Official: Masterflex Calcium Reactor Setup Thread

[tkeracer619]

If you look internally on the controller most of it is serviceable as well by an electronic repair shop. CP will service them up to the point when they no longer have the proprietary components. If something simple fails like a capacitor it can be fixed by an electronic repair shop or possibly DIY with soldering skills. Beyond that it is often best to just look at a surplus replacement part.

I run my pumps on an active filtering true sine wave UPS. I have had one out of 10 or so controllers go bad. It did so out of the box and was likely shipping related so I think they are pretty durable but I use the UPS as a precaution. When the sprinkler installers ran over the 230v improperly wired rv hookup at my last place it (the last one) saved my controller, my cp pumps, and my vortechs. My microwave, an old computer were killed.

 

[Haksar]

I am using 7523-40 on a geo reactor and I am unable to use it to pull the water,moreover the reactor is building up a lot of bubbles when I opted the feeding method via the persitallic pump.I tried all options of switching off the co2 to purge the gas and also by switching off the recirculating pump but I get a lot of bubbles inside the reactor.I am dosing 60ml/min DPM and 60 BPM with a steady ALK reading of 8.5

Please advise if I am getting the bubbles in the reactor due to the low feeding mode of a peristallic pump and also how do I pull water from the reactor inside of the push method.

 

[tkeracer619]

I am using 7523-40 on a geo reactor and I am unable to use it to pull the water

Then you have an air leak somewhere. If you turn off the gas and get air bubbles inside the reactor you have a leak in your plumbing or reactor.

If you put this pump on the output of the reactor it will suck the effluent through like we have discussed before. Please post pictures.

 

[Haksar]

Actually I uses a maxi jet pump and purged all the gas and also ran the peri pump at 600ml/min and this removed the gas completely from the reactor with no bubbles at all.However as soon as I reduced the feed to 100ml/min on the per pump the reactor started producing bubbles again.I will try to pull the water from the reactor with the per pump and see if it works or it pulls the water.At least now I know the there is no gas build up with higher flow and will have to test run the peri pump to see if it's producing bubbles at lower flow.

 

[hkgar]

Actually I uses a maxi jet pump and purged all the gas and also ran the peri pump at 600ml/min and this removed the gas completely from the reactor with no bubbles at all.However as soon as I reduced the feed to 100ml/min on the per pump the reactor started producing bubbles again.I will try to pull the water from the reactor with the per pump and see if it works or it pulls the water.At least now I know the there is no gas build up with higher flow and will have to test run the peri pump to see if it's producing bubbles at lower flow.

When you reduce the outflow you typically will need to reduce the the bubble rate and/or the bubble pressure. Do you monitor the ph of the effluent in the reactor? Changing your outflow from 600 to 100 would significantly lower the ph of the reactor water

Not reducing the bubble rate will cause the build up of unused gas.

 

[tkeracer619]

Why are you running 100ml/min through your reactor?

I think we need to start at the beginning.

Please remove and re-install all fittings and tubing with proper clamps and teflon paste (everything). I have seen this over and over and more than half the time it is due to an air leak. Please address this before continuing any more steps.

After completing the last step set your peristaltic pump at 30ml/min.
Adjust your regulator until you get a ph of 6.5. Do not use the controller to set the ph, use the regulator.

 

[hkgar]

Why are you running 100ml/min through your reactor?

Heck, at one time he says he was running 600ml/min

 

[tkeracer619]

Heck, at one time he says he was running 600ml/min

I think that was only to try and clear the bubbles.

 

[Haksar]

Yes I was trying to clear the bubbles by ramping up the peri pump to 600ml/min and until I brought it down to 100ml/min there was no bubbles further lower the bubbles started appearing.

 

[Haksar]

Why are you running 100ml/min through your reactor?

I think we need to start at the beginning.

Please remove and re-install all fittings and tubing with proper clamps and teflon paste (everything). I have seen this over and over and more than half the time it is due to an air leak. Please address this before continuing any more steps.

After completing the last step set your peristaltic pump at 30ml/min.
Adjust your regulator until you get a ph of 6.5. Do not use the controller to set the ph, use the regulator.

