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10/22/2018, 01:23 AM | #851 | |
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Thanks and yes, the silent mode was a important improvement. I have a living room tank! |
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10/24/2018, 11:38 AM | #852 |
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I have had this reactor From june 2018 i have a red sea max E260 SPS dominant.
as for now it has been running perfect kept values stable and was easy to get running took me a few days. since then the values haven't moved and sps is just growing like weeds. how ever i have also read the forum before making the purchase also talked whit prezmek over mail. so i was prepared for faults. i had it delivered whit extra peri tubes. wich should turn out after 3 months of running to be a good choice. the reactor somehow made a hole to the tube. pinched it in the middle. i dint bother much about it had little water on the floor nothing big. just replaced the tube wich pacific sun had delivered to me beforehand hence i mentioned the problem. thats super service. now i keep it lubricated hoping it was a one timer. how ever the perilistac pump i had some problems whit it dint always spin sometimes it got blocked. like there was some force and i made a louder noise. spoke whit thomas first the tried an update wich dint work. after that they made the silent chip mounted it in a new controller and shipped it off to me. will i had the old one and now are to send that one back ... Again super service. prezmek and thomasz has been a super support. as for the upgrade i have now taken my self in opening the cabinet and looking at the pump to see at actually runs. if i focus hard i can hear it bit might be resonance from cabinet its SILENT!!!! Thumps up guys, even more silent then my mates dastaco. Good job. its been running for a day now ( have just been away on verification so haven't had time to install it before last night. im crossing my fingers these where my problems. and it now will run flawless. and should there be anything i know they got my back so i feel safe. just like i have been whit my kore 5th wich has been a true friend for years and just preformed. |
12/18/2018, 03:54 PM | #853 |
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Hi
I would like to share my issue with my CalcFeeder Pro AC3 that I have been facing for more then 6 months after I had to replace it due to crack from extra gas pressure Since the replacement with a complete unit that arrived with another minor crack underneath the mixing chamber lid IMG_0734.jpg IMG_0735.jpg I got to reattach the broken part back with silicon and start the reactor again The main issue that I keep facing is the PH inside the main chamber keeps increasing all the way up gradually unless I degas where it goes back down to 6.05 and starts increasing all over again ( on a range of 6.05 up to 6.33 in 24 hours unless I degas other wise it continues increasing ) IMG_0736.jpg The thing that makes me sure it’s not working properly is the drop in my KH as well and where I keep increasing my reactor fluid up to 4.5 L/h ( almost %60 of the reactors capacity which should be oversized for my 350 Gallons SPS tank ) After talking to Pacifucsun a number of times eventually they mentioned that the final solution is to keep the degassing option on and keep it on 1 time degas every day , which makes no sense due to the concept of optical sensor , which means as long as water level is beneath optical sensor it should be saturated with CO2 and once it goes above it starts filling CO2 again Mine is working properly but it seems the reactor is either leaking or sucking air inside where ever water is injected into it I have changed all parts and tubes including the doser rubber tube as well and still face this issue , including buying a new electronic regulator IMG_0710.jpg IMG_0711.jpg Would highly appreciate your observations and experiments with such units specially if someone is using it with a PH probe monitoring the fluid PH I’m so tired and frustrated since more then 6 months now and can’t find a reasonable explanation , lost a number of frags due to fluctuations of KH as well Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
12/18/2018, 05:42 PM | #854 |
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Strictly observations since I do not own one.
15 PSI in my opinion is high, I run @ 5 PSI but it might be required for this unit. Can you use food coloring liquid to find the leak into the reactor? As far as the lid. I understand but the "O" ring should still seal the top.
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12/18/2018, 06:19 PM | #855 |
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I have actually 2 AC3 running here.
