koralin calcium reactor question

[dtm]

why is it that I have air collecting at the top of the reactor? It seems as if I have to bleed it every 5 days or so.

When I uped the effluent rate it got better (more days between bleeding)

[JetCat USA]

can be air or CO2, air is commonly introduced via the feed pump but it's a build up of CO2 more then likely with your comment on a faster drip resulting in less accumulation, you can take all the effluent from the top of the reactor and completely eliminate that buildup.

[dtm]

so youre saying I can bypass the original outlet for the reactor and use the top "bleed" for the effluent..............interesting, never thought of that

[JetCat USA]

they are both original effluent outlets, the design is to use the one on the plumbing and allow any excess CO2 to accumulate in the top of the reactor and when the bubble gets large enough it'll break the suction on the recirc pump and stop delivering effluent to the tank.


http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=3580762#post3580762

[dtm]

thanks, I'll give it a try

[hahnmeister]

If you are getting an air pocket of CO2 in your reactor, turn up the drip rate, or reduce the bubble rate of CO2... you have too much. You can add a piece of airline though from the water inlet with a bent piece of airline that will suck the air back into the pump like a Schuran.

The only time my Korallin builds up CO2 up top is when the pH is at 6.5 and the water just cant take in any more CO2.

[dtm]

yup, my pH is at around 6.5 right now........so maybe I need to up the drip rate also?

[hahnmeister]

either one will drop the extra CO2.... raise the drip rate, or lower the bubble count. My 1502 gets about one bubble per 6 seconds, and drips at something just over 80 drops per minute. The suggested rates in the manual are almost the same... 1 bubble per 10 seconds (6 bubbles per minute), and 60 drops per minute of output. They say that if you end up with extra CO2, then you should increase the output/drip rate (its the easier of the two no doubt). Thats how they can claim you dont need a probe... if you get extra CO2, you know you have hit 6.5 and the pH cant go any lower. FWIW, I have NEVER bled my CO2 off... NEVER. I just raised my drip rate and the CO2 was absorbed by the water.

[Scissorhand]

1 bubble per 6 seconds? Isn't that VERY LOW bubble count?

[JetCat USA]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10704489#post10704489 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Scissorhand
1 bubble per 6 seconds? Isn't that VERY LOW bubble count?

That's a VERY LOW tank demand. :) my Korallin 4002 has 80 bpm and FLOWS 700 ml/min, it's a stream not a drip.

[dtm]

I'm at about 1 bubble per 3 seconds and about 70 drip per min. seems like maybe I should lower the bubbles per second

[hahnmeister]

Youy want to start low, and see what your tests tell you after a week. If you need more, then you can up your rates. For a 180... you may up it a bit, but still, stay within that relative ratio. I think many people run their reactors too high, and as a consequence, either their Ca or Alk levels end up out of whack anyways because they are adding too much, and then one dominates the other (Ca may precipitate out, or Alk may drop). So your reactor CAN be set too high very easily.

[dtm]

The way I have my reactor setup my CA 400-410, alk 9.6, and mag around 1200 (I run mag flakes in the reactor) I've been trying to get the mag up to around 1300-1400

[JetCat USA]

if you put magflake in the reactor it dissolved as soon as water got on it and it then flushed out to the tank with the effluent. if you put Dolomite or any other solid magnesium gravel in it's not dissolving at a pH level you'd be running the reactor at and if you do happen to have the reactor drove that low then it's doing more harm then good to the CaCO3 media.

if you want to use magflake, just dissolve it in some RO/DI water and add to the tank in the appropriate amount.

[dtm]

I'm sorry, I think I called it the wrong thing, its the mag "rocks" from the zeovit company. I'm running about 20-30% in the reactor

[hahnmeister]

I gotta git me some o' dat stuff, aint got no mag-neeezeeeOm in mah reg-lar crush'd cor'l. Enee 1 no wair I cin git sum frum besides Zeovit? I wunder hu els mite make it.

[dtm]

lol.................oc aquatic has it. you can probably give them a call.

[hahnmeister]

Didnt Deltec, Tunze, fauna-marin, or H&S come out with something similar? Cant remember.

[mmotown]

Guys I had to go back to 2006 and bring the Koralin thread into 2008. I just got my 1502 yesterday and I love it. I had to get rid of my MRC. Anyways I need to do things a little differently now and correctly and I ned someone with the know how to school me please. Here's the deal:

In the past I thought once your effluent ph hit 6.5 that was basically all you had to do. Just adjust the efflu drip rate to match your tank levels so it wouldn't add or take away. I would always have ALK swings. I never knew why until I saw people measuring the efflu for ALK and PH. That's where I am lost and telling me to use the CA calculator is foreign. Right now I have my Milwaukee set to 6.5 and the effluent is at 6.8 now so my c02 is off. I have my BPM at 60BPM and my effluent drip at 1DP second. I am about to test my tanks ALK and CA right now. I am lost from the point of the effluent and all of the calculations I see people do. Will someone take the time and walk me through this? Thanks. I know this requires alot of typing but if you can call me PM me. Thanks alot!!!!!!!!!!:)

[hahnmeister]

CO2: 60BPM for air = 1BPS
OUTPUT: 1DPS = 60DPM

Your drip and bubble rate are almost the same... thats not right. 60DPM is a good place to start at, but the CO2 can be taken back a bit, 10BPS is a good place to start there.

On my 125 w/ medium-high demand, I have my output drip at about 3 DPS and my CO2 at 100BPM, but its also probe controlled... so its not constant. Id say its 100 for an hour or so, then it shuts off for an hour...