Official: Masterflex Calcium Reactor Setup Thread

[Tcook]

Thanks guys. I downloaded those charts. I jumped in buying 2 pump set-ups that are 50-600 rpm without checking the heads on the CP site. Below about 1 3/4 on the dial I find the pump running for awhile then stopping. I have been able to play around with somewhere between 1 3/4 and 2 on the dial and I think it is going to work. The pH of the reactor has been rock steady. We shall see over the next week. If it doesn't work out then I'll pick up some LS 16 and the two barb fittings.

[zachts]

there is a table either on the tubing spec sheets or on the pump head (I think the latter) that gives ml per revolution of the pump head for each size tubing.

Or you can just divide it out from that table above.

For what I found on Tcook's drive unit it is 50-600 rpm so he should be able to get 40-480 ml/min from LS 16. Though that might still be too fast and he may need to go with one of the smaller bore tubes........

.....but seeing as he was getting 80ml/min and below with LS 17 then it seems the drive can run slower than spec and I think he should be set using LS 16.

[zachts]

Originally Posted by Tcook

Thanks guys. I downloaded those charts. I jumped in buying 2 pump set-ups that are 50-600 rpm without checking the heads on the CP site. Below about 1 3/4 on the dial I find the pump running for awhile then stopping. I have been able to play around with somewhere between 1 3/4 and 2 on the dial and I think it is going to work. The pH of the reactor has been rock steady. We shall see over the next week. If it doesn't work out then I'll pick up some LS 16 and the two barb fittings.

I'd give CP a quick call to verify the pump is working right, many of the older ones can't run continuously at low rpm and thus they stop and start at a higher speed to give the lower flow rates. If that's what it is doing then it is probably fine but if it stops and won't start up again then there might be another issue that should be looked into.

[Pife]

I'm very excited. I just got two off of eBay for under 400 shipped. Pictures when I get home!

[slief]

Originally Posted by Pife

I'm very excited. I just got two off of eBay for under 400 shipped. Pictures when I get home!

Was that you bidding on those two filthy looking ones? If so, I was bidding on them too but wasn't about to go that high. Also, you will probably want to get a different head for those as the 77200-62 uses odd sized tubing. Ideally you will want LS16 (1/4") or LS17 (3/8") tubing which that head does not support.

[Pife]

It was me. I think they will clean up ok or I'll have to put a paint job on them. The seller is confident they are in good working order. I'll look for some new heads for them. Thank you for the heads up. I hope I got a good deal. I've been looking for a while. I'm pumped to get these up and running.

[Pife]

What is the big difference between ls17 and ls24?

[slief]

Originally Posted by Pife

What is the big difference between ls17 and ls24?

The difference is the diameter of the tubing as well as the minimum and maximum flow rates. If you are connecting this to a calcium reactor, you will want to use either LS17 or LS16 tubing as that tubing can easily be adapted to 1/4 OD John Guest style fittings for 1/4 OD tubing. The LS17 3/8 tubing has 1/4" ID and the LS16 1/4" has 1/8" ID. Both of which are relatively standard sizes which can be adapted easily for our use. As such, you should find a head that is compatible with LS16 & LS17 such as the 7518-10 head which also has the stainless rollers. An alternative head would be the 77200-50 which is similar to the ones that are coming with your pumps but support the correct size tubing.

[Pife]

Originally Posted by slief

The difference is the diameter of the tubing as well as the minimum and maximum flow rates. If you are connecting this to a calcium reactor, you will want to use either LS17 or LS16 tubing as that tubing can easily be adapted to 1/4 OD John Guest style fittings for 1/4 OD tubing. The LS17 3/8 tubing has 1/4" ID and the LS16 1/4" has 1/8" ID. Both of which are relatively standard sizes which can be adapted easily for our use. As such, you should find a head that is compatible with LS16 & LS17 such as the 7518-10 head which also has the stainless rollers. An alternative head would be the 77200-50 which is similar to the ones that are coming with your pumps but support the correct size tubing.

So I'm still lost. ls 17 fits a 1/4 inch barb
Ls 24 fits a 1/4 inch barb

Ls 17 flow range is 2.8 to 1700 ml.
Ls 24 flow range is 2.8 to 1700 ml.

I could go on but I'm not seeing the difference. Please help me understand why it won't work???? Here are my sources.

http://www.coleparmer.com/Product/Ma...ft/EW-96410-24


http://www.masterflex.com/Product/Ma...ft/HV-96410-17

[zachts]

Originally Posted by Pife

So I'm still lost. ls 17 fits a 1/4 inch barb
Ls 24 fits a 1/4 inch barb

Ls 17 flow range is 2.8 to 1700 ml.
Ls 24 flow range is 2.8 to 1700 ml.

I could go on but I'm not seeing the difference. Please help me understand why it won't work???? Here are my sources.

http://www.coleparmer.com/Product/Ma...ft/EW-96410-24


http://www.masterflex.com/Product/Ma...ft/HV-96410-17

It is a different wall thickness and therefore different outer diameter of the tubing.......they don't publish that info specifically anywhere........ There may well be an off the shelf equivalent to the precision tubing but I've not seen anyone post the rough equivalent anywhere to date. If the tubing is close it'll work as the easy load heads are somewhat adjustable, but you may sacrifice tubing life using a tube that isn't ideal.

You can certainly use the ls24 as it is compatible with this application but there may not be a non CP compatible tubing out there, so it's a cost issue for most people.

You can always buy CP tubing and resell the extra.....

