Official: Masterflex Calcium Reactor Setup Thread

[tkeracer619]

I have a masterflex pump with a Tomtec pump head model #900-1536. I am having a hard time determining tubing size, it keeps splitting on me after a couple of months. Does anyone have any idea what tubing I should be using?

The part number 900-1536 is used by cole-parmer to signify a custom part, in this case it is likely just putting the name Tomtec on the pump head. I looked it up and if yours also says "use precision tubing" on the front of the head then any tubing set in the precision category will work.

The tubing I link in the first few posts is the correct tubing for your head. What tube are you currently using?

Could you post a few pics of your pump head?

 

[GQuinn]

The part number 900-1536 is used by cole-parmer to signify a custom part, in this case it is likely just putting the name Tomtec on the pump head. I looked it up and if yours also says "use precision tubing" on the front of the head then any tubing set in the precision category will work.

The tubing I link in the first few posts is the correct tubing for your head. What tube are you currently using?

Could you post a few pics of your pump head?

Here is the pump head

 

[GQuinn]

This is the tubing I am using



Thanks for your help

 

[GQuinn]

The part number 900-1536 is used by cole-parmer to signify a custom part, in this case it is likely just putting the name Tomtec on the pump head. I looked it up and if yours also says "use precision tubing" on the front of the head then any tubing set in the precision category will work.

The tubing I link in the first few posts is the correct tubing for your head. What tube are you currently using?

Could you post a few pics of your pump head?

After looking at your recommended tube I think I have the correct one. Maybe I just need to change it out every one or two months.

 

[slief]

After looking at your recommended tube I think I have the correct one. Maybe I just need to change it out every one or two months.

I searched for info on that Tomtech head and can’t find any info on what size tubing it was made for. If your head is chewing through that tubing that quick, the head is probably not designed for LS17 tubing. I’m going on well over 6 months since my last tubing change running at 63ml/min non stop. You might want to consider getting a new Easy Load Head that is known to support LS17 tubing. If anything, I’d call Cole Parmer and see if they can tell you what LS size tubing that head supports since they made it for Tomtech. They may still have records on it’s specs or what Cole Parmer model it crosses to.

 

[GQuinn]

I searched for info on that Tomtech head and can't find any info on what size tubing it was made for. If your head is chewing through that tubing that quick, the head is probably not designed for LS17 tubing. I'm going on well over 6 months since my last tubing change running at 63ml/min non stop. You might want to consider getting a new Easy Load Head that is known to support LS17 tubing. If anything, I'd call Cole Parmer and see if they can tell you what LS size tubing that head supports since they made it for Tomtech. They may still have records on it's specs or what Cole Parmer model it crosses to.

Thanks for the information. I liooked at the model number for the Tomtec head and it is #900-1536. It shows up in a couple of searches, but no real information.

 

[tkeracer619]

Thanks for the information. I liooked at the model number for the Tomtec head and it is #900-1536. It shows up in a couple of searches, but no real information.

You can try to contact cole-parmer but without the original purchase order they usually can't tell you anything about 900-xxxx part numbers.

All precision tubing is compatible with precision easy loads. Typically split tubing means the head is pinching the tubing too hard, I'd double check everything is clean and spinning freely. If it is you may want to do as slief recommended and get s new head.

 

[naterealbig]

Hi Team Masterflex,

I'm thinking that I would like to utilize a Masterflex pump for automatic water changes, and I have a couple of questions:

1. From a reliability and low maintenance standpoint, I'm assuming that a Masterflex setup would be best (I would be using Apex to control, depending on pump model purchased - looking to use a brushless digital): Is this a good assumption?

2. I was thinking that I will need a pump with a double head on it. Will this work?

3. Assuming that the answers to questions 1 & 2 are "yes" - is there a specific model head that I should use? I have seen some talk on "occlusion"-type heads, but I was hoping I could get more details.

Thank you!

 

[naterealbig]

Also, is there potential to use a triple-head (w/ adjustable occlusion) for automatic water changes as well as calcium reactor feed all from a single drive, or would this be too complicated?

Thank you,

Nathan

 

[tkeracer619]

Hi Team Masterflex,

I'm thinking that I would like to utilize a Masterflex pump for automatic water changes, and I have a couple of questions:

1. From a reliability and low maintenance standpoint, I'm assuming that a Masterflex setup would be best (I would be using Apex to control, depending on pump model purchased - looking to use a brushless digital): Is this a good assumption?

2. I was thinking that I will need a pump with a double head on it. Will this work?

3. Assuming that the answers to questions 1 & 2 are "yes" - is there a specific model head that I should use? I have seen some talk on "occlusion"-type heads, but I was hoping I could get more details.

Thank you!

1. Absolutely, with a brushless digital you will be able to control the pump easily with the apex. Pretty much all of the digital units would be able to be integrated easily, brushless or not.

2. Yes, it's best that one of your heads have adjustable occlusion to balance the heads. I've found along with that it is best to make equal length tubing runs with a larger diameter tube to reduce losses from the tube.

