7 month Diy CaCo3 reactor update

[greeneyedblackcat]

I figured I would post a 7 month update on my CaCo3 reactor, I revised a few things in my original thread located at http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=243755&goto=newpost, here is a picture of my final revision, it has worked flawlessly and seems to have a capacity to way beyond my 160+ gallons (my corals, coralline algae and clams have never looked better), in the original thread I had replaced the original caps with the handtite caps, these caps are the greatest thing since sliced bread and havenââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t been affected at all by the saltwater or the Co2,as to the Co2 setup the Ã"šÃ‚¼Ã¢â"šÂ¬Ã‚ polyethylene tubing and john guest speed fittings have also worked great (no co2 loss even through the valves), the base has also worked out great (no leaks even under pressure), I should have built this thing years ago, It is definitely one of the best investments (diy or otherwise) that I have made for my reef tank>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>GEBC

 

[ErikS]

Quit teasing us, I'm gathering the parts as fast as I can

Seriously, thanks for sharing the excellent design. Not hard to build & it looks great!

 

[greeneyedblackcat]

Here is a picture of it in use.

 

[greeneyedblackcat]

Eriks, Thanks for all the kind words, when you start buliding, if you have any questions feel free to ask>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>GEBC

 

[dragon_slayer]

nothing like having a DIY that actualy works
thx for the update.

kc

 

[Patrick G.]

Could I talk you into building one for me?

 

[ErikS]

Actually I did have one question. In the original post you mention cutting the tube w/ a hacksaw, did you ever try cutting it w/ a miter box? I know you said it would split if you tried to cut all the way through, but would this happen with a power tool? (I've cut a lot of schd 40 this way, but never stuff this stiff & thin).

A funny story about aquring the parts. I was in Lowes & I had all the pieces for the base, or so I thought. My Lowes doesn't sell the "squarish" thin wall end cap - it's more like a schd 40, rounded bottom. I must have spent 30 minutes trying to figure out how the pieces went together, boy did I feel dumb - lol. After a bit an employee came over to ask if he could help, it went like this:

Employee: Can I help you with something?

Me: Nah, just trying to piece together some stuff.

Employee: You realize that some of those pieces are thin wall PVC & other are schd 40, right? They're designed for different applications.

Me: Yeah, I know, I'm buying pieces to make a calcium reactor.

Employee: (blank look & walks away) mumble....mumble...mumble

I love these occurances, folks at stores always look @ you like you're nuts when you tell them what you're doing. Should have seen the look on the guys face (another employee) when I told him I was using the PVC to build a resevior for watercooling my PC - LMAO!

I did find the right end caps @ Home Depot & it took about a minute to figure out the assembly.

The best part of the whole deal for me is that I can run my keg & tank off the same Co2 supply :lol:

 

[scuba4ever]

LOL...yeah I know the feeling...I love the stare...you can almost hear them thinking...then you can smell the smoke from the overload..."you buildin' a reactor?...what's that?"..Good luck

 

[ONAGI]

I built mine from GEBC's design. He has come up with a great project. I cut my acrylic with my power miter saw. I cut it 6 or 7 times and not one crack or splinter. Go real slow, little pressure and let the blade cut the material. Nice straight cuts. I had trouble trying to keep the cut straight with the hack saw and rotating the acrylic.

 

[greeneyedblackcat]

Onagi, great to hear that all is well with your reactor, nice tip as to the miter box, Thanks for those kind words on my design, my CaCo3 reactor has been in operation for 19 months now without fail, I know many people put down mag drives but for reactors they are bulletproof, the mag #2 on this reactor has been running non stop for 19 months. I also have a Diy kalk reactor with the same result. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>GEBC

 

[Deuce67]

Mine is also built from GEBC's design. Works great. Saved a lot of dough too! I didnt think I could, but I did! 3 months and counting.

 

[eidillitih]

I can't find the tubing at the $6.12 price.

 

[greeneyedblackcat]

Try www.usplastics.com for that tubing

 

[RicoJ]

greeneyedblackcat, how are things still working?

 

[greeneyedblackcat]

Both my CaC03 reactor and my kalk reactor have been going strong for over 16 months now. Best investment I ever made.

 

[RicoJ]

gebc, Do you know if the caps were discontinued? I can't seem to find itl Also do you have pictures on how all the tubing between the colums are attached to each other and how it is plumbed to the aquarium?

 

[greeneyedblackcat]

Rico, here's a link for the plugs http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/6946/cid/1847 I will try to post a picture of the plumbing. >>>GEBC

 

[TheCoralNabber]

GEBC, did you find the 4, 4ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ styrene drain grates $1.95 ea
2, 4ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ styrene drain caps $.95 ea in the plumbing section on HD? I went and looked and wasn't really able to find them. I'm wanting to build one of these magnificent creations of yours but wanted to make sure that I could find everything first before I bought the acrylic tubing.
Thanks in advance.

 

[greeneyedblackcat]

You have to get the drain grates from Hd yard drainage department, they are not in the regular plumbing isle.

 

[TheCoralNabber]

thanks, I'll let you know how the progress comes