Calcium Reactor Setup

[NYC/NJREEFS]

I just purchased a used Korallin 1502 to run on my 72ga bowfront tank because I would like to start keeping sticks. I have a couple of questions 1) Is there a specific CA value I should maintain in order to suceed in keeping SPS and LPS? 2)Where can I place the return of the effluence in my sump before or after the protein skimmer? Thanks

[aoc230]

itys staeted that anywhere in between 380-440 should do, i'd lean more towards maintaining a 420.
some skimmers you can actually hook your calcium reactor right up to them and the skimmer will blow off the access co2 if you have any.
just a few helpful tips:
-try using an additional pump to feed the reactor instead of a gravity feed, if everything for some odd reason(power outage) goes down you could flood your floors
-this unit operates on la low bubble count(8-12) if too high you'll always have an air buildup inside

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Definitely do not operate the reactor to maintain a specific calcium level. Gauge the reactor tuning on alkalinity in the tank as it responds a lot faster to over or under dosing, and many salt mixes have calcium way off of normal.

These have more:

Calcium Reactor setup calculator (CaCO3/CO2 reactors)
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/reactor.html

A Guide to Using Calcium Reactors
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-05/sh/feature/index.php

These may also help:

The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners, Part 1: The Salt Water Itself
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-03/rhf/index.php

The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners, Part 2: What Chemicals Must be Supplemented
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php

The "How To" Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners, Part 3: pH
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-05/rhf/index.php

The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners,
Part 4: What Chemicals May Detrimentally Accumulate
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-09/rhf/index.php

Reef Aquarium Water Parameters
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.htm

[bergzy]

Definitely do not operate the reactor to maintain a specific calcium level. Gauge the reactor tuning on alkalinity in the tank as it responds a lot faster to over or under dosing, and many salt mixes have calcium way off of normal.

what randy said! :)

[NYC/NJREEFS]

Thanks for the response. I have some reading to do before hooking it up though. I have the Tunze 9005 skimmer, and was wondering is this one which I can hook up the reactor to? Thanks everyone.

[NYC/NJREEFS]

I am in the running stage now I set the efluent at 40 drips/minute but the CO2 bubble counter I cant see any bubbles. I was wondering if it takes a while to start bubbling?

[NYC/NJREEFS]

No one?? I have shut it down until I hear back from someone. I was wondering if having the CO2 tank laying down is causing this condition. Does the tank have to be standing up vertically??

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

CO2 tanks should be vertical since they have liquid on the bottom. Not sure if that is your problem, however.

[jose7878]

NYC/NJREEFS i have the same CR that you have to let a drip a minute out of effliuent #2 so that the co2 can escape when theirs some gas build up in the reactor . Try that see if it works .

[bergzy]

CO2 tanks should be vertical since they have liquid on the bottom. Not sure if that is your problem, however.


yep!

co2 tanks should be vertical.

other issues could be:

- empty co2 tank
- broken regulator
- broken solenoid
- broken needle valve
- broken check valve/plugged check valve
- leaking/plugged lines

but i would upright the co2 cylinder first. it is probably dangerous for it to be like that anyway.

[NYC/NJREEFS]

Tank is now vertical, off its side, and it was just refilled a week ago. I took it so I know its really full. Jose7878 since you have the same one I need to know if you can see the CO2 bubbles easily in the counter/sight tube. I have 50drops / min. from the effluent #1 being dripped into my sump but I dont see any bubbles in the sight glass. The regulator is open, the solenoid valve is open but I still dont see any bubbles in sight glass/counter. Please help me. I dont want to continue running w/o knowing if it running right. Thanks

[CarlC]

Did you open the valve on the tank?

Carl

[bergzy]

Did you open the valve on the tank?

Carl

yes,

i forgot about that one as well!

as for knowing your tank is full. i remember filling my 10# cylinder one time and the co2 bubbling stopped after a week. strange since my co2 usually lasts 4-6months.

what i found what that i didnt tighten one of my lines enough and co2 leaked out like a madman.

thus, lesson for me was check everything and dont assume anything.

[tkeracer619]

The gauge will tell you if the gas is empty. I have dumped bottles in a day due to leaky fittings.

[jose7878]

Alright NYC/NJREEFS lets start at the basic with this system.

Lets disconnect all the hoses and close all the vavles.

1.reconnect everything back
2.Open co2 tank
3.open regulator valve till your pressure is 15lbs
4.open selanoid valve about 1/2 a turn
5.turn the circulation pump on
6.open effliuents #1 and #2 until water flows thru them (all air is out of CR)
7.close effliuent #2 until you get 1 drip a min
8.close effliuent #1 until you get 40 - 50 drops a min

Thats really it.
If that doesn't work you might have a selanoid that is not working correctly.

[NYC/NJREEFS]

Thanks Jose7878. I'll try this today. One last question step #7 do I close effluent #2 when there is 1drop coming out from effluent #2 a min?

[jose7878]

no leave eff #2 open with it dripping 1drop a min .

