amount. That's why a .1 decrease will make a difference in concentration

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...