Official: Masterflex Calcium Reactor Setup Thread

[tkeracer619]

I appreciate every ones input but if the posts are not on topic please leave them for other threads. We are discussing peristaltic pumps on calcium reactors.

No, like my Marine Technical Concepts Pro Cal.

The effluent flow on that reactor is directly tied to the amount of media, the valve, and the conditions of the sponge. It does fluctuate and while on your setup it might not be enough to cause a head ache on many reactors it is.

 

[tkeracer619]

Anyway, I don´t think you can use the controller to turn off at pH 6.1 as a safety measure. That would imply that the solenoid valve controlled by the controller is always on (except in the rare case that the pH goes down lower than pH 6.1). Regular solenoid valves heat up when turned on. If it is always on I think it may get damaged in a few days or weeks.

I cannot be sure about that. I was under the impression that the solenoids used are low wattage and that they really don't get very hot. It is a good idea to make sure this is the case. I haven't used them since the AP reg came out.

May be the AP electronic regulator itself can be programmed, by means of the external controller, to shut off when the safety pH is reached?

The AP regulator is continuous duty. I plug it into my controller but I don't think there was ever a problem with the reactor that made it shut down. It has run for years.

 

[James77]

What claim do you mean?

This is from the operation instructions included with the reactor:

Use an optional small powerhead (such as the MaxiJet 400 or Rio 90) to actively feed water into the Kalkreakor. It serves three purposes:
?? It is a much more reliable water feeding method than siphoning or self-suction
?? It pressurizes the Kalkreaktor to enhance water / CO2 dissolution
?? It enables the Kalkreaktor to expel trapped air more easily



This claim:

"¢Self-suction water intake by the silent Eheim pump eliminates the use of a dedicated powerhead, gravity-fed or tee-off methods. It also serves for water recirculation.

made on all the selling websites, like:

http://www.marinedepot.com/calcium_reactors_korallin_kalkreactor-ap.html

I am not sure if the included directions included with mine had what you quoted, but I do not recall them having that about reliability. That was a good 7 or so years ago I tried that reactor. I bought it heavily because it claimed not to need a feed pump, but baloney on that one.

 

[CW from the OC]

Mark,

Can't believe I missed this thread. A GIGANTIC thank you, this is most excellent! Your constant work to help many reefers is admirable.

I did manage to pick up a couple of pumps. I'll post pics and notes in the thread when I get a chance.

For everyone else - my biggest issue with my reef was controlling the effluent due to the valve clogging and making the alk fluctuate. It actually drove me to fall back to FOWLER at one point. These pumps ARE WORTH EVERY DIME. I set it up, turned it onto 50ml a minute, and set the AP regulator to 30 BPM. Bam, stable ALK/CA instantly, on first try, and haven't touched it since setting it up. Alk is 133 to 135 on Hanna refractometer every time.

Next project is to set the Ph controller to shut off at 6.2, and tweak the ellfuent and BPM rates to hold it at my target Ph, which presently is 6.8.

More later.

Thanks again Mark!

 

[CW from the OC]

Mark: a suggestion: Edit the thread title to include Cole Parmer.

 

[meshwheel]

Thanks for the great thread! I have owned 3 calcium reactors in the past. I jsut set up a new 65 gallon tank. It's going to be mainly SPS with a few lps, zoos, etc. on the bottom.
I just picked up a new old stock Knop C on ebay for 69.00 and 11.00 shipping! I am interested in the Aquarium plant gauges and their special valve and timer for about 300.00. Is it really worth that kind of money????
Also, been reading up on the Cole Parmer pump you guys are using and referring to. I have a Compat medial delivery system. Same head set-up you guys are using. Do you think it would work. I am betting it will.
Thanks and Thanks for the great thread!

 

[CW from the OC]

Thanks for the great thread! I have owned 3 calcium reactors in the past. I jsut set up a new 65 gallon tank. It's going to be mainly SPS with a few lps, zoos, etc. on the bottom.
I just picked up a new old stock Knop C on ebay for 69.00 and 11.00 shipping! I am interested in the Aquarium plant gauges and their special valve and timer for about 300.00. Is it really worth that kind of money????
Also, been reading up on the Cole Parmer pump you guys are using and referring to. I have a Compat medial delivery system. Same head set-up you guys are using. Do you think it would work. I am betting it will.
Thanks and Thanks for the great thread!

I don't know that specific pump, but I bet it will work. One thing I learned from researching the Cole Parmer pumps is that nearly any of their L/S pumps will work very well. The 1-100 RPM models, the 10-600 models, the ones with brushes, the really old ones, the new ones that are small and about $532 retail like this one: http://www.coleparmer.com/Product/M..._variable_speed_drive_115_230_VAC/EW-77200-20

That one I linked is what I would buy if I wanted a brand new pump but didn't want to pay $1800-$2200 for the big computerized L/S pump.

EDIT: Noticed one thing about that cheaper drive I linked: It has brushes, and they are NOT replaceable nor repairable. So if the motor dies, you have to buy a new one.

