Questions about setting up a calcium reactor

[newreefer03]

I got some answers about setting up a calcium reactor at Saturday's meeting but have more and want to hear how others have setup their calcium reactors, mostly the mechanics of it. I just recently bought a used Aquamedic calcium reactor with bubble counter, solenoid, and CO2 tank. I was told that people usually setup with the input coming from the main tank or sump into the reactor and the output to the sump. I got some info on recommendations for bubble counts and drip rates from the aquamedic website but am confused.

1. What do people use for pumping the tank water into the calcium reactor? Greg Hiller uses a feed from his main pump, Richard uses a gravity feed, I was thinking of a small separate pump like a maxijet 400 or minjet.

2. What does the solenoid do?

3. Do most people use a pH probe in the reactor or just check the effluent to see if it is around 7.0? Should I get a pH controller? I just got a cheap pH probe from Ebay and was just going to intermittantly check the effluent of the reactor.

4. How do you limit the drip rate if you are using a pump to pump water into the reactor? I've heard horror stories where tanks crash when the pH of the tank goes too low due to too much flow from the calcium reactor.

5. Do most people stop their calcium reactors at night as the pH tends to drop at night?

6. What kind of tubing/piping do people use for the outflow? Just colored RO tubing and how do you plumb it into your tank or sump?

7. Any particular brand of reactor media is better? It seems ARM is cheap and supposedly has trace elements in it, but other brands claim better quality media.

8. What kind of maintenance is needed once I get the reactor going?


Sorry, if some of these questions seem stupid. Thanks in advance.

 

[Reef55]

1. What do people use for pumping the tank water into the calcium reactor? Greg Hiller uses a feed from his main pump, Richard uses a gravity feed, I was thinking of a small separate pump like a maxijet 400 or minjet.

Aqualifter pumps work well, but t-ing off your main will save you another item to clean / look after.

2. What does the solenoid do?

This is a valve that when powered opens, and is used for turning on or off the CO2 coming into the reactor.

3. Do most people use a pH probe in the reactor or just check the effluent to see if it is around 7.0? Should I get a pH controller? I just got a cheap pH probe from Ebay and was just going to intermittantly check the effluent of the reactor.

Checking the effluent is good for getting it dialed in. The bigger need for a pH controller is monitoring your tank pH. The effluent from the reactor will have a low pH... dump in too much and your tank pH will drop. Monitoring your tank will allow you a measure of safety to shut off the CO2 (via the solenoid) should the tank pH get too low. (side note, the cost of a pH controller will nearly pay for an aquacontroller Jr package from neptunesys!)

4. How do you limit the drip rate if you are using a pump to pump water into the reactor? I've heard horror stories where tanks crash when the pH of the tank goes too low due to too much flow from the calcium reactor.

True about tank getting the pH too low (see note above). A needle valve on the output of the reactor (effluent) is typically used to control the effluent rate.

5. Do most people stop their calcium reactors at night as the pH tends to drop at night?

If you only have a timer for your solenoid, and not a monitor, that is one way of trying to balance out your tank pH... but I would not recommend doing this blind (measure your tank day / night, etc for a while first).

6. What kind of tubing/piping do people use for the outflow? Just colored RO tubing and how do you plumb it into your tank or sump?

RO tubing hanging above your sump's water level (tie it down so it doesn't move though!)

7. Any particular brand of reactor media is better? It seems ARM is cheap and supposedly has trace elements in it, but other brands claim better quality media.

the large ARM media has gotten a lot of good reviews lately... I like'd it too.

8. What kind of maintenance is needed once I get the reactor going?

Refilling of media... refilling of the CO2 tank... checking the effluent rate, checking the drip rate

 

[RayD]

Well put Mark.