Korallin Calcium Reactor
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dragon_slayer
In Memoriam
if your getting 25 dKH out of it, the media is not exhausted and media doesn't exhaust in any particular time frame. it's based on the amount of media, the surface area of that media and the demands of your system on how long it will last in your reactor. it is however my opinion (and thats only my opinion based on personal experience) that media should be replaced at least once a year 100%
kc
kc
dragon_slayer
In Memoriam
lets get technical here,,,,,,,,,do you know where your media came from??? how old is it??? 
kc
kc
builderguy
New member
I bought the reactor used, so no I don't. The media was in a large size ziploc...I don't know if it had been used before or not, I assumed it had not. I have no way of knowing how old it is. It's shaped more like small rubble...if that helps...not like broken pieces or shells, but like giant grains of sand...if that makes sense.
jdieck
New member
a) Media: Aragonite media looks like coarse broken sand of about 1/8" grain size, Koralith is more like spheres and Shuran looks more like worn coral branches. By your description it looks to me like ARM or Aragonite which usually dissolve easier but as Slayer say 6.4 is not unusual for German media. Media is not expensive if you have the doubt try replacing it.
When to replace the media: That is a subjective area, I do it when I think the grain size (which reduces in diameter as it gets dissolved) is small enough to prevent proper recirculation.
You can wash the media to remove the smaller grains and what has turned muddy the rest you can use as far as the grain size is not too small.
b) Low PH: Usually the tank PH with a Calcium reactor runs low but it does not create large swings and with 9.3 dKH is not bad.
There are several ways to improve on the PH level which I would try in the following order:
- Insure that the PH probe is properly calibrated.
- Insure that the drip line is above the water surface and that there is ventilation in the area. CO2 is heavier than air and may concentrate in the surface of the sump if lack of proper ventilation
- Increase aeration, you may try dripping closer to the skimmer suction to promote degassing of the effluent by the skimmer bubbling action.
- Install a second chamber. (DIY plans for a cheap one above in this thread or in the equipment section of my site)
- Reduce effluent flow if higher than 60 ml/min
c) Recirculation pump:
Just inspect the pump and look out for small little bubbles that may indicate circulation flow. If in doubt disassemble and clean up, inspect the impeller to insure no broken pallets and such.
I have the same brand and use a feed line from my chiller, its run on a filter so no dirt is getting into the chamger. The problem with the cyc. filling with gas it that the secondary drip rate is too slow. I let it run at about a drip per sec. into my refugium ( it likes the co2 ) the other line drips into the tank directly. Ajustments take about 20 min. to stabelize because pressure on the back side of the regulator has to drop too. I have been using this reactor for 5 years now and it works well once its ajusted. When media is first put in and the pump started the exit lines will clog from small particulate build up, open the valves and blow it out then reajust...
I have the same brand and use a feed line from my chiller, its run on a filter so no dirt is getting into the chamger. The problem with the cyc. filling with gas it that the secondary drip rate is too slow. I let it run at about a drip per sec. into my refugium ( it likes the co2 ) the other line drips into the tank directly. Ajustments take about 20 min. to stabelize because pressure on the back side of the regulator has to drop too. I have been using this reactor for 5 years now and it works well once its ajusted. When media is first put in and the pump started the exit lines will clog from small particulate build up, open the valves and blow it out then reajust...
jdieck
New member
Well I am going to give you what may look like bad ideas 
Try using the secondary drip only and close the primary, this way there will be no CO2 accumulation and the line will not plug as it will be more open to handle the whole effluent flow. Just keep it outside of the water. Second: Try removing the inlet filter, that might improve the flow stability by maintaining a more constant pressure inside the reactor and see how it goes.
Try using the secondary drip only and close the primary, this way there will be no CO2 accumulation and the line will not plug as it will be more open to handle the whole effluent flow. Just keep it outside of the water. Second: Try removing the inlet filter, that might improve the flow stability by maintaining a more constant pressure inside the reactor and see how it goes.
jdieck
New member
Thanks but you shall see it right now. Last week my tank aquascaping underwent a big restructure so I have stuff trown all over the place I can barely walk.
The corals got so big that they were starting growing into the panes and could not be taken out trough the top tank holes. I had two friends over and while one hold the masive coral under water the other chieseled the piece and pass the fragments to the third who put them in foam boxes.
The corals got so big that they were starting growing into the panes and could not be taken out trough the top tank holes. I had two friends over and while one hold the masive coral under water the other chieseled the piece and pass the fragments to the third who put them in foam boxes.
afishfanatic
Premium Member
WOW! I bet there will be a frag party at your house pretty soon.
Ok, I just wanted to update my parameters. The Mag is currently up to 1330 using Tech M. Ca is at 365 and I just addded turbo calcium to get it up to 400. My Alk has raised up to 11.5 without adding any additives. The Alk of the effluent is 28.2. Looks like all is well again. Thanks!
Is it not a good idea to use Kent superbuffer to raise Alk? jdieck, I noticed that its not on you calculator (love that calculator!). I have baking soda to use, but I also have a full jar of suoerbuffer that I would like to use also.
jdieck
New member
That is good news, just keep you adjustments to maintain your Alkalinity level.
I have always been a bit concerned about recommending supplements that contain Borates to boost alkalinity. We basically do not measure Borates which are replaced mostly with water changes and are not consumed as fast, so using a product like this to make corrections to Alkalinity may end up in an overdose of Borates that may affect the overall ionic balance. So my preferred use will be for maintenance rather than for corrections. This is a very similar situation with supplements that contain gluconates. I have seen situations that when those are used for major corrections gluconates go to the roof promoting a bad bacterial bloom.
This thread was automatically split due to performance issues. You can find the rest of the thread here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=770351
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