Setting Up Calcium Reactor Remotely?

[Gisho]

Need some help.

I have 270, 150, and 100 gallon tanks. I do not have a dedicated equipment room. I have to fit everything under the tanks in the stands.

I don't have space left under any of them for a calcium reactor and I'm getting tired of dripping Kalkwasser.

My questions are two-fold:

1. can I set up a calcium reactor remotely, i.e. in the garage,
which is about 25-30 feet away from the tanks?

2. can the three tanks "share" a large calcium reactor?

Thanks in advance for any help/insight you can offer!

Gisho

 

[cwegescheide]

I'd say unless your 3 tanks are plumbed together then you could. Otherwise I think it would be next to impossible to get the drip rate correct. I don't know how you could split your effluent line 3 ways. Man, its hard enough to get the reactor dialed in on one tank!

 

[Gisho]

Thanks cwegescheide.

And you bring up a good point and one that I didn't clarify in my initial post; NO, the tanks are all plumbed seperately and do not share any water in any way. I guess that probably makes it harder...

The effluent line is the one that returns from the reactor to the tank/sump, correct?

How is the reactor supplied with water from the tank/sump?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[cwegescheide]

I know a lot of people use a powerhead to supply water to the reactor and have tubing connect to the powerhead that is connected to the reactor. I did it this way but then decided to put a T in my sump return pump tubing to supply the water this way for 1) to eliminate one source of electricity 2) was getting air bubbles from the powerhead supply.

I did put a ball valve between the T and the supply for the reactor so I could reduce the flow and not blow the lid in the reactor (that is not shown in the picture

 

[Gisho]

Thanks for all the help cwegescheide. So, it sounds like if I can somehow run water from the tank to the CA reactor (perhaps through the attic), and then have the return do likewise back to the tank, it sounds possible to do. Doesn't sound like I'll be able to run 3 seperate tanks off of one reactor though, right?

 

[cwegescheide]

I don't think you would ever be able to get the drip rates right for each tank and then I'm not sure of the pressure you would need to run this tubing I'm guessing atleast 15' +. No I don't think thats possible.

No problem on the help

Enjoy!