One has the new quiet driver on controller and running it without Ph probe on media chamber but controlling 2 times day the Alkalinity with Kh director and Kh is steady with no fluctuation at all. The second one, is running with the standard drive and is controlled with Ph probe on media chamber. The Ph fluctuate around 6.35 and 6.45 during the day. Can you please let us know which Kh value are you trying to achieve. How many bubble have you set on the regulator Are you sure about the readings of the ph probe. Fluctuation is normal within calcium reactors using optical sensor or float switches. Other brands using same technique also recommend degassing everyday to keep ph value at lowest inside the chamber. (check below picture) Cheers. Last edited by kodo28; 12/18/2018 at 06:29 PM. |
12/19/2018, 03:12 AM | #856 | |
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Actually as per the instructions of Pacific sun is depending on the CO2 filling time ( with should be anything under a minute so the longer it takes to fill the higher i have to increase the pressure to reach the filling period with in this range ) even thought it takes currently almost 30 minutes to fill i believe if there might be a leak i should observe any water leakage around it and there is none at all Yes regarding the lid i made sure the rubber seal is taking care of it and i have even added silicone sticking the broken part right back in place |
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12/19/2018, 03:36 AM | #857 | |
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Thanks for the feedback Kodo My confusion is the following , upon turning off the degassing option still the CO2 should be under a fixed range ( off-course it would fluctuate within a certain range ) but it should not keep on rising all the way up and not go down until another degassing cycle happens I have been observing the filling process while the degassing is off , the water level is properly stable right under the optical sensor level and i can hear the solenoid opens and shuts normally over time which means it is filling with CO2 and keeping the water level stable , but the readings of the ph shows that PH is increasing gradually over time unless a degassing cycle turns on + testing ALK over the period where the degassing is off shows that it is dropping and the higher the PH inside the chamber increases the larger and faster the ALK drops I would be pretty much happy and satisfied if i get the same reading and fluctuations of PH such as the range that you mentioned but knowing that it stays that way without the necessity of degassing - Im trying to keep my ALK around 9 , where at the current fluid flow of 3.550 L/H it is not holding and keeps dropping and i started increasing fluid output as well and still testing (( What also makes me suspicious is that it dose make sense being at almost %60 of the reactor capacity and being un able to keep up , with the size i bought should be oversized for my 350 Gallons )) - I have set my electronic regulator to almost 4 bubbles per second at 15 PSI - I recalibrated my PH probe 3 times to make sure it is reading properly , as well i have recently bought the complete set of the new APEX to replace my old one and will double check as well - My confusion regarding your last remark of other brands recommendation for degassing , is it a must ? if not should the PH fluctuate that with in this very high range between degassing cycles ? jumping from 6.05 all the way up to 6.45 and could keep going even higher I MEAN NON STOP INCLINE should that be normal ? If that is normal then how come to expect consistent and stable KH and Calcium parameters ? Sorry for the long message but highly appreciate your inputs Regards |
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12/19/2018, 11:53 AM | #858 | |
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12/19/2018, 11:58 AM | #859 |
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Thanks
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12/20/2018, 05:00 AM | #860 |
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Hello NAZ84
During usage of Calcium reactor pH fluctuations are normal, degassing option is a must because when media is dissolved in media chamber neutral gasses are released but they not dissolve in water so this gasses slowly accumulate in mixing chamber. This gasses will slowly replace CO2 in mixing chamber and have to be removed from time to time - how often is depend on media type used. CO2 should be set at low pressure but CONSTANT flow. We recomment 5-10 bubbles per second at low pressure, mixing chamber should filled with CO2 (starting fully filled with water) till optical sensor level in about 30-60s - depend on calcfeeder version. Our calcfeeder even not need bubble counter or any special electronic CO2 regulators, simple two stage regulator is best - you need only to set it at low pressure and measure time which will take untill mixing chamber will be filled till optical sensor level (CO2 valve will close when CO2 level will be correct). If you will get 30-60s then CO2 flow is set correctly. To get best performance reactor should work at minimum dose (100ml/h) for about 12-24h untill it would be fully saturated with CO2 and media start to dissolve properly. Then slowly increase effluent dosing until get desired KH level in tank. Best regards Pacific Sun Service. |
12/20/2018, 12:38 PM | #861 |
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I guarantee you are not getting a good seal either in your CO2 mixing chamber and/or the media chamber. I had the same problems as well.
I replaced the cheap nylon screws that are used to hold the lid onto the reactor with these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Even with these heavier duty screws to hold the lid down - hand tightening was never enough to prevent leaks. I had to go another 1/2 turn to 3/4 turn with needle nose pliers to ensure a good seal (carefully - so as to not crack he lid or the acrylic lip of the reactor). Every time you remove the lid - you have to ensure that the o-rings are cleaned and free of water or any type of debris before replacing the lid. (edit: and the lid and the groove that holds the oring needs to be completely clean) Additionally, silicon is not a good sealant to use on acrylic reactors. you should repair the joints between the clear acrylic and the white acrylic with a solvent glue. In the states - the brand we use for this is Weldon (and I used both weldon 16 and weldon 20 to re-glue the sections around every seam of the reactor. lastly - on new water in the reactor (i.e. ph around 8 to 8.2) - it takes me around 24 hours of continuous CO2 to saturate it and run it down to 6.0-6.1 ph). When Support tells you it should be 10 minutes - that simply is not true.
