Official: Masterflex Calcium Reactor Setup Thread
- Thread starter tkeracer619
- Start date
Just pick up one of the digital drive units which are going for between $100-$300 used and then pick out the head that matches the tubing you need for your desired flow range. Should not have a hard time finding them right now, I was poking around and saw at least 6 units like this one for sale.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cole-Parmer.../161373370827?pt=BI_Pumps&hash=item25929a39cb
gregr
New member
Heads up- Harris 9200NC regulator on Ebay at a good price if it's the one mentioned in the thread a while back.
I decided to get the digital drive thank you very much. Also got a 7518-10 Easy-Load pump head. Thanks for the pointer. Will report back when I've got it running. Can't tell you how much I look forward to not having to adjust the reactor output every day.
I decided to get the digital drive thank you very much. Also got a 7518-10 Easy-Load pump head. Thanks for the pointer. Will report back when I've got it running. Can't tell you how much I look forward to not having to adjust the reactor output every day.
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gdemos
New member
Any tips on purging air out if the reactor. I run two reactors both reed octopus. One is a 5000 dual chamber the other a 1000 single. The single is more problematic with air on chamber. I find that shutting off the gas recirc reduces air. Leaving it open tends to chop up what air is in the system. Also if I reduce the gas then I will not reduce the pH to the level I need to melt the media, so reducing gas is not an option. I do have a very long run from co2 tank to reactor
gregr
New member
tkeracer619- thank you for all your work in putting this thread together. Your guidance is greatly appreciated 
gdemos- I'm not familiar with that reactor but is it possible to run it in reverse like people are doing with the Korallin 1502? There's a diagram on page one of the thread.
gdemos- I'm not familiar with that reactor but is it possible to run it in reverse like people are doing with the Korallin 1502? There's a diagram on page one of the thread.
hkgar
Active member
What happens if you simply turn off the CO2? If you keep the pump on and the CO2 off it should simply push the CO2 out.
tkeracer619
New member
Hey everyone just got back from a diving trip and will look over what I missed this evening.
The regulator posted on ebay a few posts back IS** the one I mention previously. Someone needs to buy that! Its a $400 regulator and is the best of the best. I may snatch it up if nobody else does but right now I don't need it (but I do want it). This regulator will stay at whatever psi you set it to from start to finish and is compatible with the AP black box. It is big, much bigger than you expect (and heavy) so make sure you have your bottle chained and some extra room under your stand. ** I am not sure what connection it has on it to the bottle but I know its not correct. It looks like an argon reg but all that would need to be swapped would be the connection to the bottle. Please contact Harris to confirm.
If you are getting gas buildup inside the chamber it needs to be vented. Once the gas is built up in the chamber it is unlikely that it will be dissolved. Post some pics so we can get a better look but likely you need to pull effluent from the top of the chamber as stated in that first page post. IIRC the reef octopus units pull from the "high pressure" tubing like many of the reactors on the market. It is a bad design to pull from the "high pressure" tubing as these naturally act as venturis and not water exits... Gas bubbles at speed will not escape through it. FWIW I have set this up on both dual and single octopus reactors so don't fret. We'll get you sorted out.
The regulator posted on ebay a few posts back IS** the one I mention previously. Someone needs to buy that! Its a $400 regulator and is the best of the best. I may snatch it up if nobody else does but right now I don't need it (but I do want it). This regulator will stay at whatever psi you set it to from start to finish and is compatible with the AP black box. It is big, much bigger than you expect (and heavy) so make sure you have your bottle chained and some extra room under your stand. ** I am not sure what connection it has on it to the bottle but I know its not correct. It looks like an argon reg but all that would need to be swapped would be the connection to the bottle. Please contact Harris to confirm.
