My new DIY CA Reactor

[h20cooled]

I just finished up on my new Calcium Reactor, it will be going in my new 130G tank. It is based on Bill Wann's design with a few changes of my own. Its not to the same level as his but its the best I could do without a CNC. It should be very efficent at keeping the Co2 out of the effulent and use very little Co2, another nice thing is it can take a ton of media and have no problem circulating water through it. And with the Ehiem pump it will be very dependable and silent.

Stats:


6" diameter body
Circulation with Eheim 1260 pump
Total height 27 1/2"
will hold around 1.5 gallons of media


Here are a couple of pics

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e241/h20cooled/Projects/NewCAReactor003.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e241/h20cooled/Projects/NewCAReactor002.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e241/h20cooled/Projects/NewCAReactor001.jpg

[outy]

nice job a ca reactor is my next step

[h20cooled]

Thank you, yeah they really aren't that hard to make either. Well if you have the right tools they aren't.

Rich

[AZreefkeeper]

Nice reactor, can explain all the connections?
thanks

[h20cooled]

Here is a picture to explain it all. :)

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e241/h20cooled/Projects/NewCAReactor_explained.jpg

[AZreefkeeper]

O.K got it, now what is the 1/2 thread at the top of the pipe T for?

Thanks

[h20cooled]

Whoops forgot one.

It is a 3/4 threaded for the pH probe holder...

Rich

[AZreefkeeper]

Looks great. I remember seeing Bill Wanns before he stopped posting. Glad to see one completed.
How hard was it to make the flanges? I am planning to make templete for my router, is this the route you went?

[h20cooled]

Yeah I made a template for the key flange. But if I had to do it all over again I would use nylon studs and wingnuts. It makes it a LOT easier and faster then the key flange. For the acrylic circles you can just buy a router guide, I got mine off of ebay for $10

Rich

[h20cooled]

Well its hooked up and working. I had a small leak around the neck of it that was a real pain to get fixed. But it is leak free now.

Here is a picture of it in action...

By the way that is a whole container of the GenX CA media and its only half full, it could very easily take 2 containers.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e241/h20cooled/Projects/misc008.jpg

[H20ENG]

Is there enough suction at the "CO2 recirc input" to pull the gas out of the top of the reactor? Seems like you could also just tee into this line for the CO2 feed rather than drilling and tapping the acrylic.
Nice work:)

[loc01]

It's another perfect DIY. I think some of your rec.co2 will leak out with the effluent . What are your effluent and co2 setting at?


Thanks.
Loc

[H20ENG]

I think the co2 feed collects at the top, where the co2 recirc pulls it into the pump. This is why I would simply tee into the reicirc line with the feed. No need to drill into the acrylic for that one. It seems like youd need to inject the recirc / feed co2 closer to the pump suction to get good draw, but I may be wrong...

[h20cooled]

No Co2 into the effulent because the effulent is pulled through 2 holes in the middle of that tube, the co2 just rises to the top and gets recirulated back in.

As for the T is would work fine but this allows for a more stable connection to the reactor. I draws it in very very fast to the recirc lines, because you end up with the a space of air at the top and because of the back pressure it goes right into the recirc line. I was very suprised...

[spazz]

this is a perfect example of great diy skills. you took bill wanns version and made your own reactor from pictures off the internet. great job! and you didnt even need a cnc router. now you just need to watch your ca levels. they will sky rockett really quickly. so just watch them real close until you have it dialed in right.

[h20cooled]

Thank you. It would have been a lot easier with a cnc, but yes it can be done without one.

Rich

[H20ENG]

h20cooled,
Thanks for the update about the tee :)

[speartheman]

Where do you get the clear 6" and 8" tubeing is there a web address

[h20cooled]

I bought that tubing from www.mcmastercarr.com but there are a whole bunch of places to order it from. That tubing is 6" cast acrylic tubing, I would only use cast with this setup.

[melev]

Why can't I seem to find a pH probe holder anywhere on the web? Aquaticeco.com should have this buried in their site somewhere.

[deep6er]

Is that a Kalk reactor behind it?? Did you make that too?

[h20cooled]

Marc,
You couldn't find them at Home Depot? I've also heard that Premium Aquatics has them...

Here is a LINK (http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=RF-PROBEH&Category_Code=Bulkheads) to the PA ones.

[h20cooled]

It is a Kalk reactor but it isn't one that I made, it is an MRC unit. I've made one before but it was for a friend.

[GreshamH]

Where'd you get those nylon bolts from? I can only seem to find slot or hex heads.

[h20cooled]

I found the best place to get them, Product Components (http://www.product-components.com/) they are a company out of California, the best thing about them is the min order amount is low and they are cheap. A 100 of the screws cost me $8.00, and just so you know they are the 1/4" screws...

Rich

[GreshamH]

Thanks :D They aren't all that far from where I live :D Love it when ground takes two days :lol:

[h20cooled]

Yeah I was very happy to find them, they are really easy to order from and cheap.

[melev]

Thanks for the link, Rich.