*** with my CA reactor?!

[chucklez]

Ok. I have an MRC-4 CA reactor and I am about to this this SOB out the door and go dosing. I have a steady stream of effluent out of the reactor. Using Caribsea ARM. The medium grade in the first chamber, and extra large in the second. My apex code is as follows:

Fallback OFF
If pH-CA > 6.75 Then ON
If pH-CA < 6.68 Then OFF
If pH-Tnk < 7.65 Then OFF

The ARM itself is being reduced so I know that is working as expected. problem is I need to supplement the CA reactor with manual dosing of Alk and CA to keep it at the level i am shooting fo, and my system is not a stony forest by any meansr. My system itself is roughly 300g with sump. From MRC site the reactor is rated at darn near double what I currently have. Anything I can do besides turning up the effluent rate? Dont want to do that as it will start leaking from the pressure going through it.

 

[Nanook]

Sounds like rate needs increased. Why would it leak??? Perhaps seal the o-rings with some silicone grease to stop leaking.

Is the XL media in the smaller secondary tower? If so, remove it and use small-medium media in that section. The smaller diameter tubes do better with smaller media. You'll get better amounts of calcium and alkalinity.

Either way, I'd fix it so it doesn't leak, that should not be happening.

 

[Pife]

How much do you have flowing through it? I have 160ml let minute coming through my reactor and second chamber.

I would also calibrate the probe. Is your pH stable in the reactor? Is the recirculating pump working correctly?

 

[chucklez]

I will check the rate of flow tonight after work sometime. The PH probe is new(er). Only been in use since mid spring or so. Calibrated it then using 7.0 and 10.0 fluid. I do need to re-calibrate my Cond probe, so maybe tonight when I stop by TCR I will pick up some calibration fluid for PH. The return pump is a blue line. Not sure of size, but it is circulating water through the reactor.

Leak is coming around the top of the main chamber where the return from the re-circulation pump goes. From the time I purchased it (used) it has had a small leak. Not much at all, maybee a 1/4 cup a day? But there I will find water on top of the reactor especially when the flow is turned all the way up.

Current Apex Status

 

[ct_vol]

Which ARM media do you have? You may consider reducing the pH in your first chamber to 6.5 or less to dissolve the media faster hence increasing Alk and Ca output. The ARM Extra Coarse can easily withstand lower pH without turning to mush on you. One of the benefits of having a dual chamber reactor is that you can run the first extra low and bring it up in the second before it enters your tank. Hope that helps.

Disregard going that low on pH if you're using the original ARM (sand type) media in both chambers. If you are, switch to Coarse or Extra in the first and original in the second.

 

[chucklez]

Ok, follow my math here. Effluent rate is 2 liters per 5m 20s. That comes to 23 ll per hour, or 23,000 ml. 23,000/60 is 383ml/minute of effluent expelled from my CA reactor. PH of effluent is 7.19 according to the PH probe I removed from my sump and placed in the collection container.

ARM media is CaribSea coarse in the main reactor chamber. Secondary chamber is extra coarse.

I just decreased the PH of reactor to 6.54. Lets see how this works.

*editL Im going to hold off changing effluent PH until I recalibrate my probes as Nook suggested.

 

[Nanook]

For calcium reactors, use the ph 4 and ph 7 for calibration.

 

[ct_vol]

This thread may be helpful to you.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2201260

Try measuring the Alk of your effluent to help you get your reactor dialed in. FWIW, I run mine at 6.25. I use mostly Reborn media now, but had the same issues when I ran ARM Extra Course.

 

[chucklez]

Funny thing. I have 2 brands of test kits. API and Red Sea. Usually use API just because its easier than the titration method. With API you get somewhere between Y.0 and Z.0. I wanted something more detailed so i broke out my Red Sea. I am getting totally different readings between the two. API is blue at 6 and changes color at 7. Bright vibrant yellow. So I call it 6.5. Red Sea titration produces a result of 8.4 dKH. +/- a drop each time I retest it. Multiple tests are consistent with each other within the brand names, just results from each brand is so far different.

Possibly one set is contaminated or something.

 

[Nanook]

Main thing for me is consistency with one reliable test kit. I use Lamotte for 16 years and like it the best, but hear good things about Red Sea too.

 

[Pife]

I find my red sea and hanna to be within .1dkh with each other. Nook is right about the stability. It is the most important. I had alk in the 4s late last month with out any loses.