calcium reactor

cviacona · 04/06/2008, 07:08 PM

i installed a coralife calcium reactor for 500 gallon tank and i am having trouble keeping water flow to the reactor it drips for a while then looses suction and air gets in the line. please help

marioensf · 04/06/2008, 07:56 PM

Try getting an aqualifter pump for constant flow also depends on how you set it up and the way you try feeding the water.
Some people use minijet pumps to feed them a slow flow

cviacona · 04/06/2008, 11:00 PM

yes it has its own pump built into reactor and u control the flow with a pinch valve but the output is way to fast instead of drips so i put a pinch valve on the out flow so if the input drips are faster than the output the unit starts to overflow and if the output is faster than the input the unit loses suction and quits pumping inflow water and drains the unit i dont think the ouput is even suposed to have a valve but i cant stop the water from shooting out way to fast somebody just kill me please

kau_cinta_ku · 04/06/2008, 11:48 PM

To Reef Central
the pump that comes with it, is a recirculating pump. you will need an aditional pump to feed the reactor.

cviacona · 04/07/2008, 12:22 AM

the directions say no i need nothing further than whats in the box and beldts aq. in st. louis says same thing the coralife reactor has only one pump and thats all u need even the end u put in water has a screen to block clogging i wish these guys that sold me the 1200 dollars worth of tank, reactor, regulator, ph controller could tell me more but they cant figure it out or they just dont want to

kau_cinta_ku · 04/07/2008, 12:34 AM

i have never used the coralife reactor but i can't see how it would work without a circulating pump and a feed pump. read this and this will show you how to set one up. it also isn't a coralife reactor but it is how you set up reactors.

http://www.melevsreef.com/calcium_reactor.html

i will take a look at the coralife reactor and see if i can find something out.

kau_cinta_ku · 04/07/2008, 12:48 AM

sorry for not being much help but after looking at the very confusing instructions the only things i can come up with are.

do you have the intake strainer 6-8" below the water line? sounds to me like either the intake isn't far enough below the water line or you have a line that is not fully connected and is getting air in it.

Roy G. Biv · 04/07/2008, 06:02 AM

Mine is a MTC reactor and sounds like a similar setup. The recirc pump draws water in without something extra. I get a pocket of co2 in the top of the first chamber from time to time, but I never had the intake not work. Like above, check the input connections and make sure they are tight.

cviacona · 04/07/2008, 10:44 PM

ok it was what i thought input and output drip need to be the same or it overflows or drains, so it has been running good for 24 hours and i measure the output drip into refugium and calcium is high and ph is 6.8 same as reactor ph will this low ph drip lower the tank ph at some point

kau_cinta_ku · 04/08/2008, 12:25 AM

it may lower the pH a bit but nothing to worry about.

glad you got it working.

Shooter7 · 04/08/2008, 04:28 AM

cviacona, check your PM's

Roy G. Biv · 04/08/2008, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Shooter7
cviacona, check your PM's

Would you like to share that with th rest of the class?

Shooter7 · 04/08/2008, 08:15 AM

Sorry, I didn't have anything to add to the topic at hand. My Ca reactor (GEO) uses a feed pump, so.....

I sent a PM on something else.

04/06/2008, 07:08 PM	#1
cviacona Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: troy, il Posts: 81	calcium reactor i installed a coralife calcium reactor for 500 gallon tank and i am having trouble keeping water flow to the reactor it drips for a while then looses suction and air gets in the line. please help

04/08/2008, 04:28 AM	#11
Shooter7 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Tolono, IL Posts: 6,754	cviacona, check your PM's __________________ Dave Current Tank Info: 10 years salty - standard 29g reef - moved from 120 gal reef, 2x250w Reeflux 10k's on ARO electronics and VHO super actinics on Icecap ballast, 2xTunze 6060, MSX 200 skimmer, GEO 612 Ca reactor, mag 12 return

04/08/2008, 08:15 AM	#13
Shooter7 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Tolono, IL Posts: 6,754	Sorry, I didn't have anything to add to the topic at hand. My Ca reactor (GEO) uses a feed pump, so..... I sent a PM on something else. __________________ Dave Current Tank Info: 10 years salty - standard 29g reef - moved from 120 gal reef, 2x250w Reeflux 10k's on ARO electronics and VHO super actinics on Icecap ballast, 2xTunze 6060, MSX 200 skimmer, GEO 612 Ca reactor, mag 12 return

04/06/2008, 07:56 PM	#2
marioensf Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 2,502	Try getting an aqualifter pump for constant flow also depends on how you set it up and the way you try feeding the water. Some people use minijet pumps to feed them a slow flow

04/06/2008, 11:00 PM	#3
cviacona Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: troy, il Posts: 81	yes it has its own pump built into reactor and u control the flow with a pinch valve but the output is way to fast instead of drips so i put a pinch valve on the out flow so if the input drips are faster than the output the unit starts to overflow and if the output is faster than the input the unit loses suction and quits pumping inflow water and drains the unit i dont think the ouput is even suposed to have a valve but i cant stop the water from shooting out way to fast somebody just kill me please

04/06/2008, 11:48 PM	#4
kau_cinta_ku Moved On Join Date: May 2005 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 8,669	*To Reef Central* the pump that comes with it, is a recirculating pump. you will need an aditional pump to feed the reactor.

04/07/2008, 12:22 AM	#5
cviacona Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: troy, il Posts: 81	the directions say no i need nothing further than whats in the box and beldts aq. in st. louis says same thing the coralife reactor has only one pump and thats all u need even the end u put in water has a screen to block clogging i wish these guys that sold me the 1200 dollars worth of tank, reactor, regulator, ph controller could tell me more but they cant figure it out or they just dont want to

04/07/2008, 12:34 AM	#6
kau_cinta_ku Moved On Join Date: May 2005 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 8,669	i have never used the coralife reactor but i can't see how it would work without a circulating pump and a feed pump. read this and this will show you how to set one up. it also isn't a coralife reactor but it is how you set up reactors. http://www.melevsreef.com/calcium_reactor.html i will take a look at the coralife reactor and see if i can find something out.

04/07/2008, 12:48 AM	#7
kau_cinta_ku Moved On Join Date: May 2005 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 8,669	sorry for not being much help but after looking at the very confusing instructions the only things i can come up with are. do you have the intake strainer 6-8" below the water line? sounds to me like either the intake isn't far enough below the water line or you have a line that is not fully connected and is getting air in it.

04/07/2008, 06:02 AM	#8
Roy G. Biv Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: New Jersey Posts: 3,646	Mine is a MTC reactor and sounds like a similar setup. The recirc pump draws water in without something extra. I get a pocket of co2 in the top of the first chamber from time to time, but I never had the intake not work. Like above, check the input connections and make sure they are tight.

04/07/2008, 10:44 PM	#9
cviacona Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: troy, il Posts: 81	ok it was what i thought input and output drip need to be the same or it overflows or drains, so it has been running good for 24 hours and i measure the output drip into refugium and calcium is high and ph is 6.8 same as reactor ph will this low ph drip lower the tank ph at some point

04/08/2008, 12:25 AM	#10
kau_cinta_ku Moved On Join Date: May 2005 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 8,669	it may lower the pH a bit but nothing to worry about. glad you got it working.