need help with my new calcium reactor

[ade]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11945457#post11945457 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rkehockey16
it would clog check valves and kalk would backup into my reservoir tank, yes i used it as top off.

There is no way that kalk can back up into your reservoir if you had it hook in correct.
Fresh water Reservoir feeds your reactor via a check valve. Fresh water saturated with kalk exits out of the reactor, under 0 presure in the reactor, into your tank/sump. The kalk needed to be mixed 10-15 times a day for around 1-5 min, depending on the reactor and mixing pump.
Once it has been hook up then all that needs to be done is charge the reactor with new kalk every couple of months, depending on your evap rate.

 

[ade]

Yes I would get a PH probe so that you can monitor your PH inside your reactor.

 

[manderx]

the ac3 can handle 2 pH probes as-is, many more if you get px1000 expansion boxes.

so ideally you'd have one probe in the tank to monitor (graphs are cool) and provide emergency shutoff for kalk accidents, and one in the reactor controlling that. i've found ORP to be completely worthless, so i wouldn't worry about giving that up to use it as the second pH port and not bother with an expansion box. ORP bounces around and doesn't seem to be accurate enough to be meaningful so i'd never think something was right or wrong based on the reading, or especially control ozone off it. i might have just gotten a bad probe though.


you should be able to get a better dosing pump off ebay for under 50 bucks so you can do whatever you want with it, sounds like you have one of the medical ones (i don't like them). but definitely put a line in the program to send an alarm (i have mine setup to send a txt to my phone) and turn the kalk off if the tank ph ever gets above 8.6 or whatever. i just have my dosing pump on a timer to come on just long enough to refill evap. i don't like float switches, and it evens out alot closer than you'd think. the only time i need to fiddle with it's settings is when the season changes and i open/close the windows more often than before, or i change something about the tank like different lights and stuff. i would consider adding a 'emergency high water switch' to turn it off if you're worried about overfilling (though it's pretty much impossible with a slow dosing pump). there's a breakout box for it that takes bare wires from a float switch.

one thing about the aqualifter is it doesn't draw enough current for the DC8 to properly switch on and off. it can stick on and do very bad things. previously the fix was to split the aqualifter with something else just to draw current (like a nightlight or whatever), but i heard they recently changed 2 of the outlets to real physical relays rather than the solid state triacs they normally use to fix this. i'd imagine yours has these, so make sure you put the aqualifter on that outlet if you want to control it.

 

[rkehockey16]

it clogged up the check valve and kalk ran back into my reservoir

 

[manderx]

you can replace the crap pump on the osmolator with a DC peristaltic to fix that (or an AC peristaltic if you wire in a relay). as long as it has 3 rollers it acts like it's own check valve and is far more reliable and versitlie than the osmolator pump.

 

[Virginia Reef]

I am using a PH probe in the sump as well as ORP. The ORP fluctuates from about 310 to 330. Seems to be pretty steady in an acceptable range. I am not running ozone, just monitoring ORP.

I can control CO2 from the PH probe in the sump (shut off when PH drops). This same PH probe could also control kalk, right (shut off when PH rises)? I would just need to use something other than my current Aqua Medic dosing pump to push kalk. An Aqualifter for example? Does a kalk reactor need fresh water to mix kalk or can saltwater be used? I've always used fresh. If it needs to be fresh water, I'd have to use a dosing pumprather than the Aqualifter which could add too much water volume to the tank.

My Aqua Medic dosing pump is a dual pump with one pump to add topoff and the other kalk. As I mentioned, this won't run on a Controller due to the need to reset every time power is cut off to the recepticle. Or...do you see a problem running kalk continuously on a 4 hour cycle like I do now without involving the controller.

A float switch solves some of these problems but I really like the idea of using a dosing pump on the kalk to pretty much guarantee safety from some potential problems. The suggestion for a dosing pump on EBay is for one that won't have a problem with the on/off nature of a controller?

Thanks for the help. I obviously need a lot of it.

 

[manderx]

The ORP fluctuates from about 310 to 330. Seems to be pretty steady in an acceptable range.

mine ranges from 220 to 250 and moves exactly opposite of any ph swings. i tested it with some calibration fluid and it was reading ~75 too low i think. neptune officially says you shouldn't have to calibrate them, but there is a secret backdoor ORP calibration screen. i've just never bothered.

I can control CO2 from the PH probe in the sump (shut off when PH drops). This same PH probe could also control kalk, right (shut off when PH rises)?

if you want to control CO2, it has to be reading just the effluent coming out of the reactor- like have it dribble into a cup with the probe, that overflows into the sump. or better yet stuck in a sealed fitting so it's reading the inside of the reactor itself. dunno if the deltec has this fitting. some people do have their controller stop the co2 if the tank pH drops too low, but then it's possible for your calcium supplementations to be erratic and inconsistent. i prefer to deal with chronic low pH with a bigger picture real solution, especially since it's pretty much impossible to have an instant surprise kill from the pH dropping as low as a reactor could take it (assuming you have a sump and decent skimmer- both for aeration to blow off excess co2).

