Switching From Two Parts To Calcium Reactor

[gkarakas]

Dear Randy,
After two successful years of dosing with two parts, I decided to switch calcium reactor. Everything was OK with perfect growth rate, except manual dosing and daily work. My 100gal tank was receiving 150-200 ml of alkalinity and calcium addtions. I had no fear for overdosing because my kH value was consistent at 10 kH and balanced calcium. I believe I was overdosing but it was not a problem as far as I control the salinity. Now I installed my DIY calcium reactor and the second stage effluent indicates 40 kH with pH=7.03. The alkalinity in the tank shifted to 11 in the next day. I know things are more serious with calcium reactor in terms of effluent flow rate and alkalinity. I will try to reduce the tank kH slowly by reducing CO2 flow rate.
My questions are;

1- If tank kH drops down, may I add alkalinity part to make correction or do I need balanced addition.
2- I want to follow the rule of thumb and I will try to add 530 kH units to the tank daily. (I calculated the demand from 5300 dKH alkalinity part x 100 ml dose for 100 gal). The effluent rate must be 1 liter/min at 22 kh or 0.5 liter/min 44 kH. Do you think that method is appropriate?

Best regards,

[rammee]

My reactor is set at 20 ML a min that is drip rate and 30 BPM if levels are falling bump up your bubble count a couple

[bertoni]

If the dKH drops, you'll want to supplement with the two-part to bring both calcium and alkalinity back in line. The Ca drop will happen, too, it's just in the noise as far as test kits go, in most cases.

I can't help with the reactor guidelines, since I don't run one.

[gkarakas]

I know these but I want be sure on my calculation before going further.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

200 mL of my Recipe #1 contains 532 dKH liters of alkalinity (an awfully contorted unit of measure :D)

The effluent rate must be 1 liter/min at 22 kh or 0.5 liter/min 44 kH. Do you think that method is appropriate?

1 L/min. Really that high? You measured it? Seems incredibly high.

That's 60 liters per h or 1440 L per day.

So if it has an alkalinity of 10 dKH and the tank is 9 dKH, that provides an extra 1 dKH alkalinity to each liter passing through, or 1440 dKH liters per day. More than you used in two part by quite a bit.

[gkarakas]

Randy sorry for mistake, the correct effluent rate units are liters/hour.
Thanks,

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

OK, so 1 L/h is 24 L per day.


at 22 dKH reactor effluent and 8 dKH in the tank is adding 22-8 = 14 dKH, and so that is dosing 14 x 24 = 336 dKH liters.

boosting that effluent alkalinity up to 30 dKH (tank = 8 dKH) gives 22 dKH added x 24 L = 528 dKH liters, which is close to the two part added. :)

[gkarakas]

Thanks,

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

:thumbsup:

Good luck. :)