[tkeracer619]

It is a wall thickness issue. Using the incorrect one will result in rapid failure. LS24 is fine if you have an ls24 compatible head. You just have to use ls24. You will afaik need to buy coleparmer brand tubing. I recommend calling them. LS17 is NOT compatible with LS24, it doesn't work at all. You want a "pharmed bpt" type tubing in ls24 if that is what your drive came with.

[Pife]

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

It is a wall thickness issue. Using the incorrect one will result in rapid failure. LS24 is fine if you have an ls24 compatible head. You just have to use ls24. You will afaik need to buy coleparmer brand tubing. I recommend calling them. LS17 is NOT compatible with LS24, it doesn't work at all. You want a "pharmed bpt" type tubing in ls24 if that is what your drive came with.

Fantastic I'll give them a call. Thank you very much for your help and time with this thread. I am in belief now that this is this only way to run a calcium reactor easily.

[tkeracer619]

Thanks Yea, it works incredibly well. I won't run a reactor without itit again.

[janey]

Hi Everyone I'm almost done with getting all i need to start my Calcium Reactor. Just 1 more thing That I think i need ?
Do i need this

[tkeracer619]

No, but if you don't already have a reef controller i would look into getting one.

[tkeracer619]

****PLEASE DO NOT BUY DRIVES LABELED 900-1554 AND 900-1555****

Unless they are being shipped as a pair and are confirmed working. Seems a bunch of the drives coming in from the ebay seller are stuck in remote mode. They are not usable unless you have a 0-10v dc signal to control them with.

[rEeFnWrX]

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

****PLEASE DO NOT BUY DRIVES LABELED 900-1554 AND 900-1555****

Unless they are being shipped as a pair and are confirmed working. Seems a bunch of the drives coming in from the ebay seller are stuck in remote mode. They are not usable unless you have a 0-10v dc signal to control them with.

If you have a reefangel then you are gtg. Dimming expansion channels can be toggled between analog and pwm signals

[dcmartinpc]

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

****PLEASE DO NOT BUY DRIVES LABELED 900-1554 AND 900-1555****

Unless they are being shipped as a pair and are confirmed working. Seems a bunch of the drives coming in from the ebay seller are stuck in remote mode. They are not usable unless you have a 0-10v dc signal to control them with.

Can we get a little more information on this, I was getting ready to buy 2 pairs of each from the seller that is selling pairs of drives and pairs of motors in separate auctions.

Is the front switch coming in disabled? Unable to change to internal or mA?

Thanks in advance!

Don

[d2mini]

Originally Posted by dcmartinpc

Can we get a little more information on this, I was getting ready to buy 2 pairs of each from the seller that is selling pairs of drives and pairs of motors in separate auctions.

Is the front switch coming in disabled? Unable to change to internal or mA?

Thanks in advance!

Don

Basically, the front panel of buttons are locked so changes can't be made to the settings.

Quite the bummer!

[Dapg8gt]

Are these units any cheaper being that they are locked? .. I'm on the same page as being able to control it with my reef angel, I'd take a guess and say I'm sure those with Apex can do the same.

Right after I read it I looked on eBay but my short search didn't reveal any of them with that prefix so I am unsure if they are cheaper or not.. Can someone pm me the sellers name or a link ( if it's not breaking the rules on rc). I think it wouldn't be to bad, actually fairly easy adjusting it with my app for my controller if I charted the flow rates at every step from 0-10v or treating it like the other dc pumps that are controlled. If I can use it to get a cheaper pump I'm all over it =).

[slief]

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

****PLEASE DO NOT BUY DRIVES LABELED 900-1554 AND 900-1555****

Unless they are being shipped as a pair and are confirmed working. Seems a bunch of the drives coming in from the ebay seller are stuck in remote mode. They are not usable unless you have a 0-10v dc signal to control them with.

Funny you mention the 0-10v signal. I was reading up on the remote interface and saw mention of 0-10v control. My first thought was that one could connect it to an Apex. I looked at the diagram for the 15 pin connector and noted that pin 1 is the +10v and pin 3 is the ground. That said, my guess is that you would need more than just the 0-10v control in remote mode. It has a start/stop signal, a forward/reverse signal, Prime signal that would all need to be communicated some how. Still would be interesting to be able to control the RPM via a controller based on tank ph, reactor ph or other variables.

[slief]

I just finished setting up my Cole Parmer Masterflex digital pump on my new reactor today. This particular CP was sold under the Manostat Carter label as a cartrdige pump but is compatible with the Easy Load heads. I added a new head and got another spare new head as well as a boat load of original Cole Parmer LS17 tubing. The pump runs from 3.5 RPM to 200 RPM. I can adjust the speed/flow in .1 increments. At 17.6 RPM it's 50ml/min with LS17 tubing. The pump is setup to pull through the reactors. I've got a Geo 818 and I had an old MRC 4"x18 rector that I set up after the Geo. I will be adding an AquariumPlants regulator tomorrow once it arrives and pulling my Reef Fanatic regulator. I shut the Co2 off for the night to purge the reactor and will turn it back on in the morning and then swap the reg when I get home from work.

[d2mini]

Very cool!
That's like the Batman version of these drives. I like it!

[dadummy]

check out this L/S 24 tubing, exp date is 07/09, contacted the seller and best they can do it for is 150. Fantastic deal all long as the exp date isn't an issue, does tubing dry out and crack or loose integrity. I am sure if there is an expiration date for a reason.

If tubing is good be plenty to go around, anyone want to play?

http://www.masterflex.com/Product/Sp...96403-24#Specs

[dadummy]

here's the link for the item

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201296381705...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT