Official: Masterflex Calcium Reactor Setup Thread

[NeverlosT]

I got a 7523-60 (digital brushless) for $280 without a pump head on ebay. SUPER good buy, man it is WAY quieter than the brushed versions.

The only thing that i am not stoked with is it seems to only allow me to adjust flow 10ml at a time, and I want to dose 45ml/min, not 40 or 50...

 

[tkeracer619]

I got a 7523-60 (digital brushless) for $280 without a pump head on ebay. SUPER good buy, man it is WAY quieter than the brushed versions.

The only thing that i am not stoked with is it seems to only allow me to adjust flow 10ml at a time, and I want to dose 45ml/min, not 40 or 50...

Change it to RPM mode. You can go in 1rpm increments.

 

[NeverlosT]

Awesome, thanks I will try that!

 

[IdahoCindy]

I paid $640 for my 7523-80 on ebay and it arrived a couple of days ago. It looks like brand new! I also ordered and received the tubing and connectors from USPlastics.com I'm so looking forward to getting it up and running.

 

[zip70]

I paid $640 for my 7523-80 on ebay and it arrived a couple of days ago. It looks like brand new! I also ordered and received the tubing and connectors from USPlastics.com I'm so looking forward to getting it up and running.

Good for you Cindy...Have fun with your new toy.

 

[tkeracer619]

I paid $640 for my 7523-80 on ebay and it arrived a couple of days ago. It looks like brand new! I also ordered and received the tubing and connectors from USPlastics.com I'm so looking forward to getting it up and running.

Awesome, welcome to the club!

 

[Homey the Reefkeeper]

I recently joined the club by getting a good condition 7523-80 Digital Peristaltic Pump off ebay several months ago. I ran it with LS17 pharmed tubing for maybe a couple of months then the unit began throwing error 12 and error 14 which indicates the pump is stalled. I contacted cole parmer support and they suggested I replace the gear kit which I paid $90 shipped and that didn't fix the issue. Now in order to repair it I have to spend $800 to ship it to them which I'm very on the fence with doing so.

As an alternative I got a second 7550-60 pump off ebay again and that unit runs for maybe an hour before I get a "fault" error on the LCD screen. I have to repeatedly hit the start button again to get the pump going. So now I'm shopping for third pump to see if I have better luck.

I hear from most parmer owners that the units are rock solid but that has not been my experience. Maybe it's just user error on my part? I wonder if anyone else has had as much trouble as I with these pumps.

 

[tkeracer619]

Shipping can be rough on them if the controller isn't packaged well.

If you pull out the gear set on the one that is throwing the stall error can you spin the motor freely?

Does it work with the gear set removed?

Sometimes the bearings go bad and need replacing.

Can you return the second one?

This is one reason I always want people to get a complete unit, run it from day one even if they don't use it on the tank right away. If you make it through the return period without any faults you are usually good to go for a long time. Most of the people selling these don't really know how to fully test them and don't know their history.

 

[hkgar]

I recently joined the club by getting a good condition 7523-80 Digital Peristaltic Pump off ebay several months ago. I ran it with LS17 pharmed tubing for maybe a couple of months then the unit began throwing error 12 and error 14 which indicates the pump is stalled. I contacted cole parmer support and they suggested I replace the gear kit which I paid $90 shipped and that didn't fix the issue. Now in order to repair it I have to spend $800 to ship it to them which I'm very on the fence with doing so.

As an alternative I got a second 7550-60 pump off ebay again and that unit runs for maybe an hour before I get a "fault" error on the LCD screen. I have to repeatedly hit the start button again to get the pump going. So now I'm shopping for third pump to see if I have better luck.

I hear from most parmer owners that the units are rock solid but that has not been my experience. Maybe it's just user error on my part? I wonder if anyone else has had as much trouble as I with these pumps.

It seems to be a story of lightening striking twice. It would shake your confidence.

 

[zip70]

how come Cole Parmer website did not find this model number 900-1255.
see pic

 

[stephj03]

Anybody take the box off of their AP regulator and connect it to a true dual stage? I have a dual stage airgas reg. Is there a benefit to this? Is it literally as simple as unscrew from the AP ref and screw into the airgas reg?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[balz3352]

Can we sticky or make a new thread on how to actually set up and fine tune.

How to increase/decrease alk in tank depending on the situation.