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12/20/2018, 12:42 PM | #862 | |
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Hi I agree with what you mentioned above and it completely makes sense , however i still believe my unit is not working properly After reading your comments i did the following : - I decreased the cilynder pressure down to 10 PSI - Fixed the bubble rate at 4 bubbles per second - I pressed the refill button and left the unit to be filled all the way up completely with water as to restart the CO2 filing cycle again with observation and start all over , trying to make sure minimal gasses are trapped and both chambers has no tapped air at all After leaving the unit in refill mode for 2 hours I came back to find the mixing chamber water level down all the way to the pump suction pipe , and to find the both main Chamber and also the external degassing unit as well both with extremely milky water So to conclude this confirms that the unit is sucking in air not only CO2 and that’s why the ph increases by time faster then it should on normal operation I can only attach pictures here and don’t know if it shows clearly but i have recorded this on video which shows clearly what happened after leaving the refill mode for 2 hours Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk |
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12/20/2018, 12:43 PM | #863 |
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12/20/2018, 01:25 PM | #864 | |
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Ted i agree with every single point you mentioned , including time for saturating the chamber The first unit which i got and got cracked was due to following the technical support instructions i got from them as i increased the pressure way up trying to get the saturation time down to their instructions and with in the second cycle as soon as the solenoid opened it cracked instantly The problem its very difficult to find where the leak might be as there are no traces of water drips or moisture I cleaned both o rings and even put a little grease just to flat them properly under the lids and cant do more , and the plastic screws are tight manually all the way to the end plus extra careful squeeze with a ranch , plus i asked them to send more wider plates screws at the base which they sent some and not for the complete unit Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk |
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12/20/2018, 01:49 PM | #865 |
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to find a leak - close the output valve while in manual degass mode with water to the very top of both chambers. The re-circulation pump should be running while you do that. then observe the chambers (usually the very top of the chamber) to see where air is getting in.
edit: air entering in the CO2 mixing chamber around the CO2 input means you have a leak somewhere between your regulator and connection to the reactor Air entering around the inlet for the aquarium water means you haven't seated the tubing fully into the reactor. Air entering around the CO2 mixing chamber in general means the lid is not tightened down enough (or you do not have a good seal between lid and o-ring) Air entering around the media chamber ph probe means you have a leak with the ph Probe hardware (I put mine in manually and used a ton of ways to try and seal both the probe and the threaded fittings around the pH probe) Air entering around the media chamber in general means the lid is not tightened down enough (or you do not have a good seal between lid and o-ring)
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150 Gal Quarantine. 310 Main Display Tank Reefing since 2012 Last edited by Ted_C; 12/20/2018 at 02:47 PM. |
12/20/2018, 03:14 PM | #866 | |
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Can’t thank you enough for your suggestions ted I just did the test , honestly nothing was clear enough but the following happened - i started noticing the main chamber lid getting sucked in the centre and being benned toward inside - the extremely minor ( 3 or 5 small bubbles circulating under the mixing chamber lid ) where all thats left and couldn’t tell if more was getting inside - the water started getting murky in both main & mixing chamber Once the degassing is done i lowered the CO2 pressure down to 7 PSI and bubble rate at 4 bubbles per second - lowered the controller feeding volume down to 0.100 L/H Will let it be and have a look tomorrow if there is any progress , and threw my apex i can tell how long the CO2 filling cycle took to reach saturation I believe the videos I’m recording will be pretty helpful , is there a way to share it or post it on the thread ? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk |
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12/20/2018, 03:21 PM | #867 |
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I Have also taken out the PH probe , wrapped the fitting with Teflon tape as extra sealing and will observe as well
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12/20/2018, 04:27 PM | #868 |
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Please remember about setting up degassing once time per day - it's really very important if you see pH fluctuations and it drop after degassing process.
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12/20/2018, 04:30 PM | #869 | |
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12/20/2018, 04:39 PM | #870 | |
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If both lids are properly tightened - only one way where you can get a leak is connection between solenoid valve and mixing chamber lid - because in this column you have "under pressure" effect - and due any leakages (like not completely putted tubings inside solenoid fitting) it will suck air to equalize pressure between external environment and internal mixing chamber. Last idea which I have is that your Pharmed BPT tuning have small hole/is damaged and it pump some air together with water inside mixing chamber. In other way - there is any possibility that air will be inside. If it would be a problem with proper gluing you should see water coming out from reactor in not proper joining points.
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12/20/2018, 05:14 PM | #871 | |
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The ph in my reactor hasn't risen by any appreciable amount since I had to tear the unit apart from my last issue (in July). I wish I could show more of a timeline with my ph graph - but this is normal day to day operation (dosing 1.5 l/hr into a 300 gallon tank) - keeps my alkalinity at 9.0 and another pic from Sept/Nov:
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12/20/2018, 05:18 PM | #872 |
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and my degassing is set to once per week with this set-up.
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12/21/2018, 02:34 AM | #873 |
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That is exactly what I have been saying and trying to achieve but not hiring able to do that with my reactor and made me certain that something is wrong Your chart is perfectly normal and shows that this is how is it should operate , PH stays with in a reasonable range of fluctuations but dose not increase continuously Since last night test below is the observation that I came up with and seems it might be going correctly right now , however not sure yet because the flow is still minimal at 0.150 L/h and will start increasing it up tonight as well IMG_0772.jpg Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
12/21/2018, 02:37 AM | #874 | |
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Can you explain further the checking idea which you mentioned please ? What is the BPT tuning ? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
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12/21/2018, 02:40 AM | #875 |
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Also important to mention I have changed all tubings with complete new ones and have removed all blue valves and made direct connections just to avoid any possible leaks
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