I would just need to use something other than my current Aqua Medic dosing pump to push kalk. An Aqualifter for example?

plenty of people use the aqualifter. just make sure it pushes freshwater into the reactor so it doesn't clog the pump itself with kalk. it can't push enough pressure to cause a reactor to leak. though if you use a peristaltic you want it to pull kalk through the reactor since clogging the pump isn't an issue, and if the tip clogs it'll just blow out the clog (put some flexible tubing on the end to make it even easier and not risk blowing the fitting at the pump), rather than pressurize and leak (or crack even) from the reactor.

Does a kalk reactor need fresh water to mix kalk or can saltwater be used? I've always used fresh.

yes, it's gotta be freshwater, otherwise you just make sand in the reactor body.

If it needs to be fresh water, I'd have to use a dosing pumprather than the Aqualifter which could add too much water volume to the tank.

you can valve down an aqualifter no problem. 1/4" poly fits *really* snug on the aqualifter. just put the valve before the reactor so it doesn't clog over time. but i do prefer a real peristaltic over an aqualifter.

one pump to add topoff and the other kalk.

you don't run all topoff as kalk? kalk is magic, i try to dose as much as possible. if it wasn't so expensive to run heaters, i'd force my fans to run whether they needed to or not to up my evap so i could run even more kalk.

Or...do you see a problem running kalk continuously on a 4 hour cycle like I do now without involving the controller.

depends on the drip rate and how high it boosts your pH. won't know till you try it. that's the really cool thing about the graphs, is you can look and see exactly what happens over time. you'll probably want to put the calcium reactor on a timer so it only runs during the day, and the kalk so it only runs at night. then tweak from there to get the pH as stable as you want. it's also easier to dial in a reactor by setting a strong effluent rate (slower = inconsistent) and then limiting how long it's on rather than fiddle with drip/bubble rates. just turn off the co2, don't turn off the recirc pump or it'll go stagnant in there.

idea of using a dosing pump on the kalk to pretty much guarantee safety from some potential problems. The suggestion for a dosing

same here.

pump on EBay is for one that won't have a problem with the on/off nature of a controller?

depends on which one you get. i've always gotten the masterflex fixed speed and been happy- just be aware some drip faster than others so watch that. the faster ones will dose too fast for a timer, but they are quieter than the slow ones because there's less gearing. DC ones don't need gears to slow down, but afaik all the fixed speeds are AC. i've used 6rpm and 60rpm. i'd only use the 60 with a float switch.

masterflex also has some with dials to adjust, i'm sure they are fine with on/off as well. but they sell for a bit more. dunno about other brands though.


here's a basic 6 rpm, but a crappy deal since it doesn't include the head. i think i got mine with head for 40 shipped.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Runs-Perfectly-...ZWD1VQQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem


i thought this was adjustable, but i think the dial is just to calibrate the display to the tubing size, so i'd pass on it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Cole-Parmer-Mas...ryZ78220QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


i've used these before (using a smaller version of it now for topoff) and it's ok but $80 is ridiculous (it's a cheap little piece of plastic). it's DC and you have to provide your own power supply. if you are good with electronics you can wire up a dial to adjust the speed.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Peristaltic-Tub...ZWD1VQQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem



this adjustable looks like a good one. kinda big though. $80 would be a decent price (60 is the lowest i've seen them go for), but looking at all the current prices in general it seems they've all gone up since then.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Cole-Parmer-Mas...ryZ78220QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[rkehockey16]

matt, i think that was the longest post i have ever seen.

 

[ServantSoldier]

Hmm.. a lot of people here seem scared of calcium reactors. I've really enjoyed mine, and don't feel like a slave to it.. it has freed me from dosing and ph swings. I haven't heard near the horror stories as compared to Kalk reactors. Either way, you have it now.. so lets make it work! I don't monitor the PH inside the reactor, although your deltec does have the fitting for it. I set my bubble rate and effluent drip, and the PH remains rock solid. Just start it low and build up the effluent saturation slowly. Although, I must say, I do have my aquacontroller programed to shut off the solenoid if tank ph drops below 7.8.. which has been useless thus far. It does add peace of mind, but not a necessity for the reactor. I do recommend a purchase, as they are powerful tools for your tank. Enjoy your new toys!

 

[fazio92]

Matt, the official PostMaster, all bow to thee. Hahaha

 

[Virginia Reef]

Matt,

Thanks a ton. I'll need a bit of time to digest all this. Just got home from B-Burg.

 

[ade]

The fisrt time I have my reactor, I counted bubble and tested effluent and thought that I was fine, came home from work the next day and tested again and tuned and so on. Being green my self playing too much with the bubble count and drip rate I milked the ARM media PH below 6.5, $25 down the drain. Not long after that I got a controller and never milked the media again. Same goes with a PH monitor on my tank, yes I could test everyday. I bought a PH monitor so that I don'ty have to test and to get a peace of mind.

If you hose from the reactor gets blocked and your effluent drip rate goes to 0 what is the PH in your Reactor going to be after dosing CO2 all day? Got milk....