What increasing/decreasing the effluent will do.

What increasing/decreasing ph will do.

All in relation to the tank.

Best place to start for a new reactor and how to adjust from there.


I know the answers are here but hard to find in a 2800 post thread.


Thanks guys!

 

[tkeracer619]

Anybody take the box off of their AP regulator and connect it to a true dual stage? I have a dual stage airgas reg. Is there a benefit to this? Is it literally as simple as unscrew from the AP ref and screw into the airgas reg?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, that is all you need to do. As described in the first few posts that is as far as I am concerned the ultimate setup for a reactor. It works great.

 

[tkeracer619]

Can we sticky or make a new thread on how to actually set up and fine tune.

How to increase/decrease alk in tank depending on the situation.

What increasing/decreasing the effluent will do.

What increasing/decreasing ph will do.

All in relation to the tank.

Best place to start for a new reactor and how to adjust from there.


I know the answers are here but hard to find in a 2800 post thread.


Thanks guys!

It is in the first few posts. I can update the tuning post to be more clear but I would prefer to keep all posts regarding this setup in this thread. Yes, it is long, but starting a new thread would require a lot of explaining. If you have any questions or comments on how you would like to see the tuning post adjusted let me know, and I will see if I can incorporate it.

The first few posts in this thread tell you what you need to know. Every tank will be the same, tank has x demand, you adjust gas and effluent until demand is met. The reactor setups can vary brand to brand but the actual tuning is the same. That is what is brilliant about the setup, very easy to dial in, and very precise/predictable.

 

[tkeracer619]

how come Cole Parmer website did not find this model number 900-1255.
see pic

Model numbers starting with 900 are custom ordered products. They more than likely cannot tell you what it is. Anyone ordering a 900 series part number can figure out what it is with pictures but please only buy complete units as firmware can vary between them and it may not be possible to find matching hardware in modular units.

 

[balz3352]

It is in the first few posts. I can update the tuning post to be more clear but I would prefer to keep all posts regarding this setup in this thread. Yes, it is long, but starting a new thread would require a lot of explaining. If you have any questions or comments on how you would like to see the tuning post adjusted let me know, and I will see if I can incorporate it.

The first few posts in this thread tell you what you need to know. Every tank will be the same, tank has x demand, you adjust gas and effluent until demand is met. The reactor setups can vary brand to brand but the actual tuning is the same. That is what is brilliant about the setup, very easy to dial in, and very precise/predictable.

No problem. In the first few posts there really is no infor for starting a new reactor. Only integrating, at least from what I understand. Id appreciate that.


Maybe start at xbubbles and y ml effluent. Or stsrt at z ph and y ml. Then to increase alk of the system decrease ph or increase ml.
To decrease alk in tank increase ph or decrease ml. (or both)

Something like that.


I guess what I'm really asking is that I don't fully understand how to completely fine tune a system and what to do when demand increases or decrease in the tank.

 

[zip70]

No problem. In the first few posts there really is no infor for starting a new reactor. Only integrating, at least from what I understand. Id appreciate that.


Maybe start at xbubbles and y ml effluent. Or stsrt at z ph and y ml. Then to increase alk of the system decrease ph or increase ml.
To decrease alk in tank increase ph or decrease ml. (or both)

Something like that.


I guess what I'm really asking is that I don't fully understand how to completely fine tune a system and what to do when demand increases or decrease in the tank.

This link can help you to start from the beginning.
http://reef.diesyst.com/crarticle/crarticle.htm

 

[M3P]

I've been struggling with steady effluent for a while and after a ton of reading on using Dos, Kangaroo, Masterflex, etc I decided to pull the trigger and join the club. Grabbed a 7523-70 with an easy load. Hopefully this was the right decision. Already have a AP reg set and a lifereef calcium reactor. wooh!

 

[zip70]

I just joined the Masterflex club! Yippee! Found a 7523-80 on eBay. I also ordered a new carbon doser regulator from BRS. I've been having some trouble dialing in my Inovative Marine calcium reactor. These two items should really help.

Any update on the pump? It worked for you?

 

[M3P]

Question: Since I purchased a 1.6-100 RPM brushless motor, am I better off going with bigger size tubing to cut back on how fast I have to run the motor and how noisy it gets or should I be ok with the 1/4" tubing?