[NYC/NJREEFS]

So basicly both efluents are left open? #1 with 50-60 drops per min and #2 with1drop per min? And both can drip into the sump? Thanks again and sorry for all the questions but this thing is getting me [:(

[jose7878]

Correct both eff #1 & #2 are to be left open. no problem that's why were all here to give one another a helping hand. Hope this works for you.

[NYC/NJREEFS]

Thanks again. I will be setting up again. I'll let you know how I make out with it. Wish me luck.

[rangerD275]

I'll just follow this thread so that I don't ask the same questions in 2 weeks:fun4:

[NYC/NJREEFS]

:rollface: lol :rollface: Hey these guys are very helpful. I bought this thing used w/ empty CO2 tank so I didn't get to see it running. That makes it harder to setup but with all the assistance I've gotten here I should be good. I'll post later today once I set it up again and have it running. One thing I forgot to ask is how long after setting it up will I start to have elevated CA levels in my water? Jose7878 your up to bat again. LOL

P.S. my current CA level is around 350/360 tested a week ago w/ Seachem titration test set.

[jose7878]

Its going to take a week or so cause you have to fine tune very slowly untill you find your sweet spot that you perfer.
My level on my tank is 380 cal , 10 alk and 1300 mag. I have plenty of corline growth and corals are gowing very nice.

[rkaires]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=449820&highlight=Korallin+1502+Calcium+Reactor

[bergzy]

:rollface: lol :rollface: Hey these guys are very helpful. I bought this thing used w/ empty CO2 tank so I didn't get to see it running. That makes it harder to setup but with all the assistance I've gotten here I should be good. I'll post later today once I set it up again and have it running. One thing I forgot to ask is how long after setting it up will I start to have elevated CA levels in my water? Jose7878 your up to bat again. LOL

P.S. my current CA level is around 350/360 tested a week ago w/ Seachem titration test set.

again,

do NOT adjust your ca reactor to maintain calcium. you should use the ca reactor to get your tank to a proper alk level. 'ignore' the ca level when using a ca reactor. get your system balanced to alk consumption and then adjust ca as needed. i test alk one to two times a week and ca once or twice a month.

[jose7878]

so how did you make out.

[NYC/NJREEFS]

I have not been successful yet. Something must be wrong I need to diagnoise it has to be either the regulator, check valve, or solenoid valve. I went today to the LFS and got a small 2 part again to start dosing because my Ca evel is around 350 and my corals are suffering because of this. I was wondering if maybe I could drop it off to you to see if you can get it running. So far I get it to run well but the CO2 delivery is not working it does not deliver the gas. Tank is full the regulator shows 50psi but nothing reaches the bubble counter. Help

[jose7878]

HAve you checked the check valve that is flowing to correct way , it should have a arrow .

[NYC/NJREEFS]

Yeah, I checked that the flow was pointing from the tank to the bubble counter. I checked the tubing to make sure they are not pinched. One question if I take the line coming from the tank and dip it into a glass filled with water will I see bubbles?

[jose7878]

Yes. Only if the solenoid is on the open position.

You could possibly bypass the check vavle just to see if that is the possible cause.

[NYC/NJREEFS]

Im off tommorow so Im gonna be taking it all apart and checking where the CO2 stops flowing. Im going to be very methological and thorough with my check.

[NYC/NJREEFS]

Ok finally got it working. I disassembled the regulator, check valve, needle valve, and all CO2 tubing. Cleaned and reassembled everything. There was serious build up on the parts. I then checked the tank valve, the regulator, and every step of the way until it worked. I want to thank Jose7878 and everyone else that helped me. I was close to giving up and just stickying to the 2 part dosing. LOL, again Thanks.

[frezel12]

im glad i placed my 2 part order today with brs pumps, i dont think i have the patience for a reactor

[bergzy]

im glad i placed my 2 part order today with brs pumps, i dont think i have the patience for a reactor

a reactor is an awesome piece of equipment once you get to know how to use it properly. the key is figuring out how to use a ca reactor properly. i personally was lost until someone showed me hands on what to do and how to do it.

my large ca reactor for my tank has been hands off almost a year. no mixing, no water make up into containers etc. i personally recommend a properly sized ca reactor for your system. it is much easier to dial in than one that is too small or too large. this is where bigger doesnt ness mean better. there is less 'wiggle' room for using greatly oversized ca reactors.

once you get past the initial higher start up costs, which is easily offset by getting good used equip from trustworthy reefers, accumulated costs flatten out while 2 part accumulated costs continue to climb, esp with large high ca demanding systems.

[jose7878]

:thumbsup: glad you finally figured it out :beer:

[NYC/NJREEFS]

Yep finally up and running, cant wait till it gets my tank ready for some SPS corals. I just got a digital camera so Im gonna work on posting some pics of my setup so you can see what Im playing with. Thanks for all the help.

[NYC/NJREEFS]

The pics I promised. Thanks everyone.

[jose7878]

:thumbsup: Tank looks good. Wow...That foxface is big going to have to upgrade that tank soon....

[NYC/NJREEFS]

LOL, thanks Jose7878. I know he's been in there since July 2008, but am looking for a new home for him.