I am currently running the ph at 6.1 shut off at 6.3 on a controller.KH reading is 8.5.If I reduce the peri pump to 30ml/min what BPM should I set.Do you think ALk will fluctuate,don't want to have a ALK spike as I am now at a sweet spot with good growth on all my corals,please don't feel offended if the reactor is running well albeit with a lot of bubbles I will leave it as it is for now.

 

[tkeracer619]

Ok leave the settings as is for now. We will address them later.

Please at least do what I recommend in the first paragraph of my email.

If the bubbles shut down the reactor after a while you will need to address that the way I discussed in the email by pulling the effluent from the top of the lid. This is a plumbing issue that was mentioned in the first post of this thread. Reverse flow reactors need the effluent pulled from the lid and not the plumbing as most are. If this is not followed you are more likely to have air trapped in the lid of the reactor. If it cannot dissolve into the water it has no way out.

 

[Haksar]

Thanks for the input,haven't got the time to re do the plumbing of the reactor,once done will keep you posted.A friend of mine has a Geo618 and uses a peri pump with a similar set up like mine and he has not noticed any bubble build up.However he is running at 12BPM and 35ml/min DPM which leads to me believe that it's the excess co2 I am having issues because I did a test run on the peri pump at higher flow and the bubbles stopped and once I went back to 60ml/min and restarted the co2 the bubbles started again. My biggest concern is if I reduce the BPM and keep the DPM as it is I may have ALK issues with lower ALK as my current ALK reading is 8.50 and my corals are all happy and growing well.

 

[EvMiBo]

Official: Masterflex Calcium Reactor Setup Thread

Well I've only been using my 7520-25 with quick load head for about 2 months, but today I won a 7523-70 with easy load head. Digital brushless variable speed pump! After replacing the brushes on the 7520-25 I'm going to try to sell it.

What guest fittings are you all using to connect the masterflex tubing to regular tubing? Fwiw I'm using L/S 16 masterflex tubing.

 

[zachts]

Well I've only been using my 7520-25 with quick load head for about 2 months, but today I won a 7523-70 with easy load head. Digital brushless variable speed pump! After replacing the brushes on the 7520-25 I'm going to try to sell it.

What guest fittings are you all using to connect the masterflex tubing to regular tubing? Fwiw I'm using L/S 16 masterflex tubing.

L/S 16 you need a 1/8" barb to 1/8" NPT male pipe thread fitting and a 18" NPT female pipe thread to JG fitting, I posted a link in the auto water change thread, US Plastics carries all the parts for this, but I've never found a one piece fitting. This is the cheapest solution I was recommended by Cole-Parmer.

 

[EvMiBo]

Official: Masterflex Calcium Reactor Setup Thread

Couldn't I use a barb to barb fitting as well? I'm using the cheap flexible (vinyl?) tubing for transporting the water the remainder of the way.

 

[tkeracer619]

Yes, you would want a barb to barb.

 

[zachts]

Couldn't I use a barb to barb fitting as well? I'm using the cheap flexible (vinyl?) tubing for transporting the water the remainder of the way.

Yeah, Sorry missed that, assumed you were rigid tubing........barb to barb would be better in that case.

 

[EvMiBo]

No worries, thanks for the help once again.

 

[Dapg8gt]

Great thread here answered almost all questions I had in my head about how this works..

I have one question though.. How far is too far to run one of these. I'm out of room under the tank and was wondering if I could have the whole shebang in my garage about 15' away.. Head would only be about 3' but I would have to run the feed and supply under the house to the garage.. Would it just lead to problems to have the whole reactor that far away from the tank?

I'm thinking if I run 2 x 3/8" hoses it should work right? I could also grab a cheaper brushed pump as it wouldn't matter on noise.. If it's doable on distance I may also get one for an auto water change from the same distance.

I'm sure I'm just wish full thinking here but that scenario would be ideal for me at this time..

Thanks Daniel.

 

[hkgar]

I am running my CP 7524-00 about 35 feet from my basement with a 9 foot head. It is for my ATO , but I am sure it would work for your CA reactor set up as well. I also use a CP for my CA reactor - the only way to go!

My ATO only runs at night and have never had a problem with loss of siphon (drain back). Always starts right up.