Newb Calcium Reactor Question

[mpcart]

I just completed one of these DIY calcium reactors and have spent the last couple days dialing it in.

DIY Calcium Reactor

Is the effluent on a calcium reactor supposed to be milky white? Mine is clouding the tank slightly when the effluent drips at full rate.

-Mike

 

[Letmegrow]

Is it white when it hits the water ?

Or is it white straight out of the tube ?

Is your media chamber clouded too ?

 

[mpcart]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7640561#post7640561 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Letmegrow
Is it white when it hits the water ?

Or is it white straight out of the tube ?

Is your media chamber clouded too ?

Yes

Yes

and

Yes

-Mike

 

[Letmegrow]

It sounds liek you are melting too much media at a time.
How low do you have the pH at ?

 

[mpcart]

My effluent is running 6.6 - 6.7. Too low?

I've been having some sort of clogging problem with the effluent line so the water in the chamber isn't cycling through.

-Mike

 

[chadfarmer]

what type of media?

how many chamber is it?

should be the same color as the water in your tank


sounds like you are melting the media to fast

if you are having problems with your effuent than that is the problem probally lower than 6.6

 

[mpcart]

Its ARM media in a DIY calcium reactor that has one chamber. I'm measuring the effluent using an in line SMS122 probe. I'll recalibrate the probe and see if it is off.

Will dissolved media cause clogging of the effluent line?

What is the proper pH level for the effluent?

Thanks,

-Mike

 

[chadfarmer]

dont run arm less than 6.7 it will turn to mush (that is why i i didnt like the arm turns to mush to easy)


dissolved media will cause clogging of the effluent line


ph can change very quickly in the chamber


i suggest turning the co2 off for a day and start over

 

[mpcart]

Mushy media was the problem. I just took the thing apart, cleaned out all the lines, rinsed the media, and put it back together. The Milwaukee controller seems to read 0.2 pH higher than my Pinpoint so I guess the pH really was too low.

Take two . . .

-Mike

 

[mpcart]

By the way, what media do you recommend?

-Mike

 

[chadfarmer]

schuran or gen-x media bigger grain


i had my reactor down to effuent 5.4 and was melting the media but wasnt turning to mush when i first add my schuran reactor

 

[chadfarmer]

how about an update

 

[mpcart]

My second go around didn't go so well. I kept the effluent at 7.2 pH and it still turned to mush. The probe is calibrated and reads close to my Pinpoint probe - so I don't thing that is the problem. It must have something to do with flow and the design of the plate in the bottom of the reactor.

In any case, I don't like the ARM media as its too small and gets sucked into the pump and clogs the holes in my plate. I've just ordered some Gen-X media per your recommendation. Hopefully the larger media helps.

I had no idea that fiddling with a calcium reactor could take so much time. It's a good thing I like DIY projects.

-Mike

 

[Markk96]

What was the BPM set to when are using ARM and it is turning to mush?

 

[mpcart]

The CO2 wasn't on very much. It would only come on for a few minutes and then had a bubble rate of 50-60 bubbles per minute.

Is that too high? Could it be causing a very low pH at the bottom of the cannister where the media was turning to mush?

-Mike

 

[Markk96]

Yup IMO that is to high, even with a controller I always shoot for about 32 BPM.

 

[chadfarmer]

i run 13 bpm on my reactor ph 6.0 effuent 12 bpm

wow that is high

 

[mpcart]

Okay, I'll try it again with a much lower bubble rate. This is my first try at using a calcium reactor so I wasn't quite sure how to do it. It will be nice getting this thing running since my tank sucks up Ca/Alk at a very high rate.

-Mike

 

[mpcart]

Update.

I switched from ARM to the larger Gen-X media and the reactor is running great. Plenty of flow through my plate now that its not getting clogged.

Now I need to dial it in.

-Mike

 

[chadfarmer]

drop the ph to about 6.5 in the reactor