bubbles in the reactor

HUNGER · 03/01/2011, 07:43 PM

did a watter change and seen there is bubbles in my calcium reactor they get stuck under and in between the media is this a problem
reactor is a duel chamber the bubbles are in the first chamber has a rec pump mag 5 dont know if its co2 or air?
reactor looks like this
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/...m-reactor.html

HUNGER · 03/02/2011, 07:14 AM

anyone?

sirreal63 · 03/02/2011, 07:51 AM

It could be either air or CO2, when first setting up a reactor, let it run for a day or so with no CO2 and tip it from side to side every few hours to get the air out. After that turn the CO2 on and let it slowly drop the ph. Poorly designed reactors have no feature to recapture any gas or air that does not get dissolved and it collects at the top, being blown out of the effluent which wastes gas. This does not prevent the reactor from working, it just wastes gas.

If this reactor is newly set up, I would suspect it is just air. If you are using large media it also holds air in the cavities and may take a day or two to dissipate or rise. The tipping method works well to get the air out. The Octo seems like a decent CaRx,

HUNGER · 03/02/2011, 02:11 PM

its been up and running for about 4 months i am running GEN X media wich is a large media i got all the air that was in there out last nite and now there are bubbles backin it so it is co2 would putting a larger recirculating pump on it help?

sirreal63 · 03/02/2011, 04:41 PM

No, you are not getting complete dissolution of the CO2, a larger pump isn't the answer here, a Mag 5 is plenty, but you may need to clean the one that is there. They do clog up like all pumps and need a regular vinegar bath. By the way, those bubbles are not a problem and does happen normally. I would take the reactor offline, clean the pump and mix the media around, top it off with new media and start the reactor again. Before injecting CO2 into it, let it run at least over night and be sure to tip the reactor to get all of the air out, before you start with CO2 again. FWIW I clean mine every 6 months or so.

HUNGER · 03/02/2011, 05:19 PM

ok thats what i will have to do

03/01/2011, 07:43 PM	#1
HUNGER Moved On Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: OHIO Posts: 95	bubbles in the reactor did a watter change and seen there is bubbles in my calcium reactor they get stuck under and in between the media is this a problem reactor is a duel chamber the bubbles are in the first chamber has a rec pump mag 5 dont know if its co2 or air? reactor looks like this http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/...m-reactor.html

03/02/2011, 07:51 AM	#3
sirreal63 Go Spurs Go!!! Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Meadowlakes Texas Posts: 13,357	It could be either air or CO2, when first setting up a reactor, let it run for a day or so with no CO2 and tip it from side to side every few hours to get the air out. After that turn the CO2 on and let it slowly drop the ph. Poorly designed reactors have no feature to recapture any gas or air that does not get dissolved and it collects at the top, being blown out of the effluent which wastes gas. This does not prevent the reactor from working, it just wastes gas. If this reactor is newly set up, I would suspect it is just air. If you are using large media it also holds air in the cavities and may take a day or two to dissipate or rise. The tipping method works well to get the air out. The Octo seems like a decent CaRx, __________________ Jack No One has ever been seriously injured by using the search function. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency. Current Tank Info: Reefing the Pentagon.

03/02/2011, 04:41 PM	#5
sirreal63 Go Spurs Go!!! Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Meadowlakes Texas Posts: 13,357	No, you are not getting complete dissolution of the CO2, a larger pump isn't the answer here, a Mag 5 is plenty, but you may need to clean the one that is there. They do clog up like all pumps and need a regular vinegar bath. By the way, those bubbles are not a problem and does happen normally. I would take the reactor offline, clean the pump and mix the media around, top it off with new media and start the reactor again. Before injecting CO2 into it, let it run at least over night and be sure to tip the reactor to get all of the air out, before you start with CO2 again. FWIW I clean mine every 6 months or so. __________________ Jack No One has ever been seriously injured by using the search function. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency. Current Tank Info: Reefing the Pentagon.

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03/02/2011, 07:14 AM	#2
HUNGER Moved On Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: OHIO Posts: 95	anyone?

03/02/2011, 02:11 PM	#4
HUNGER Moved On Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: OHIO Posts: 95	its been up and running for about 4 months i am running GEN X media wich is a large media i got all the air that was in there out last nite and now there are bubbles backin it so it is co2 would putting a larger recirculating pump on it help?

03/02/2011, 05:19 PM	#6
HUNGER Moved On Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: OHIO Posts: 95	ok thats what i will have to do