Calcium Reactor Effleunt
- Thread starter cameron
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I seem to remember that if you just let it run into an open cup of some sort before then spilling into the tank, it blows off a fair amount of the CO2.
Pumping it into the skimmer may leave you cleaning plated calcium off your skimmer/skimmer pump more often.
Pumping it into the skimmer may leave you cleaning plated calcium off your skimmer/skimmer pump more often.
Hmmm... your right on the extra deposits in the pump. Maybe run it into a small acrylic chamber that sits in the sump and has an air pump blasting away. Would be an easy setup and would blow off lots of CO2 without clogging anything up.
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Mine is dripped into a fish food container with holes drilled near the top. I have a PH probe in the cup also to monitor the effleunt's PH. I run a PH controller in the sump that adds kalk when the PH drops too low. Seems to be working great so far. I thought about using a extra specimin container instead of the fish food container when I move it to the fuge return section. Good luck!
skriz
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I drip mine directly into the sump. I have it drop a good distance to get whatever blowoff that will provide.
I used to put it directly into the protein skimmer, but couldn't monitor the line and couldn't tell if it needed cleaning or not.
I used to put it directly into the protein skimmer, but couldn't monitor the line and couldn't tell if it needed cleaning or not.
One issue with putting it into the skimmer is that a lower pH will lower the effectiveness of your skimmer. A skimmer is almost inneffective at pH of 7, and I'm sure you've read what happens when your pH goes really high (such as a kalk overdose) - the skimmer goes crazy. So dumping in effluent of pH 6.5-7 into the skimmer just means it won't work as well...
Back when I had my Ca reactor still set up, I dumped it into my refugium. The CO2 is good for macro algae...
Back when I had my Ca reactor still set up, I dumped it into my refugium. The CO2 is good for macro algae...
Good point, but with the turnover rate inside the skimmer I honestly can't imagine even an effluent of 5.8 significantly affecting the overall ph of the body of water in the skimmer. Even a steady stream of effluent would probably be no match for the 200-400gph that usually move through a skimmer, wouldn't you think?
It would suprise me as well. It might drop off a tiny bit, but between the gas exchange bleeding off the CO2 and new water coming in at 200gph + I think the effleunt would be saturated quickly. That said, I am liking the container with an air pump right now.
That is probably the best thing to do and will probably end up with something similar. My current plan is to drain it into a small specimen container that hangs on the side of my sump and hit it with this small air pump I have. I think I will take your advice and throw some ARM in there as well.
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Some things to consider here- if you are going to use a pH controller, you will not want to aerate the effluent cup. You will need the controller to know the exact pH of the effluent. Also, would aerating where you have media be counterproductive? The media needs low pH to dissolve and perform its function, yet aerating will drive up the pH. I would just say one or the other, if anythi8ng.
BTW, I use this exact setup of the collection cup with the holes drilled in it.
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I tried to blow off extra CO2 by using an airstone in an extra chamber after the main CA reactor chamber. All I ended up doing was precipitating CA as the pH droped. The entire chamber collected very fine calcium dust. My current setup just dumps the effluent into my overflow which leads to the skimmer section, then sump. I have not noticed any CA deposits on my skimmer pumps but then again, I run conservative CA and alk levels. I periodically raise my Alk with Soda Ash and my pH stays between 8.2 and 8.3 this way.
I think the extra chamber filled with media would do the most to remove any "free" CO2 without any negative effects. I'm not convinced it is needed, however.
I think the extra chamber filled with media would do the most to remove any "free" CO2 without any negative effects. I'm not convinced it is needed, however.
My AC3 has two pH ports and I also have the breakout box which has another pH port if needed. I was going to use one for the tank and one for the reactor to open the solinoid from the CO2 bottle.
I figured I would throw extra media in the effleunt chamber just to help bleed of excess CO2. I don't really care if it dissolves or not.
I figured I would throw extra media in the effleunt chamber just to help bleed of excess CO2. I don't really care if it dissolves or not.
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I am about to move my calcium reactor to my fuge return section. My question is If the effleunt is dripped into the return section and then over bioballs will this mixing of air/water cause any issues with the effleunt such as reduction is CA? I know it would help with bleeding off excess CO2 but I wonder if it would be detrimental any other way. Thanks in advance!
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Cameron,
I recently upgraded my ACII to an ACIII with the breakout box to do that exact thing. I use the solenoid on a DC8 (since it is silent) and I have a perstalic pump on the flow through the CA reactor. Below are my programming snipits (not that YOU need them
)CA_ = CA Reactor perstalic pump
pHA1 = CA Reactor chamber pH
pH = Tank pH
CO2 = CO2 Solenoid
<span style="font-size: 12px;">If Time > 00:00 Then CA_ ON ........# Perstalic pump = on</span>
<span style="font-size: 12px;">If pHA1 < 06.75 Then CO2 OFF ......# Lower CA chamber pH</span>
<span style="font-size: 12px;">If pHA1 > 06.85 Then CO2 ON .......# Upper CA chamber pH</span>
<span style="font-size: 12px;">If pH < 07.90 Then CO2 OFF .........# Cut off Chamber CO2 when tank pH gets low</span>
<span style="font-size: 12px;">If pH < 07.80 Then CA_ OFF ..........# Cut off CA reactor feed if tank pH gets REALLY low</span>
<span style="font-size: 12px;">Max Change 005 M Then CO2 OFF</span>
<span style="font-size: 12px;">Max Change 005 M Then CA_ OFF</span>
<span style="font-size: 12px;">If pHA1 > 07.00 Then ALM ON .......# alarms for low and high reactor pH</span>
<span style="font-size: 12px;">If pHA1 < 06.50 Then ALM ON </span>
<span style="font-size: 12px;">If pH > 08.50 Then ALM ON ...........# alarms for low and high tank pH</span>
<span style="font-size: 12px;">If pH < 07.90 Then ALM ON </span>
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