3. Occlusion refers to the "pinch" of the tube. In the easy-load category of pump heads you can get them with adjustable occlusion. The heads are very precise to begin with but with most manufacturing there are tolerances. Having one head with adjustable occlusion would allow you to flow test the heads and make sure they are identical. It may not however be necessary or you may chose to go with a standard type head.

Here is the product page for easy loads.
https://www.coleparmer.com/p/master...heads-for-precision-tubing/4445?Ntt=easy+load

Some tips having done this before...

-Please use a conductivity probe on your controller and lock out the water change system if the salinity goes out of norm.

-Replace the tubing more frequently than necessary. Even though tubing sets can last years, I recommend replacing quarterly. For an auto water change setup I would recommend you do it monthly. It only takes a few minutes to keep them clean and fresh.

-Have a low float switch in your reservoir that will deactivate the system should you run low on water change water. Things happen so it is nice to have a reminder.

-Place a water leak rope or sensor at the base of the pump heads to alert you if you have a rupture. While unlikely, I feel it is better safe than sorry on a system like this.

-Aim for stainless roller heads, they tend to last longer and have tighter tolerances. When you get them replace the front and rear bearings, they're cheap and readily available.

If properly set up the system will be robust. I ran one for over a year, in fact, the only reason this thread exists is that I had a masterflex laying around after taking down the AWC system and decided to toss it on my calcium reactor. It works great for both setups.

 

[slief]

Also, is there potential to use a triple-head (w/ adjustable occlusion) for automatic water changes as well as calcium reactor feed all from a single drive, or would this be too complicated?

Thank you,

Nathan

That won't work. The heads spin at the same time and you won't be running a water change 24/7 and the reactor will need a constant slow flow 24/7 so you would need two different pumps.

As for heads for the water change, I would suggest 7518-10. It has stainless rotors and adjustable occlusions. You could go non stainless with a head such as the 7518-60 which also has a stainless head but is made of different plastic. There is also the 7518-00 but I'd go with the 7518-10 if it were me. All those models support a wide range of tubing including LS17. LS17 is the most common and most practical since you can get it from US Plastics via the links in the first page of this thread.

 

[tkeracer619]

Also, is there potential to use a triple-head (w/ adjustable occlusion) for automatic water changes as well as calcium reactor feed all from a single drive, or would this be too complicated?

Thank you,

Nathan

Easy. With the many tubing set sizes and flow rates you can find something that will satisfy both. If you want to do this the only downside would be if you needed to stop the AWC for whatever reason your calcium reactor would also lose flow.

I've posted a design somewhere along the way that could remedy this. Instead of shutting down the AWC by stopping flow on the pump you could put Tees in a high point in both suction lines prior to the pump head that are attached to solenoid valves. When closed they would allow the pump to create a vacuum and operate normally. When open they would inject air into the system and a vacuum wouldn't occur. This does add a failure point but as long as you have a conductivity probe I think the risk is minimal.

In the end, I would like to think of this solution as a temporary one while you are waiting on another good deal for another continuous drive. The 3rd head would be transferable to the new pump.

Something else to consider. If you don't want continuous you could always go with a more simple economy drive to do the AWC and just plug it straight into your apex and run it 6 hours a day or there about. They aren't as quiet or adjustable flow. You purchase them with a set RPM. I use them for my ATO pumps, they last a very long time but really shouldn't be used in continuous duty. They are often available on the secondary market at a low cost.

https://www.coleparmer.com/p/masterflex-l-s-economy-fixed-speed-drives/4509

 

[naterealbig]

1. Absolutely, with a brushless digital you will be able to control the pump easily with the apex. Pretty much all of the digital units would be able to be integrated easily, brushless or not.

2. Yes, it's best that one of your heads have adjustable occlusion to balance the heads. I've found along with that it is best to make equal length tubing runs with a larger diameter tube to reduce losses from the tube.

3. Occlusion refers to the "pinch" of the tube. In the easy-load category of pump heads you can get them with adjustable occlusion. The heads are very precise to begin with but with most manufacturing there are tolerances. Having one head with adjustable occlusion would allow you to flow test the heads and make sure they are identical. It may not however be necessary or you may chose to go with a standard type head.

Thank you! I would assume that the tighter the "pinch" the more flow I would get and conversely, looser would mean less flow?

Here is the product page for easy loads.
https://www.coleparmer.com/p/masterf...?Ntt=easy+load

Thank you, just got done brushing up....

-Please use a conductivity probe on your controller and lock out the water change system if the salinity goes out of norm.

-Replace the tubing more frequently than necessary. Even though tubing sets can last years, I recommend replacing quarterly. For an auto water change setup I would recommend you do it monthly. It only takes a few minutes to keep them clean and fresh.

-Have a low float switch in your reservoir that will deactivate the system should you run low on water change water. Things happen so it is nice to have a reminder.

-Place a water leak rope or sensor at the base of the pump heads to alert you if you have a rupture. While unlikely, I feel it is better safe than sorry on a system like this.

-Aim for stainless roller heads, they tend to last longer and have tighter tolerances. When you get them replace the front and rear bearings, they're cheap and readily available.

Check, check, check, check, and check. Great idea on the leak detector directly below the pump head! I definitely would have missed this in my planning!

