GEO Calcium Reactor 618 - Help!

[jdieck]

You can put the top off on a timer so it only top offs at night but you need to use a doser pump to prevent all the volume from the day evaporation to be dumped at once when the switch turns the top off on.

Othe thing to do is to use the skimmer to help de-gas the effluent by dripping it at the skimmer inlet.

There is another effect you can try. You can add the same alkalinity using high reactor PH and high effluent or low PH and low effluent.
It seems that using a lower PH in the reactor with a lower effluent rate (increase the ALkalinity of the effluent but adding less effluent) has less impact on the tank PH. TO do this try running the reactor at 6.5 and the effluent adjusted between 20 and 35 ml/min depending on your alkalinity consumption.

 

[TheReefKeeper]

Thanks once again Jdieck
I'll give a few of those ideas a shot.

 

[TheReefKeeper]

jdieck
Should their be any air bubbles on the top cap inside the skimmer? Their isn't any air coming from my feed pump isn't it excess co2 is that normal? if not how do I fix it?

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11990595#post11990595 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TheReefKeeper
jdieck
Should their be any air bubbles on the top cap inside the skimmer? Their isn't any air coming from my feed pump isn't it excess co2 is that normal? if not how do I fix it?

Yes it is OK, the bubbles will recirculate once the gas reaches the inlet of the pump.

 

[edandsandy]

jdieck,
you are helping so many of us on setting up our calcium reactors. this thread truly has a lot of useful information. I could hope a mod is reading this thread and puts a sticky on it.
oh, by the way, the levels in my are steady now thanks to you helping, I think the best part of this thread is that YOU jdieck explained things in a technical way and like I said earlier, in a way a girl can understand. Or a guy!

 

[sgarron]

Thanks for the help, My levels all remained the same now for 48 hours. Still 30bpm, and 50 ml per minute. Ca 450, dkh 10. Ph is still 7.9 - 8.0, so it hasn't changed with the addition of the reactor.
I think I'll let it be for a few days and check the levels again.

 

[edandsandy]

sgarron,
keep us posted.

 

[sgarron]

Will do.

 

[edandsandy]

Heres our update.

Calcium 380, a little low for us, our corals seem to like it at 400, so I dosed with 2 tbs turbo-calcium this morning.

dKH 9 drops or 161.1
ph in the tank 8.32
ph in the reactor 7.9

all is good!

 

[sgarron]

ph in the reactor 7.9

Isn't that a little low? I've been keeping mine at about 6.9

 

[edandsandy]

not sure. maybe jdieck will be along soon, he will let us know.

 

[chadfarmer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12017821#post12017821 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sgarron
ph in the reactor 7.9

Isn't that a little low? I've been keeping mine at about 6.9

ph in the reactor should be 6.9 to 6.0 suggest starting at 6.9 and going from there

 

[edandsandy]

jdieck
what do you think is my ph in the reactor low?

 

[sgarron]

If you go back and read the thread from page one you'll see that you are actually high, not low. I don't know how I said low the other day.

I just checked everything and my alk was still 10dkh, my ca is still 450. That part looks good. But I noticed the ph in my reactor was 6.3. The light was off on the controller and the solenoid, but I was still getting bubbles through the reactor. I unplugged the solenoid from the controller and plugged it into the wall outlet to open it and then unplugged it again and this time the bubbles stopped. I guess I have a defective solenoid.

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12028282#post12028282 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by edandsandy
jdieck
what do you think is my ph in the reactor low?

Aklthough the abount dissolved may be very small at that PH, if it is maintaining your alkalinity then it is OK. Another posibility is that the reactor alkalinity is lower than that but you may need to get a better way to measure the PH, if you are using a test kit then you may need to use a monitor, if you are using a monitor you may need to re-calibrate it.

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12028448#post12028448 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sgarron
If you go back and read the thread from page one you'll see that you are actually high, not low. I don't know how I said low the other day.

I just checked everything and my alk was still 10dkh, my ca is still 450. That part looks good. But I noticed the ph in my reactor was 6.3. The light was off on the controller and the solenoid, but I was still getting bubbles through the reactor. I unplugged the solenoid from the controller and plugged it into the wall outlet to open it and then unplugged it again and this time the bubbles stopped. I guess I have a defective solenoid.

Most probably you do not have a defective solenoid. Even when the solenoid closes there is a lot of gas accumulated between the solenoid and the needle valve and it takes a while for it to get consumed after the solenoid closes.

 

[sgarron]

My low set point is 6.7, could there be enough to bring it down to 6.3?

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12030217#post12030217 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sgarron
My low set point is 6.7, could there be enough to bring it down to 6.3?

Depends much on the pressure of the delivery (output) gauge and your bubble rate.
Remind me what controller are you using, your bubble rate and the pressure at which your ouput gauge is set?

 

[sgarron]

It's the reef-fanatic guage -

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...roduct_Code=RF-CO2-REG&Category_Code=co2units

30bpm, 3lbs.

 

[edandsandy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12029800#post12029800 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jdieck
Aklthough the abount dissolved may be very small at that PH, if it is maintaining your alkalinity then it is OK. Another posibility is that the reactor alkalinity is lower than that but you may need to get a better way to measure the PH, if you are using a test kit then you may need to use a monitor, if you are using a monitor you may need to re-calibrate it.

jdieck,
I have a Milwaukee SMS122 pinpoint in my reactor.
I use API test kit. I will re-calibrate the meter in the reactor and let you know.