calcium reactor

pimp2daizzo · 12/10/2011, 10:08 PM

do i need to keep the dosing pump running 24/7 or can i have it turn on and off with the co2 tank? and where can i get a solenoid the on ei have i think it locked up dosnt do anything when i plug it in

reefereef · 12/10/2011, 11:13 PM

you need the ca rx feed pump running 24/7 or you will have ca/alk swings with the pump cycling. The solenoid from the co2 reg should open when power is applied, if it doesnt then it is broken. Make sure you low pressure side of the reg has some pressure to it, start out with 5psi or so, if the pressure is too low then you wont notice that co2 is flowing from it when the solenoid is open. Do you hear a click when you apply power to the solenoid?

pimp2daizzo · 12/10/2011, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reefereef

you need the ca rx feed pump running 24/7 or you will have ca/alk swings with the pump cycling. The solenoid from the co2 reg should open when power is applied, if it doesnt then it is broken. Make sure you low pressure side of the reg has some pressure to it, start out with 5psi or so, if the pressure is too low then you wont notice that co2 is flowing from it when the solenoid is open. Do you hear a click when you apply power to the solenoid?

no i still need co2 the guy who gave it to me said just plug it in and see if it opens n closes. so right now i have a aquamedic dosing pump would a aqua lift be better? and should i run the reactor a few days before i start running the co2?

and is there any good site to help me so i dont have to ask so many ?

reefereef · 12/10/2011, 11:31 PM

Calcium Reactor setup calculator
http://reef.diesyst.com/reactor/reactor.html

A Guide to Using Calcium Reactors
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-0...ture/index.php
Above links courtesy of Randy Holmes Farley

Those will help ya some. I dont know what the best feed pump is. i prefer to pressurize the ca rx and then have a fine-tune valve on the effluent so you can get a consistent drip rate. I run my feed off my sump return pump, then have a valve on the effluent and gives me a very stable drop per second drip rate.

Normally you would run the reactor recirc pump and inject co2 until you reach your target ph in the reactor, then start feeding the reactor tank water and measure the alk from the effluent, from there you can start determining what drip rate you need and what ph to run the reactor at. I run a reactor ph of 6.6 and a effluent drip of 1 drip per sec. If i need more from the reactor i can either lower the ph or increase the drip rate, depends on the tank ph for which one i choose to do.

pimp2daizzo · 12/10/2011, 11:34 PM

wait....so the feed pump from the tank to the reactor dosn't saty on all the time? just the loop. and my effluent is going to be fed into my skimmer

reefereef · 12/10/2011, 11:52 PM

ok back up a second, i dont what reactor you have but i would imagine most have a pump just for recirculation water inside the reactor, that runs 24/7 ( is also where the co2 is injected into the inlet), the reactor feed pump also runs 24/7 as that is one of the bonuses to a reactor is its stability in parameters.

No point to run the effluent into the skimmer as it will only be a drop or so a second, just let it drip into the sump. If you were to run, say 250gph, through your reactor and have a ph of 6.5 then it would be detrimental to your tank ph.

pimp2daizzo · 12/10/2011, 11:56 PM

thats what i was thinking on the pump..do i need to run the reactor a few days with out co2 to let my system get use to it?

reefereef · 12/11/2011, 12:04 AM

nope, there's nothing for it to get used to, would be just water flowing over dead coral skeletons, until you add co2 to the mix. just start off slow on the ffluent drip and your reactor ph level. I got lucky with my setup on start up but i used to have a reactor and i also ran through the reactor calculator a few times with different variables to give me a idea of what i wanted effluent wise.

pimp2daizzo · 12/11/2011, 12:07 AM

cool, i guess after i get some sleep ill play with the calculator. right now it all looks like a bunch of random stuff. thank for your help.

can i pm you if i have any other ? over the next few weeks?

reefereef · 12/11/2011, 12:13 AM

sure pm me if you need help. I have built lots of reactor that all perform very well. my current reactor has zero wasted co2 and no bubbles in any chambers, the recirc pump chops up the co2 enough that it doesnt accumulate in the reactor or under the lids.

12/10/2011, 10:08 PM	#1
pimp2daizzo Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: ga Posts: 1,098	calcium reactor do i need to keep the dosing pump running 24/7 or can i have it turn on and off with the co2 tank? and where can i get a solenoid the on ei have i think it locked up dosnt do anything when i plug it in

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12/10/2011, 11:13 PM	#2
reefereef Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 325	you need the ca rx feed pump running 24/7 or you will have ca/alk swings with the pump cycling. The solenoid from the co2 reg should open when power is applied, if it doesnt then it is broken. Make sure you low pressure side of the reg has some pressure to it, start out with 5psi or so, if the pressure is too low then you wont notice that co2 is flowing from it when the solenoid is open. Do you hear a click when you apply power to the solenoid?

12/10/2011, 11:31 PM	#4
reefereef Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 325	Calcium Reactor setup calculator http://reef.diesyst.com/reactor/reactor.html A Guide to Using Calcium Reactors http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-0...ture/index.php Above links courtesy of Randy Holmes Farley Those will help ya some. I dont know what the best feed pump is. i prefer to pressurize the ca rx and then have a fine-tune valve on the effluent so you can get a consistent drip rate. I run my feed off my sump return pump, then have a valve on the effluent and gives me a very stable drop per second drip rate. Normally you would run the reactor recirc pump and inject co2 until you reach your target ph in the reactor, then start feeding the reactor tank water and measure the alk from the effluent, from there you can start determining what drip rate you need and what ph to run the reactor at. I run a reactor ph of 6.6 and a effluent drip of 1 drip per sec. If i need more from the reactor i can either lower the ph or increase the drip rate, depends on the tank ph for which one i choose to do.

12/10/2011, 11:34 PM	#5
pimp2daizzo Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: ga Posts: 1,098	wait....so the feed pump from the tank to the reactor dosn't saty on all the time? just the loop. and my effluent is going to be fed into my skimmer

12/10/2011, 11:52 PM	#6
reefereef Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 325	ok back up a second, i dont what reactor you have but i would imagine most have a pump just for recirculation water inside the reactor, that runs 24/7 ( is also where the co2 is injected into the inlet), the reactor feed pump also runs 24/7 as that is one of the bonuses to a reactor is its stability in parameters. No point to run the effluent into the skimmer as it will only be a drop or so a second, just let it drip into the sump. If you were to run, say 250gph, through your reactor and have a ph of 6.5 then it would be detrimental to your tank ph.

12/10/2011, 11:56 PM	#7
pimp2daizzo Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: ga Posts: 1,098	thats what i was thinking on the pump..do i need to run the reactor a few days with out co2 to let my system get use to it?

12/11/2011, 12:04 AM	#8
reefereef Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 325	nope, there's nothing for it to get used to, would be just water flowing over dead coral skeletons, until you add co2 to the mix. just start off slow on the ffluent drip and your reactor ph level. I got lucky with my setup on start up but i used to have a reactor and i also ran through the reactor calculator a few times with different variables to give me a idea of what i wanted effluent wise.

12/11/2011, 12:07 AM	#9
pimp2daizzo Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: ga Posts: 1,098	cool, i guess after i get some sleep ill play with the calculator. right now it all looks like a bunch of random stuff. thank for your help. can i pm you if i have any other ? over the next few weeks?

12/11/2011, 12:13 AM	#10
reefereef Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 325	sure pm me if you need help. I have built lots of reactor that all perform very well. my current reactor has zero wasted co2 and no bubbles in any chambers, the recirc pump chops up the co2 enough that it doesnt accumulate in the reactor or under the lids.