If you are getting gas buildup inside the chamber it needs to be vented. Once the gas is built up in the chamber it is unlikely that it will be dissolved. Post some pics so we can get a better look but likely you need to pull effluent from the top of the chamber as stated in that first page post. IIRC the reef octopus units pull from the "high pressure" tubing like many of the reactors on the market. It is a bad design to pull from the "high pressure" tubing as these naturally act as venturis and not water exits... Gas bubbles at speed will not escape through it. FWIW I have set this up on both dual and single octopus reactors so don't fret. We'll get you sorted out.
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gdemos
New member
I have done that for a period of time; yet the air seems to always find its way back in. I also bump up the mflex to max to pull air out and it creeps back. All lines are tight no leaks. Could I retrofit some kind of bleeder valve? Maybe I'm being impatient and should keep the gas off longer
Pictures of the set up?
As of now what I ended up doing was making a bleeder valve on the output/effluent line (middle fitting on the lid, has a dip down on the inside to draw fluid only) to initially purge air and such out. Let it run for a bit to truly get a majority of it out. Once that is done, close the valve and let it run, then open the gas. Could it be that your adding too much gas and it doesn't have time to dissolve the gas via pump? Also, my second fitting goes back to the suction side of the pump to take in undissolved gas, this one is flush under the lid. That's what made sense to me anyways.
gdemos
New member
Not so good with pics hope this works. Here's my two reactors. The lid has 2 John guest fittings, one for effluent one for gas recirc. The effluent fitting dips deeper into the rx chamber. The gas recirc fitting is flush with the lid. Effluent on 1000 reactor is Clear tube, recirc is blue.
If I lower gas I don't get the pH in range of 6.5, and effluent is where I need it to meet demand
If I lower gas I don't get the pH in range of 6.5, and effluent is where I need it to meet demand
Not so good with pics hope this works. Here's my two reactors. The lid has 2 John guest fittings, one for effluent one for gas recirc. The effluent fitting dips deeper into the rx chamber. The gas recirc fitting is flush with the lid. Effluent on 1000 reactor is Clear tube, recirc is blue.
If I lower gas I don't get the pH in range of 6.5, and effluent is where I need it to meet demand
Looking for an answer to this as well.
tkeracer619
New member
These are typical auto restart instructions. Another alternative if you cannot use this method is to bridge the remote connections on the plug and switch the unit to remote operation. I tried to find the manual for that model but d
Here is the manual for windows remote control for those models.
http://www.coleparmer.com/Assets/manual_pdfs/a-1299-0533.pdf
less of this :headwally:
more of this :beer:
Welcome to the club :thumbsup:
Here is the manual for windows remote control for those models.
http://www.coleparmer.com/Assets/manual_pdfs/a-1299-0533.pdf
Got the drive today, put everything together and voila- 30ml/sec steady as can be.
Awesomeness!
less of this :headwally:
more of this :beer:
Welcome to the club :thumbsup:
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tkeracer619
New member
Keep the gas flow and effluent how it is if you are stable.
On the 5000. Disconnect the blue tube from the main body of the reactor and put a valve on it. Using a 3/8, 3/8, 1/4 Tee connect both outputs on the lid together. The recirc is unnecessary.
On the 1000 swap the two output tubes.
Lets see if any of this helps purge the trapped gas.
gregr
New member
After letting the new setup run thru the night with excellent consistency I made a small tweak this morning. A few hours later the pH went up by about .2 units 3 times between 10am and 2pm:
The pH of the tank went from 8.15 to 8.23 over the same period, as per usual. Since the new CP pump is rock solid I'm guessing the regulator is the cause except the bubble rate was unchanged- still right where I set it this morning. Any ideas on what the issue is? Maybe nothing? The regulator is only a few months old but it's not a fancy one- just the standard Milwaukee MA957.
The pH of the tank went from 8.15 to 8.23 over the same period, as per usual. Since the new CP pump is rock solid I'm guessing the regulator is the cause except the bubble rate was unchanged- still right where I set it this morning. Any ideas on what the issue is? Maybe nothing? The regulator is only a few months old but it's not a fancy one- just the standard Milwaukee MA957.
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