Best way to start using Calcium Reactor?

[thbrewst]

I got a LifeReef Calcium reactor with the set-up that I purchased and am finally getting to the point of trying to set it up. BTW, it does have a pH probe port so I will be running it that way. I think I get the general gist of the set-up but have a few questions...

1) I have a 3 chamber sump with drain/skimmer, fuge, and return sections. Where should I take the water from to send to the reactor and what chamber should I return it to? Does it matter.

2) How should I start using this safely? I gather I should get the Calcium level where I want it and then use the reactor to keep it there? I also gather I should do a lot of testing for pH, Alk, and Calcium while I am getting started to make sure things are moving a long OK.

What else is a lesson learned from starting this process? This is the first thing I am doing where I feel like if I screw it up I could 'nuke' the tank, so I want to go into it with my eyes open as to the failure points.

As always, thanks for the insight.

 

[gmpolan]

1) Im not postive as to it mattering where you take the water from but pending whether this set up is a single chamber or dual chamber, id drop it back in whereever the most flow is regardless

2) Id just start running but have the drip rate pretty slow and adjust accordingly as needed after testing.

I had the same thoughts you did and then robb came over and just literally threw it on. Its more of a set and forget it as i think they only way to really nuke the tank is if your selenoid gets stuck flooding the reactor with c02.
So as long as your controller is good, i think your set up will be fine.

 

[jef4y]

Read these.

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/44-calcium-reactors-in-out-and-everything-in-between-part-1">http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/44-calcium-reactors-in-out-and-everything-in-between-part-1</a>

[IMG]http://www.melevsreef.com/calcium_reactor.html">http://www.melevsreef.com/calcium_reactor.html</a>

They will help immensely.

Personally, I take water T'd off of my return pump, and I return the effluent to the same chamber. While this doesn't sound sensible, the overwhelming majority of the water goes up into my display tank and perhaps a bit of effluent gets run through again. For me it was convenient and worked.

In setting up the reactor, know that ANY change you make (and only make 1 at a time) will take 24 hours to stabilize.

Starting at a higher pH and working your way down is FAR better than starting where you think it should be and finding out it's too low.

My Caribsea media dissolves just fine at a reactor pH of 6.8-7.0. I read articles constantly that it won't dissolve above 6.5 and that simply is not true in my setup. I found this out the hard way and spiked the crap out of my Alk for days on end along the way.

A controller will help you a LOT in keeping things dialed in right, but regardless the biggest advice I can give you are those 2 articles along with moving slow. 24 hours at a time, testing CA & ALK along the way.

 

[lilrobb]

I would T it off the return, but add it back in to the drain chamber - having it flow through the entire sump will help dissipate any extra CO2 or alk/ca spikes...

 

[jef4y]

BTW, if you T it off the return, use a ball-valve to knock down the pressure a bit before the reactor. Then fine-tune it with a needle-valve on the effluent drip side.

 

[thbrewst]

JeF4y;607328 wrote: BTW, if you T it off the return, use a ball-valve to knock down the pressure a bit before the reactor. Then fine-tune it with a needle-valve on the effluent drip side.

I may not actually T it off the return for now. Since I am new at this I want to stick to the recommendation, which is to run it off a small pump (I know, something else to break). It is a Rio 180 so the flow rate is pretty low, ~130 gph. Anyway, the recommendation is to feed it that way so I will probably start there unless you think that is a bad idea. Once I get more comfortable I will likely try to make it more efficient.

Also, if I put the effluent into the drain/skimmer chamber will the skimmer alter any of the added value or will all of that just flow straight through?

 

[glxtrix]

jef4y;607328 wrote: btw, if you t it off the return, use a ball-valve to knock down the pressure a bit before the reactor. Then fine-tune it with a needle-valve on the effluent drip side.

+1

 

[acroholic]

I use these needle valves for my calcium reactors, in case your effluent rate is hard to adjust. The lil' needle valve that came with mine was cruddy. They are pretty accurate without breaking the bank.

 

[thbrewst]

JeF4y;607316 wrote: Read these.

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/44-calcium-reactors-in-out-and-everything-in-between-part-1">http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/44-calcium-reactors-in-out-and-everything-in-between-part-1</a>

[IMG]http://www.melevsreef.com/calcium_reactor.html">http://www.melevsreef.com/calcium_reactor.html</a>

[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the links. I had read the Melevs one earlier, but had not seen the Reef Keeping one.



[QUOTE=][B]Acroholic;607333 wrote:[/B] I use these needle valves for my calcium reactors, in case your effluent rate is hard to adjust. The lil' needle valve that came with mine was cruddy. They are pretty accurate without breaking the bank.

[IMG]http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=24525&catid=662">http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=24525&catid=662</a>[/QUOTE]

Nice. Thanks. Mine has the little screw down 'clamp' type. Good to know there is something better if that one does not work well. It certainly does not appear very substantial.

 

[jef4y]

The separate pump is really a non-issue. It's just a matter of supplying water to the reactor. Doesn't matter how it gets there. Some people have used gravity siphons to make it happen!

 

[acroholic]

JeF4y;607352 wrote: The separate pump is really a non-issue. It's just a matter of supplying water to the reactor. Doesn't matter how it gets there. Some people have used gravity siphons to make it happen!

+1. I feed my reactor from a manifold powered by my return pump.