Help with Octopus Ca reactor

1badbrd · 04/08/2009, 03:22 PM

It was set up for around a year worked great, now i moved and reset it up i can not get this thing to work for crap.

The directions are in broken chinese, and diagram is labeled like a 3rd graded did it.

If anyone has one or knows how to set it up please help.

I can not get a good drip rate with constent pH. It either stops dripping, or dumps lots of CO2 intot the reactor and massive bubbles fill the reactor chamber and then the pumps stumbels, or both.

PLEASE help anyone

marineduud · 04/08/2009, 05:55 PM

To start with did you bleed it out ? just asking ! And is the controller shutting off ? And which one do you have ( new style or old) ? I have had both since they came out with them ! Are you sure the controller is turning off at the proper PH ?

1badbrd · 04/08/2009, 07:51 PM

I have the oler model.

I did bleed it but it fills up with gas.

The controller shuts off when it falls below 6.35 and turns on when its above 6.40

I will have to get a pic and show how i have the lines hooked

marineduud · 04/08/2009, 08:33 PM

Pics. would help but I would raise the cut off to 6.5-6.7, and after the pics I can see more but they have a good recirc. set-up for the co2 and if it's hooked up right you shouldn't have an over load of Co2 in the camber.

1badbrd · 04/10/2009, 01:26 PM

Here is the pic. Dont laugh i have been trying multiple configuration ot get this to work properly.

1. Feed pump is connected to the lower port near the rec. pump
2. The tube on the top right connects to a valve that is connected to another tube that is connected to the side of the gray pipe near the bubble counter chamber
3. The tube on the top left is dripping into the sump

Please let me know were i went wrong

marineduud · 04/10/2009, 01:47 PM

Put the feed line to the top port across from the bubble counter, and put the recurc. line which should be the port with no little chamber in the lid to the lower JG close the recurc. pump. And your drip line should be the one with acrylic chamber on the lid. Then shut off the recirc. pump and let it bleed out, Then turn the pump back on. And I would take out the valve I see in the recurc. line and make it shorter. You dont need it there. Hope this helps.

Also what are feeding it with ?

marineduud · 04/10/2009, 01:51 PM

Well Its hard to tell in the pic but if the Valve is on the line that drips in the sump dont take it off LOL !

1badbrd · 04/10/2009, 01:56 PM

no the valve i talked about is in the front of the picture. Its were the two blu tubes meet. The flash kinda washed out the valve, it just look really white. I do have a valve on the drip tube also. I will give it a try and see how it works.

Feeding it with an aqua lift

marineduud · 04/10/2009, 02:11 PM

Your effluent drip tube should have valve on it , but not the recurc.

marineduud · 04/10/2009, 02:15 PM

I forgot to add , after you make the change I would let it run with no C02 for about an hour to clear the lines of the recurc. and pump, then turn it back on after all of the lines are clear.

1badbrd · 04/10/2009, 03:27 PM

all right i still must have something wrong.

I took the JG that has the little chamber from the top and that is my drip.

I have the other JG that does not have the chamber and connected it to the JG near the pump towrds the bottom of the PVC pipe. The top JG near the bubble counter is my feed line.

I left the Ca pump off and nothing really happened. I had a pocket of gas at the top that wouldnt come out. I turn the pump on and the gas keeps cycling throught the pump and to the top of the reactor and back to the pump via the JG that does not have the chamber on the inside.

Either way i'm not getting and water coming out of my tube that should be dripping onto my sump?

Eel-byte · 04/10/2009, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 1badbrd
all right i still must have something wrong.

I took the JG that has the little chamber from the top and that is my drip.

I have the other JG that does not have the chamber and connected it to the JG near the pump towrds the bottom of the PVC pipe. The top JG near the bubble counter is my feed line.

I left the Ca pump off and nothing really happened. I had a pocket of gas at the top that wouldnt come out. I turn the pump on and the gas keeps cycling throught the pump and to the top of the reactor and back to the pump via the JG that does not have the chamber on the inside.

Either way i'm not getting and water coming out of my tube that should be dripping onto my sump?

I have mine setup this way;
jg without the chamber is my effluent line controlled with a pinch valve, http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...ategory=FICRRP
jg that has the chamber is connected to the feed line with a "t". I lost the control valve.
I had it setup the same way you did. I bleed all the air out but the co2 has no way to escape so the air pocket will continue to build up. I used the configuration I posted and have no issues.

