Korallin Calcium Reactor

[clkwrk]

Cool. So am I right to have it 2 inches below the pump input tube? Also how far of a drop should I allow before a media change?

Thanks
Chris

 

[jdieck]

11/2" to 2" from the inlet is OK. Once the media reaches about half, the performance decreases a lot. I usually refill when is about 3/4 or a little less.

 

[clkwrk]

Okay I got one up and running. I have a bubble rate of 9-10 min and 37-41 drops a min for effulent.

Now I am curious to what I set my sm122 controller on . The ARM container says ph should be 7.5? Is this correct.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[collins]

An effluent pH of 7.5 will not give you the amount of alkalinity you are trying to acquire. You may want to follow dragon slayer's setup instructions, which can be found near the beginning of this thread. That document will help you with pH and alkalinity targets. Once you have that established, you might want to use jdieck's reactor setup calculator (the link is in this thread also) to help you establish your flow rate.

good luck!

 

[clkwrk]

Thanks I reread and found the info I was missing


BTW is a solenoid supposed to be hot to the touch ? Mine feels hot like a car amp!

 

[collins]

:thumbsup: You're welcome. My solenoid is room temperature and I have never seen one that runs hot. You may want to swap it out. At least car amps have heat sinks

 

[V4m8ION]

I think the aqualifter might have too little pressure to be effective. Try the MJ. I do not "T" off. just connected a 1/4" tubing like the one used for RO/DI directly to the PH outlet. I threaded the oputlet and installed a Jhon Guest connector but you can do the same thing using short pieces of differnet hose diameter inserted one into the other.
I also installed a Jon Guess ball valve to close the line whenever I shut off the PH (Like for refilling) to prevent water back flow due to the line syphon.

Jose-Can you tell me how you threaded the outlet of the mj1200 and which specific John Guest connector you used? I am leaning to go with this solution (seems cleaner) rather than using the short piece insertion solution.

 

[jdieck]

Jose-Can you tell me how you threaded the outlet of the mj1200 and which specific John Guest connector you used? I am leaning to go with this solution (seems cleaner) rather than using the short piece insertion solution.

Use a 1/4" 18 NPT tap to thread the short piece of tube that is installed in the spout of the impeller housing (The piece that has the hole for the air line). Thread on the side of the outlet after removing the movable directionable diffuser.
Use a 1/4" NPT by 1/4" John Guest connector and use 1/4 size tubing (Like the one for RO/DI). Part of the flow will be comming out of the hole for the air. It works like a pressure regulator for any excess flow.

 

[V4m8ION]

Is it a 1/4 18 MPT tap? I am not familiar with NPT. I'm sorry if I may sound ignorant. And thanks for such a quick response!

 

[Steelslinger75]

You are both speaking the same language

 

[V4m8ION]

Thanks. I thought a new type of pipe thread was developed.

The Old:
MPT-Male Pipe Thread
FPT-Female Pipe Thread

The New:
NPT-Neutered Pipe Thread

 

[slug]

Not to be pendantic but isn't the tool that cuts male threads called a die? So there couldn't be a mpt _tap_

 

[jdieck]

Is it a 1/4 18 MPT tap? I am not familiar with NPT. I'm sorry if I may sound ignorant. And thanks for such a quick response!

NPT = "Normal Pipe Tapered" Thread.

 

[Kenfuzed]

Has anyone experienced any leaks in their Korallin's after adding a stronger feed pump? I tapped my feed line into the sump return pump line and added a needle valve to keep the pressure down. After a few weeks it started weeping where the body meets the top flange. It's been a month and the weeping has become a leak of about a cup of water per day. I had to put the reactor in a bucket in fear of the leak getting any worse. I'm wondering if sealing the exterior of this joint with aquarium silicone will be enough to cure this or if I have to perform major surgery on the internal joint.

I tried posting this in it's own thread and couldn't get any help, so hopefully someone here has had the same problem.

BTW, it's an older 1502 (1501?) which I upgraded the pump from a Eheim 1046 to a 1048.

Ken

 

[collins]

Kenfuzed, if my reactor was leaking, I would fix it with epoxy.

I used a MJ1200 that has an open T to avoid what you are describing.

Good luck!

 

[jdieck]

Has anyone experienced any leaks in their Korallin's after adding a stronger feed pump? I tapped my feed line into the sump return pump line and added a needle valve to keep the pressure down. After a few weeks it started weeping where the body meets the top flange. It's been a month and the weeping has become a leak of about a cup of water per day. I had to put the reactor in a bucket in fear of the leak getting any worse. I'm wondering if sealing the exterior of this joint with aquarium silicone will be enough to cure this or if I have to perform major surgery on the internal joint.

I tried posting this in it's own thread and couldn't get any help, so hopefully someone here has had the same problem.

BTW, it's an older 1502 (1501?) which I upgraded the pump from a Eheim 1046 to a 1048.

Ken

The reactor is not defective what happen is that you are applying more pressure than what the reactor is designed for and the top flange O ring can't hold the pressure. This is a good thing otherwise the reactor can be cracked open (basically blow) from the excessive pressure. What happen is that the effluent valve is partially closed but the inlet valve that you installed is letting more water in than what the effluent valve is letting out.
You have a couple of alternatives here.
First DO NOT try to seal the leak as the reactor may break
Second leave the effluent valve completely open and regulate the effluent with the inlet valve from the return pump. In other words you need to regulate the amount of water entering the reactor rather than the amount of water leaving it.
check the stability of the flow, if it is not stable you need to change the feed and use a powerhead.

There is another thing that you can try but still may not be stable and is more complicated so I strongly recommend using a MJ powerhead as described above in this thread.
You can try installing a T at the inlet so excess inlet water bleeds back to the sump releasing some of the excess pressure. In the following diagram, use the valve 1 to control the pressure. After you open the inlet valve a bit (No3) adjust the effluent valve for your drip rate (Valve2) then open the bleed valve until there is no leak in the reactor. As the pressure drops readjust the effluent valve(2) to the final drip rate. Keep adjusting valves 1 and 2 until the drip rate is where you want and the reactor do not leak. Try as much as possible to prevent the leaking, every time it leaks there is potential to crack it open.

 

[dragon_slayer]

what i'd do is place a T in the input line and bypass some of the pressure being fed to the reactor, this way the reactor is still under pressure to allow for more efficient use of CO2. also you may need to 'grease' the O-ring with silicone oil now to help it reseal. using a smaller diameter feed line from your pump will help reduce the excessive pressure as well. i do agree that you do not need so much pressure as to crack the reactor.

kc

 

[clkwrk]

I too have a korallin reactor with a 1046 ?Does that mean its the old 1501? If so what are the differences between it and the 1502 beside pump . I have both and can't tell.

Although I would like to upgrade the 1046 with the 1048?

With the 1046 does it handle less than the 1502?

Thanks in advance

 

[Kenfuzed]

The pressure I am applying to the reactor is very minimal, controlled by a needle valve in the inlet line. When I open the effluent valve the flow is very slow, not fast like there is that much pressure. I am trying to apply light pressure as described in Dragonslayer's instructions but it appears the reactor has a weak joint.

In regards to the O-ring, that seal is holding just fine. The leak is where the acrylic body is bonded to the gray flange. Looking at the outside there appears to be a thin area where the two parts are bonded.

I am hoping that epoxy or other sealant will cure this.

Another question... are these reactors supposed to have a check valve anywhere in the inlet or outlet pipes on top? I thought I had read this before.

 

[jdieck]

The pressure I am applying to the reactor is very minimal, controlled by a needle valve in the inlet line. When I open the effluent valve the flow is very slow, not fast like there is that much pressure. I am trying to apply light pressure as described in Dragonslayer's instructions but it appears the reactor has a weak joint.

In regards to the O-ring, that seal is holding just fine. The leak is where the acrylic body is bonded to the gray flange. Looking at the outside there appears to be a thin area where the two parts are bonded.

I am hoping that epoxy or other sealant will cure this.

Another question... are these reactors supposed to have a check valve anywhere in the inlet or outlet pipes on top? I thought I had read this before.

I am not very familiar with acrylic glues but I think some kind or Acrylic Weld on glue shall work. I would select the thiner variety so it penetrates the crack and will insure that the crack and suroundings are completely dry.
I do not think a check valve is needed. You may elect one at the inlet if the reactor is placed at a higher level than the sump and you want to prevent syphon the reactor water when the supply pump is off. In your case pressure drop might not be an issue but If using a powerhead as a feed I would prefer to use a manual ball valve to prevent pressure drop and shut off the valve manually before turning off the feed pump for media replacement.