 

[naterealbig]

That won't work. The heads spin at the same time and you won't be running a water change 24/7 and the reactor will need a constant slow flow 24/7 so you would need two different pumps.

Hi Scott! Thank you for feedback here. My thought was using Easy Load heads, so I could use smaller diameter tubing for the water change to get different volumetric flow rates (for the reactor vs AWC system). Additionally, I was thinking adjustable occlusions heads would allow me to fine tune here. Is this not possible?

Also, why would I not want to just do a continuous water change (that ran 24/7)?

As for heads for the water change, I would suggest 7518-10. It has stainless rotors and adjustable occlusions. You could go non stainless with a head such as the 7518-60 which also has a stainless head but is made of different plastic. There is also the 7518-00 but I'd go with the 7518-10 if it were me. All those models support a wide range of tubing including LS17. LS17 is the most common and most practical since you can get it from US Plastics via the links in the first page of this thread.

When I looked up the 7518-60 and 7518-10, the Cole Parmer site is telling me that these have "fixed occlusions". I'm not completely up to speed on the nomenclature - what am I missing here?

Thank you again for your reply and recommendations! My new setup is going to be bullet proof, and this pump(s) will have a huge impact.

 

[slief]

Hi Scott! Thank you for feedback here. My thought was using Easy Load heads, so I could use smaller diameter tubing for the water change to get different volumetric flow rates (for the reactor vs AWC system). Additionally, I was thinking adjustable occlusions heads would allow me to fine tune here. Is this not possible?

Also, why would I not want to just do a continuous water change (that ran 24/7)?




When I looked up the 7518-60 and 7518-10, the Cole Parmer site is telling me that these have "fixed occlusions". I'm not completely up to speed on the nomenclature - what am I missing here?

Thank you again for your reply and recommendations! My new setup is going to be bullet proof, and this pump(s) will have a huge impact.

For AWC, not sure how much you want to change out but running the AWC 24/7 doesn't make a lot of sense unless you have a painfully slow pump or a massive system. You'd be better served getting a cheaper motor for that and just running two heads and have a dedicated calcium reactor pump so you can fine tune the calcium reactor flow rates without being tied to the AWC.

 

[naterealbig]

In the end, I would like to think of this solution as a temporary one while you are waiting on another good deal for another continuous drive. The 3rd head would be transferable to the new pump.

Ok, looks like you and Scott are aligned on the fact that there should be separate drives for the two processes. I'll put 2 on the wish list, as I haven't made the purchase yet.

Something else to consider. If you don't want continuous you could always go with a more simple economy drive to do the AWC and just plug it straight into your apex and run it 6 hours a day or there about. They aren't as quiet or adjustable flow. You purchase them with a set RPM. I use them for my ATO pumps, they last a very long time but really shouldn't be used in continuous duty. They are often available on the secondary market at a low cost.

https://www.coleparmer.com/p/masterflex-l-s-economy-fixed-speed-drives/4509

This actually sounds like a great idea. I could run the pump at night, so the noise doesn't get me. I will check out the link. Is there a mechanical limitation to these running continuously, or is just the noise a detractor.

 

[naterealbig]

For AWC, not sure how much you want to change out but running the AWC 24/7 doesn't make a lot of sense unless you have a painfully slow pump or a massive system. You'd be better served getting a cheaper motor for that and just running two heads and have a dedicated calcium reactor pump so you can fine tune the calcium reactor flow rates without being tied to the AWC.

This makes complete sense, and I will definitely go with your (and Racer's) recommendation for a dedicated pump. This one perhaps can run at night so the noise doesn't bother me.

Thank you so much for your help with this.

 

[tkeracer619]

Thank you! I would assume that the tighter the "pinch" the more flow I would get and conversely, looser would mean less flow?

You're welcome!

The flow rate varies with pump tube diameter. Adjustable occlusion just means you can match the heads pinch on the tube. If one head pinches less than the other back pressure may cause it not to flow the exact same amount. In the end, I don't think it's absolutely necessary. You'll want to balance the head pressure by tube lengths. Since I had an uneven run I had 25ft of tube coiled up on one side to make the runs even length. Worked great. The pumps push water better than pull so if your pump isn't exactly in the middle you will need to toy with tubing length a bit. Using larger diameter (3/8 vs 1/4) poly tubing to the pump makes a big difference here. Hope that makes sense.

 

[tkeracer619]

This actually sounds like a great idea. I could run the pump at night, so the noise doesn't get me. I will check out the link. Is there a mechanical limitation to these running continuously, or is just the noise a detractor.

There isn't a mechanical reason that I am aware of but I don't think cole-parmer rates them for continuous duty. That said my oldest one has been in my possession for around 9 years and I took it out of the trash after another reefer (my boss when I worked for Aquatic Art) tossed it for fear it was reaching end of life. It's probably been running as an ATO pump for close to 15 or 16 years.

 

[hkgar]

Personally I would keep all 3 functions separate. At least that is what I do. I use one Masterfflex for ATO and one for Calcium reactor. (90 ml/min) I use the Apex Dos pumps for the AWC