04/08/2009, 03:22 PM	#1
1badbrd Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Middletown,Ohio Posts: 281	Help with Octopus Ca reactor It was set up for around a year worked great, now i moved and reset it up i can not get this thing to work for crap. The directions are in broken chinese, and diagram is labeled like a 3rd graded did it. If anyone has one or knows how to set it up please help. I can not get a good drip rate with constent pH. It either stops dripping, or dumps lots of CO2 intot the reactor and massive bubbles fill the reactor chamber and then the pumps stumbels, or both. PLEASE help anyone

04/08/2009, 05:55 PM	#2
marineduud Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Raleigh NC Posts: 131	To start with did you bleed it out ? just asking ! And is the controller shutting off ? And which one do you have ( new style or old) ? I have had both since they came out with them ! Are you sure the controller is turning off at the proper PH ? __________________ Robert Current Tank Info: too many

04/08/2009, 08:33 PM	#4
marineduud Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Raleigh NC Posts: 131	Pics. would help but I would raise the cut off to 6.5-6.7, and after the pics I can see more but they have a good recirc. set-up for the co2 and if it's hooked up right you shouldn't have an over load of Co2 in the camber. __________________ Robert Current Tank Info: too many

04/10/2009, 01:47 PM	#6
marineduud Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Raleigh NC Posts: 131	Put the feed line to the top port across from the bubble counter, and put the recurc. line which should be the port with no little chamber in the lid to the lower JG close the recurc. pump. And your drip line should be the one with acrylic chamber on the lid. Then shut off the recirc. pump and let it bleed out, Then turn the pump back on. And I would take out the valve I see in the recurc. line and make it shorter. You dont need it there. Hope this helps. Also what are feeding it with ? __________________ Robert Current Tank Info: too many

04/10/2009, 01:51 PM	#7
marineduud Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Raleigh NC Posts: 131	Well Its hard to tell in the pic but if the Valve is on the line that drips in the sump dont take it off LOL ! __________________ Robert Current Tank Info: too many

04/08/2009, 07:51 PM	#3
1badbrd Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Middletown,Ohio Posts: 281	I have the oler model. I did bleed it but it fills up with gas. The controller shuts off when it falls below 6.35 and turns on when its above 6.40 I will have to get a pic and show how i have the lines hooked

04/10/2009, 01:26 PM	#5
1badbrd Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Middletown,Ohio Posts: 281	Here is the pic. Dont laugh i have been trying multiple configuration ot get this to work properly. 1. Feed pump is connected to the lower port near the rec. pump 2. The tube on the top right connects to a valve that is connected to another tube that is connected to the side of the gray pipe near the bubble counter chamber 3. The tube on the top left is dripping into the sump Please let me know were i went wrong

04/10/2009, 01:56 PM	#8
1badbrd Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Middletown,Ohio Posts: 281	no the valve i talked about is in the front of the picture. Its were the two blu tubes meet. The flash kinda washed out the valve, it just look really white. I do have a valve on the drip tube also. I will give it a try and see how it works. Feeding it with an aqua lift

04/10/2009, 02:11 PM	#9
marineduud Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Raleigh NC Posts: 131	Your effluent drip tube should have valve on it , but not the recurc. __________________ Robert Current Tank Info: too many

04/10/2009, 02:15 PM	#10
marineduud Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Raleigh NC Posts: 131	I forgot to add , after you make the change I would let it run with no C02 for about an hour to clear the lines of the recurc. and pump, then turn it back on after all of the lines are clear. __________________ Robert Current Tank Info: too many

04/10/2009, 03:27 PM	#11
1badbrd Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Middletown,Ohio Posts: 281	all right i still must have something wrong. I took the JG that has the little chamber from the top and that is my drip. I have the other JG that does not have the chamber and connected it to the JG near the pump towrds the bottom of the PVC pipe. The top JG near the bubble counter is my feed line. I left the Ca pump off and nothing really happened. I had a pocket of gas at the top that wouldnt come out. I turn the pump on and the gas keeps cycling throught the pump and to the top of the reactor and back to the pump via the JG that does not have the chamber on the inside. Either way i'm not getting and water coming out of my tube that should be dripping onto my sump? Last edited by 1badbrd; 04/10/2009 at 03:32 PM.