Cal reactor....Alk

[jkreefer]

So i started up my DIY Cal reactor 3-4 weeks ago and i have been able to maintain perfect perameters until today . When i tested today i was at 425 Calcium and 6.9 dkh Alk. I was wondering what do do because if i increase bubble count i think it will increase cal to an unexceptable amount. So do i just supplement with part two? Also i didnt see any growth for a while and just in the last week i finnaly see ALOT of growth, so i think this might have a part in it? Also my effluence has been really constant at 6.7. give or take .1

would dripping kalk help out? Let me know what you think.

Let me know what you think

Jeff

 

[northbay-reefer]

Aloha bud yeah the best thing to do is use baking soda to incease your alk to the acceptable level, eventually it will stablelize. Go to Randy's chemistry forum for the receipe

 

[jkreefer]

Thanks Tom.....Welcome back

 

[sulcata1619]

Your alk dropped all of a sudden because of the growth spirt. I guess that means it's time to build the Kalk reactor. LOL

 

[corndogg]

When using a calcium reactor, the media is dissolved in equal ratios which means that you started out un-balanced. The purpose of a reactor is not to increase only to maintain. You want your parameters to be at the desired levels when you start using it.

I would keep your reactor going and gradually dose an alk additive up to where you want it. Increase your bubble count slightly to increase the effluent alkalinity of the reactor.

I would test everyday or every other day to make sure that your calcium reactor doesn't spike the calcuim or alkalinity too high. You want to make sure that it is keeping up while not raising either CA or Alk. Use your two part additive to maintain the levels until you are no longer using the two part to keep your levels where you want them.

Don't forget that once your levels stabilize, you will get a growth spurt that will cause your corals to use more calcium and alk. So it is a good idea to watch your levels in about a month because you'll have to crank up the reactor another notch or two.


How many bubbles/min and what's your drip rate?

 

[corndogg]

Here's a webpage that will help you get your reactor tuned

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/reactor.html

You can tune the reactor with or without supplemental calcium and alkalinity additives on this site.

 

[corndogg]

Also, what kind of media are you using?

 

[jkreefer]

Acctually i didnt start out unbalanced, its been perfect for about 3-4 weeks. and i think i just hit that growth spurt, mabe thats why things are a little out of wack now. I just tested again last night and after a few slow doses of part 2 i am up to 8.0dkh and 430 Cal. my drip is 60 per min and bubble is 33 per min. I am using crushed coral for my media. That is an awsome calculator setup, I'll have to plug some numbers in, thanks Jason

 

[corndogg]

Those are good #'s to shoot for. Now the trick is to monitor those parameters everyday and see if the reactor is keeping up with the usage rates. Everytime you need to add two part to maintain those levels means you need to increase your bubble count and drip rate (but do it gradually). You basically need to do this until you are no longer adding two part and your numbers stay where you want them without climbing higher either.

Are you using a coarse (gen-x or schuran type) or a finer (A.R.M. type) reactor media?

 

[jkreefer]

It is the crushed coral they sell at 6th st, the size of hot tamales. And i just checked again and im low (7.7) so i just bumped up my bubble and drip a little bit and will check again in a day or two. Thanks again Jason

 

[corndogg]

With a coarser media like that I would shoot for a pH around 6.5