 

[Haksar]

Hi Mark,

To run the regulator continuously should I lower the controller ph to 6.1,will this exhaust the co2 tank quickly or cause low ph in the tank.I have my reactor set at 50ml/min and 60 BPM but would like to try your method of continuous regulator run.

 

[meshwheel]

Thanks CW! Yea, I am thinking it's going to work too. I am going to give it a go. Once the units pressurized I am thinking I will get a steady effluent from the water exit on the reactor.
I sent some questions to aquariumplant.com about their super duper gauges and doser/timer. I asked if the unit was China made. The guy continually dodged the question!!!!! Not good. If he knew or thought China parts had a bad rap, he would not be dodging the questions. TOTALLY UNPROFESSIONAL IN MY OPINION!!!! He will not be getting my business. TOTAL MONEY GRUBBERS.....
I have set them up and ran them before without their unit, I can do it again.
Thanks for the help!

 

[CW from the OC]

Thanks CW! Yea, I am thinking it's going to work too. I am going to give it a go. Once the units pressurized I am thinking I will get a steady effluent from the water exit on the reactor.
I sent some questions to aquariumplant.com about their super duper gauges and doser/timer. I asked if the unit was China made. The guy continually dodged the question!!!!! Not good. If he knew or thought China parts had a bad rap, he would not be dodging the questions. TOTALLY UNPROFESSIONAL IN MY OPINION!!!! He will not be getting my business. TOTAL MONEY GRUBBERS.....
I have set them up and ran them before without their unit, I can do it again.
Thanks for the help!

I wouldn't get worked up about that at all. I recently got the AP Carbon Doser regulator. It IS worth it. It IS made in China, IIRC. It DOES work really well.

Others will chime in, but it is good stuff. Right in there with the CP Pumps as the best piece of reef gear I have.

 

[meshwheel]

CW,
Yea your right! Maybe he thought I was trying to source parts to copy his and sell. Not sure, I just would have appreciated a better response then what I got.
I GOT MY REACTOR 10 MINUTES AGO!!!! HA!!!! ITS IN GREAT SHAPE!!! 79.00 with shipping! This little baby brings back memories! It's a little powerhouse man! Rated up to 200 gallons. And its recirculating design uses very little co2!
This one I will never sell again! I think they do not make them anymore. Getting ready to test the pump.......................brb! Sweeeeeeeeeet! pump works great!!!
Will post some pics pretty quick!

 

[hkgar]

For those with Korallin reactors this is a diagram I drew up(most reverse flow reactors will be similar). If the reactor is not setup in this fashion you might run into problems. Standard flow reactors should be hooked up in a conventional manner.

I recommend using the peristaltic to pull through the reactor and not push as you might have seen me state in previous posts. These pumps can overwhelm the orings on most reactors if the output gets clogged. Pulling on the effluent is safer.

If I understand correctly, you have your pump hooked up to the Effluent output port? I have the Korallin 1502 and am using a Cole Parmer 7520-50 with a easy load 7518-00 and use 16 tubing. I pump tank water into the reactor with the pump using the input port. Are you suggesting hooking the pump up to the effluent out port?

 

[meshwheel]

check it out guys! Brings back memories.....................:spin3::spin3:

 

[turkeyty]

Good Afternoon... In the process of getting everything connected... A few questions if I may
1. With the CP pump. Can it pull from sump at 4.5' head using standard tubing?
2. Should I start at 30ml(lowest) first? system is 340g with an alk of 9 and calcium of 360....

That's all for now... Pics will follow once I'm dialed in, and many thanks in advance.

Ty

 

[tkeracer619]

A GIGANTIC thank you, this is most excellent! Your constant work to help many reefers is admirable.

Thank you! I appreciate it.

I am interested in the Aquarium plant gauges and their special valve and timer for about 300.00. Is it really worth that kind of money????

Yes, I wouldn't consider running a reactor without it. The digital display is questionable but if you are running the reactor with this peristaltic pump setup then I say go for it. The counter will give you a heads up to fill the bottle before it goes empty.

The 1-100 RPM models,

.6-100rpm models will work but they achieve that speed through a gear set. So if you need 50rpm for your CaRx you will be turning the motor at 50% speed and it will generate more noise and wear. This is the reason I prefer the 6-600rpm units.

Hi Mark,

To run the regulator continuously should I lower the controller ph to 6.1,will this exhaust the co2 tank quickly or cause low ph in the tank.I have my reactor set at 50ml/min and 60 BPM but would like to try your method of continuous regulator run.

Nothing will change. Right now your regulator turns the gas on and off based on the controller. You don't want to change the total amount of gas input you just want to make it so it delivers it in a steady stream. The reason you set the controller to turn the reg off if it gets to low is so that you don't mess something up. One of the easiest ways to adjust this is to operate the setup like normal and just back off the gas until it never turns off. After you get there you can change your ph lower and the regulator should just run and run at the correct delivery rate.

