Ca levels from your efluent

[Felixc]

Just curious to what everyone's calcium levels are from the efluent of your Ca reactor. Please state amount of media used with bubble count and drip rate. The reason why I am asking is I am trying to compare my results with others. I am having a heck of a time keeping my Ca levels above 300ppm in system. No other Ca additive being used.

My setup:

100g display (30 medium-large SPS colonies)
25g sump
20g frag tank (no frags at the moment)
DIY Ca reactor (2 container of ARM)
75 bubbles per minute
110 drops : efluent
Ca level of efluent : 600ppm
Don't know what the ph is at in the reactor

System parameters:
Ca = 300ppm
dkh = 4
meg = 1275ppm

I know my Ca and hardness is well below what it should be, and with my creator running the way it is, I can't get those levels to raise. What might I do? Increase bubble count and drip rate?

 

[jiggy]

isnt the ratio is 10 bubbles per minute : 40 drops per second..

 

[Felixc]

Where did you get that? Seems way off...misprint perhaps??

 

[fishypets]

Felix,

Try to bump the effluent drip rate first before you add bubbles. I was having the same problem and worked for me. Also what is the dkh of your effluent?

 

[Felixc]

Ok I am going to increase the drip rate and leave the bubble rate alone. How long after adjusting did you noticed a significant difference. Have you had to increase your bubble counts at all. It seems a little puzzling to me to see how you could increase those level without adding more bubbles and increasing the drip rate at the same time.

 

[Ben]

If you increase your drip rate and dont increase bubble rate then the pH will go up in the reactor and you depending where it ends up you could end up with a lower ability to dissolve the argonite.

 

[Felixc]

exactly my thoughts. Increasing the drip would mean more of the CO2 will also be forced out of the reactor and leaving less gas to maintain the proper ph to optimally disolve the media. You maybe able to get away without increasing CO2 for a day or two but then I think you would also have to increase the bubble count to balance out the loss of gas due to higher drip rate.

 

[jiggy]

i meant.. 10 bubbles per minute.. 40 drops per minute..

 

[-=DieselDave=-]

Ca level of efluent : 600ppm

Don't know what the ph is at in the reactor

You need to drip the effluent in to a container and test the PH before you do any adjusting.

1. Are you using a re-circulation pump on the reactor if so is it working?
2.Check for leaks on the CO2 side of things?
3. drip the effluent in to a container and test the PH should be above - 6.4 and below 7.0
4. Test the Alk of the effluent it should be above 25dkh.

I never test for Calcium in the effluent, however with the drip rate and the bubble rate you are at your effluent should be much higher than 600ppm ca.