Question for the Calcium Reactor pros

[bcavalli]

I have a question about the way I have my Calcium reactor tuned and I wanted to make sure it's right. I appreciate any advice.

I have my pH probe setup on my Apex with a range of 6.53-6.60 with 50ml effluent and 65 bubbles a min. Essentially my regulator is going on and off every 20 or 30 mins. Does this sound right? I've tested Alk, Calcium and Magnesium, with no fluctuations after 48 hrs.

I guess I'm really asking, would it be better on my regulator to slow the effluent and decrease the bubble count? In turn it would not cycle on/ off so often. Again, I appreciate any advice.

 

[ricky5415]

65 bubbles a minute?

 

[porpoiseaquatics]

Brett....your bubble rate is pretty high. I run mine at 1 bubble per second. I also have my Apex set at 6.50 to 6.90. Not that it really matters. It's just where I found the best numbers from my unit. I also drip the effluent at 1 drip per second. It varies from time to time and has to be adjusted but I can tell that from the pH graph.

 

[bcavalli]

I went off Dave's (Arcoholic) thread on Calcium reactor setups and he recommended 60 to 90 bubbles per min with an effluent of 50 to 60ml per min. I originally set it up at 50 bubbles per min and an effluent of 60 drops per min. I immeadiately dropped by .25 dKh per day at that rate. I've tested twice a day and it's holding right at 8.09 dKh. I'm just concerned about wearing out the regulator.

 

[hfleming]

I'm interested in everyone's thoughts on this also....

I'm not saying it's right but I'll tell you my philosophy/understanding.

1. I set my effluent flow so that my calcium / alk are stable. It sounds like you have it about right since you stated you don't have any fluctuations.

2. I adjust the bubble count so that I minimize the cycling of the Co2 solenoid. If your's is coming on and off every half hour that's pretty good. Assuming your reactor Ph stays in the range you stated.

If you increase the bubble rate it would make the regulator cycle more often since it is putting more Co2 into the reactor faster.

I fine tune the bubble count using regulator pressure rather than the Co2 needle valve.

 

[bcavalli]

porpoiseaquatics;1102861 wrote: Brett....your bubble rate is pretty high. I run mine at 1 bubble per second. I also have my Apex set at 6.50 to 6.90. Not that it really matters. It's just where I found the best numbers from my unit. I also drip the effluent at 1 drip per second. It varies from time to time and has to be adjusted but I can tell that from the pH graph.

Jeff what media are you using? Thankyou for the information. Going off what your setup is, I should be able to lower the effluent rate, decrease the bubble count and adjust the Apex to a larger variance and take the pressure off the regulator coming on and off so often. Makes sense. . Thankyou.

 

[hfleming]

hfleming;1102863 wrote: I'm interested in everyone's thoughts on this also....

I'm not saying it's right but I'll tell you my philosophy/understanding.

1. I set my effluent flow so that my calcium / alk are stable. It sounds like you have it about right since you stated you don't have any fluctuations.

2. I adjust the bubble count so that I minimize the cycling of the Co2 solenoid. If your's is coming on and off every half hour that's pretty good. Assuming your reactor Ph stays in the range you stated.

If you increase the bubble rate it would make the regulator cycle more often since it is putting more Co2 into the reactor faster.

I fine tune the bubble count using regulator pressure rather than the Co2 needle valve.

I left off my rates....
I have not measured the effluent flow but it's just past the point of drops changing to continuous. Probably around 200 ml per min. The bubble count is around 85 per min. Ph is 6.4.

I can't keep my alk in range without dosing a few cups a week. I've often wondered if I should speed up the effluent rate but I feel like it's pretty fast already.

 

[bcavalli]

hfleming;1102865 wrote: I left off my rates....
I have not measured the effluent flow but it's just past the point of drops changing to continuous. Probably around 200 ml per min. The bubble count is around 85 per min. Ph is 6.4.

I can't keep my alk in range without dosing a few cups a week. I've often wondered if I should speed up the effluent rate but I feel like it's pretty fast already.

I'm still trying to get a grasp of all this. However, I found the thread I referred to in the original post as really helpful. It's an amazing post.

 

[snowmansnow]

I think you're in a good zone. You MAY want to dial it down to 60 / min at first.. just an extra 5 per min doesn't sound like a lot, but when you consider it runs 24/7 it can add up pretty fast in the overall scheme of things.
Just monitor your ALK and make sure it isn't pulling it up.
a CA reactor is for maintaining a consistent level, not raising ALK... so it will take some trial and error to get it just right..
also realize as your corals grow you'll need to adjust the effluent drip rate to keep up.

 

[michael grady]

Brett...

If you are using the Apex, your bubble rate does not really matter .....as long as you are able to bring the pH in the reactor down to the point where you want it. This is unlike Ca reactors that are set up with just bubble counting. Just let t go fast...it does not matter one bit. When the pH (in your case) get down to 6.53, the Apex will shut the CO2 off. If you are concerned about the frequent on and off - adjust the upside a little. I notice your off and on points are just .07 apart (6.53-6.60).

The one thing I will suggest (from experience this weekend), is to make sure you have a properly calibrated pH probe.

Michael .

 

[bcavalli]

Thanks guys I really appreciate the information. I now have the sepoint at 6.60 to 6.75 and a bubble rate of 60bpm and my effluent is at 40ml per min. My Alk level is steady at 8.3. One more question what is the ideal Alk level while running a reactor?

 

[michael grady]

That depends somewhat on what you are keeping in your tank. That said, 8.3 is probably just fine.

Remember, you do not want to try and adjust the alk or Ca by adjusting the reactor. The reactor is designed to keep the levels you have adjusted by other means.

Michael

 

[bcavalli]

Thank you for the response. When I dosed in the past I kept my Alk around 8.5 and that seemed to be the sweet spot for the different species.

 

[frag freak]

8.5 is my sweet spot too.