I sent some questions to aquariumplant.com about their super duper gauges and doser/timer. I asked if the unit was China made. The guy continually dodged the question!!!!! Not good. If he knew or thought China parts had a bad rap, he would not be dodging the questions. TOTALLY UNPROFESSIONAL IN MY OPINION!!!! He will not be getting my business. TOTAL MONEY GRUBBERS.....
I have set them up and ran them before without their unit, I can do it again.
Thanks for the help!

They might not have the best question answering department, especially if you sent an email but they do have the best regulator. There are other regulators on the market that are high quality, you can choose one of them but I think you will be selling yourself short over poor communication.

If I understand correctly, you have your pump hooked up to the Effluent output port? I have the Korallin 1502 and am using a Cole Parmer 7520-50 with a easy load 7518-00 and use 16 tubing. I pump tank water into the reactor with the pump using the input port. Are you suggesting hooking the pump up to the effluent out port?

Yes, you can pull through the reactor by putting the pump input to the effluent output of the reactor. It will draw the effluent through the reactor the same as pushing water through it. The only difference is that if you are pushing and the reactor output gets clogged the reactor will leak water.

Good Afternoon... In the process of getting everything connected... A few questions if I may
1. With the CP pump. Can it pull from sump at 4.5' head using standard tubing?
2. Should I start at 30ml(lowest) first? system is 340g with an alk of 9 and calcium of 360....

That's all for now... Pics will follow once I'm dialed in, and many thanks in advance.

Ty

#1: Yes, These have a very high head pressure and suction. Use 1/4" John Guest poly tube for the runs and only the minimum amount of peristaltic tubing for the pump head. If you have longer runs use 3/8" John Guest poly tubing (you will get more consistent results on long runs).

#2: Measure what you are currently targeting and set the pump to that flow rate. If you are just starting up 30ml a minute is a good place to start then slowly add gas until the tank becomes stable OR you have to increase effluent flow because reactor ph is too low. Once that is the case bump effluent flow and gas flow until the tank becomes stable. If you increase effluent flow by 10% increase gas flow by 10%.

check it out guys! Brings back memories.....................:spin3::spin3:

Awesome deal!






Don't think I missed anyone but if I did just remind me

Lets see some more pics!

Aloha!

 

[James77]

I am interested in the Aquarium plant gauges and their special valve and timer for about 300.00. Is it really worth that kind of money????

You only need the carbondoser regulator...it is listed at $259:

http://www.aquariumplants.com/CarbonDoser_Electronic_Co2_Regulator_p/co2.htm

The LCD counter is totally unnecessary, unless you want to know how many bubbles you run per day . It is worth every penny. I have run them on my SPS tanks and planted CO2 injected tanks. I have also run Azoo, Reef Fanatic, JBJ, and Milwaukee reactors....the Aquarium plants blows them out of the water. The AP ones are far more reliable and truly hold their setting. The only other ones I would consider other than the AP one would be some of the higher end ones from GreenLeafAquariums....though I have no experience with them or the products. But some of those are in the $300-$400 range, due to the needle valves...the good ones like Ideal cost a bit.

 

[Chris Lakies]

I may be wanting to get one of these soon. I can probably do $200-300 max. Can u link something that may work for me? 65 total gallons mostly sps tank. I currently dose 80ml of 2 part per day.

 

[Pseudo69]

Is the Cole Parmer MasterFlex Peristaltic pump with easy load drive 7523-20 digital drive, a good unit?

 

[dkeller_nc]

FYI, guys. Cole-parmer's masterflex pumps are decent, but they aren't the be-all, end-all of variable-delivery, continuous-duty peristaltic pumps. There are many other suitable options, some for a whole lot less money if you're comparing "new" prices. One item of note here is that the retail prices on Cole Parmer's site are quite a bit higher than what one actually pays if you've a corporate account. Typically, it's a 30-45% discount, which should suggest to you that you're paying a pretty steep "scientific equipment" mark-up if you buy one of these new.

And there are tons and tons of other options for continuous-duty peristaltic pumps, many that are far, far cheaper.

Just one example - look up "stenner classic series" on google. Some of these are fixed delivery rate pumps (though the actual rate delivered can be changed by changing the tubing size), but they also make variable-delivery pumps that are adjustable by means of a mechanical transmission. And they're continuous-duty.

But there are many other manufacturers out there for continuous-duty, adjustable-delivery peristaltic metering pumps. So look around - you will very easily find much less expensive options than CP's Masterflex brand.

 

[dkeller_nc]

One other thought about this; if you're using a general-purpose, programmable controller to run a calcium reactor, you don't really need a continuous-duty, adjustable peristaltic pump. You could just as easily use any peristaltic dosing pump, you simply control the calcium/alkalinity additions to your aquarium by adjusting the on/off duty cycle.

That will result in pH swings in the calcium reactor, but so what? If you're using a pH probe and a solenoid valve to turn the CO2 on/off, that won't cause any issues, the controller will just turn the CO2 off once the pH drops in the reactor and until the next "on" cycle of the peristaltic feed pump.