What is your Ca Reactor Effluent pH?

[2thdeekay]

I need to add more Calcium Reactor media to reactor. Currently using a larger media of broken sps skeletons in both chambers of a dual chamber reactor.

I'm wantiing to raise overall tank pH up from 8.1 All RODI topup water goes thru a Nilsen reactor.

What are you using for reactor 2nd chamber, & what is the pH of your effluent? Thanks.

[Billybeau1]

I don't use them but I'll see when jdieck comes on line if he'll take a look at your question.

In the mean time, take a look at his calculator and see if it helps.

Calcium reactor setup calculator
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/reactor.html

[2thdeekay]

Thanks.

I need to topup my Ca reactor, & wonder if it'd help to switch the media in 2nd chamber to something smaller, perhaps ARM.

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11394589#post11394589 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 2thdeekay
Thanks.

I need to topup my Ca reactor, & wonder if it'd help to switch the media in 2nd chamber to something smaller, perhaps ARM.

Yes using smaller ARM in the second chamber will help, just insure that the flow trough the second chamber goes upward trough the media, otherwise the pressure drop might be too high for your feeding method.

Regarding the PH in the effluent. For control and adjustment purposes I always try to use the PH in the first chamber as different second chambers and media may have different effects and the PH out of the second chamber may not really tell the story of what is hapening in the first chamber.
Similarly if using a controller, because the response time will be a lot faster, controlling the PH in the first chamber will be a lot more effective.

[mmotown]

I have a dual Chamber and I am using ARM in both. Need to top off my 1st chamber and I may use schuran media. My effluent is 6.5

[2thdeekay]

Thanks jdieck. What's the pH of your 2nd chamber effluent?

Thanks mmotown. Is the 6.5 pH effluent out of your 1st or 2nd chamber?

Just wondering if I can get a higher effluent pH by changing media in my 2nd chamber. I use pacific coral sps skeleton fragments (.25-.5 inch) that I collected. Effluent pH from 2nd chamber is 6.9. Don't have a problem with phosphate, and Mg, Sr, Alk & Ca levels seem to be balanced.

Anyone have higher effluent pH than 6.9 from 2nd chamber? If so, what media do you use?

[jdieck]

6.9 is pretty good specially if at that PH you can maintain the alkalinity of your tank.

The ffectiveness of the second chamber to increase PH varies with the effluent flow.
When I was running the first chamber at 6.5 but at an effluent of 135 ml/min I usually got a small increase to 6.59 - 6.6

Now after the tank switch and having less and smaller corals I reduced the effluent to 75 ml/min and fiorsst chamber at 6.6 the effluent comes out close to 6.75

In any case there is alimit to how much you can increase it. You can always increase it more by aerating the effluent but you will be precipitating some of the calcium and alkalinity in it.
The best is aerate it while mixing with the main tank water by dripping into the skimmer suction, that will give you about a 0.05 increase in tank PH.

[2thdeekay]

Thanks jdieck. I run my primary @ 6.54, and have excellent results.

Ran into someone who claimed to have a 2nd chamber effluent pH of 7.2 --Said he was using koralith in his primary chamber, but used a specialized media for his 2nd chamber, that he had shipped from Europe. He wouldn't give me a product name.

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11400886#post11400886 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 2thdeekay
Thanks jdieck. I run my primary @ 6.54, and have excellent results.

Ran into someone who claimed to have a 2nd chamber effluent pH of 7.2 --Said he was using koralith in his primary chamber, but used a specialized media for his 2nd chamber, that he had shipped from Europe. He wouldn't give me a product name.
Sure that is possible..... With a first chamber PH of 7.0 :D

If his alkalinity consumption is really low, sure that is possible.

Also it is possible if his PH probe is out of calibration ....:rolleyes:

[2thdeekay]

I'd tend to believe him. His alk consumption is pretty high, as he raises sps/zoos for sale. Said his primary reactor chamber is set @ 6.6.

I hate it when people are secretive about their systems. Of course, it's possible his equipment isn't calibrated properly. Hmm.

[2thdeekay]

If it's not his equipment calibration, I wonder if it has to do with the size of his reactor (35 lbs media in each chamber) or the proprietary media he uses in 2nd chamber.

I guess, I just want a sample of his "proprietary" media, so I can analyze it. Ticks me off.

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11401132#post11401132 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 2thdeekay
If it's not his equipment calibration, I wonder if it has to do with the size of his reactor (35 lbs media in each chamber) or the proprietary media he uses in 2nd chamber.

I guess, I just want a sample of his "proprietary" media, so I can analyze it. Ticks me off.
Yes it might also be possible with a very large reactor that will allow for a higher PH but to compensate the lower levels it will need ot manage a rather high effluent flow.

[mmotown]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11398428#post11398428 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 2thdeekay
Thanks jdieck. What's the pH of your 2nd chamber effluent?

Thanks mmotown. Is the 6.5 pH effluent out of your 1st or 2nd chamber?

Just wondering if I can get a higher effluent pH by changing media in my 2nd chamber. I use pacific coral sps skeleton fragments (.25-.5 inch) that I collected. Effluent pH from 2nd chamber is 6.9. Don't have a problem with phosphate, and Mg, Sr, Alk & Ca levels seem to be balanced.

Anyone have higher effluent pH than 6.9 from 2nd chamber? If so, what media do you use?

That is coming out of the 2nd chamber which in essense is a liitle bit under 6.5 for the first chamber. The media in the 2nd chamber is used to difuse the CO2 more than a stand alone 1 chamber reactor.

[2thdeekay]

Thanks mmotown & jdieck. My primary chamber is set @ 6.54 via controller. Effluent from 2nd chamber is 6.93, but think it can be raised a bit higher.

Planning to try different medias in the 2nd chamber to see if any will give a higher effluent pH. Will post results later.