Osmolator and Apex

[Rocdoc]

I am planning on using my Osmolator to do ATO with Kalkwasser from my Geo Kalkwasser reactor. I would like to have it add topoff water slowly throughout the night (to help offset pH shifts). I plan to run the Osmolator off my Apex, leaving the osmolator off during the day and allowing it only to run after lights out.

My current setup is a 180 gallon display with Trigger Systems Ruby Elite 36 Sump/Fuge (about 40 gallons). I have the Osmolator set up in the return section.

My concern is that the osmolator will turn on and pump 2-3 gallons into the system all at once, increasing the pH all at once, then stay off for the rest of the night.

My question is this: Can I set the Apex to turn on power to the Osmolator for like three minutes at a time once every 20 minutes or so? My thought is that this would force the Osmolator to add water more slowly throughout the night.

1. If the Osmolator is powered up when the water level is adequate, will it automatically go to a holding pattern or will it dispense a certain amount of top off water before it shuts off again?
2. Are there any other likely problems caused by this setup?
3. Any other options to do the same thing that are safer or better?

Thanks in advance,
Bryan

 

[Rocdoc]

OK, so I did a little testing tonight. If the osmolator is left on until it senses that the water level is correct, then switched off, it will pump for about 16 seconds when it is powered back up (despite still indicating that the level is ok). So instead of powering it on with my apex every twenty minutes, what if I powered it on every 45 to 60 minutes overnight for about 1-2 minutes? This would allow about 1-2 quarts of top off kalkwasser every time, delivering a total of up to six gallons or so overnight. Obviously, I will have to tune it a little to optimize delivery for my uncovered, LED-lit 180 gallon.

Am I missing something, or is this a reasonable way to use this equipment?

 

[mc-cro]

by doing this you would be defeating the time out sensor on the osmolator.

If for some reason the water level sensor were to flake out, you would continue adding top off kalkwasser all night every time it kicked on, above the normal water levels. Also, 1-2 qts of kalkwasser at a time seems to be a little much. Most poeple drip kalk. or use it in a top off a little at a time. too much kalk at one time can cause precipitation. that much can also start to clog you heaters and pumps.

If it were me, and I have ran an osmolator through a geo kalkwasser reactor on a large system, I would just let it do its thing normally and add top off water when it needs it 24hrs a day. you are still going to get some ph stability by doing this.

although in the big picture, IME, chasing nightime ph swings is not really that effective, or important unless you are specifically seeing HUGE swings at night.

 

[rvitko]

I agree with mc-cro. Here are the problems you may encounter-

1) The optic sensor takes time to "wake up" as you found. A cap has to charge up before the optic sensor becomes functional.

2) You defeat the 10 minute shut off feature, every time it cycles off, the 10 minute count down is reset. If you were away and the top off hose detached from the tank or their was a plumbing leak, every time you cycled it, an additional 10 minutes of top off could be delivered.

3) I can say from experience that the osmolator doses so little at any one time when used as designed you will see no noticeable pH spike, on my 120 using an osmolator and Tunze calcium dispenser and Tunze pH controller regulating a 3170 calcium reactor I never saw an increase of more than a few hundredths in pH, after a few months my pH consistently ranged from 8.00-8.20.

4) When used consistently, kalkwasser stabilizes pH by increasing alkalinity, it is the buffering effect that is more of benefit than trying to deliberately use it to modify pH. Further, pH fluctuations occur even in nature, in November 1985 Axel Tunze measured the pH in a reef off Eriyadoo, Maldive Islands for a period of 10 days. Measuring at 10, 12 and 6 and found fluctuations from 8.06 to 8.23 and while the pH was consistently lower or higher in the evenings, their are other intervening factors, especially presence of stronger tides and storms. You can attain this same narrow range most effectively by simply combining kalkwasser and the osmolator, run as intended and a pH controlled calcium reactor, in this way the pH is fully controlled, any high spike by the kalkwasser is reduced by the addition of CO2 enriched calcium reactor effluent and any free CO2 is bound by the kalkwasser, over a period of 3 months a very stable carbonate buffering system is established. If you have excess dissolved CO2, a more powerful skimmer or drawing in outside air for the skimmer is the best way to do this. Based on tank volume, you should have a very stable set up once it is established.

 

[Rocdoc]

Thanks for the replies. So it sounds like the recommendation is to leave the osmolator on 24/7, run freshwater from the osmolator into the kalk reactor, pushing mixed kalkwater into the system, and let it do its thing, correct?

Guess it's time to get the CO2 reactor online as well.

 

[rvitko]

That would be my recommendation.