Explain a Kalk Reactor to me...

[rleechb]

I'm a little confused about how a kalk reactor works with a peristaltic pump. how is it hooked up? I'm guessing the outlet to the kalk reactor is hooked up to the "inlet" of the peristlatic, so that the peristaltic pulls water from the kalk reactor and drips it into the sump. However, with a top off reservoir, how is the input of the kalk reactor hooked up to the reservoir? A tube that goes from the input, is put into the reservoir, and a pump forces water into the kalk reactor? Or is suction from the peristaltic utilized through the reactor, since the reactor is a pressurized system?

[slovan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8102973#post8102973 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rleechb
I'm a little confused about how a kalk reactor works with a peristaltic pump. how is it hooked up? I'm guessing the outlet to the kalk reactor is hooked up to the "inlet" of the peristlatic, so that the peristaltic pulls water from the kalk reactor and drips it into the sump. However, with a top off reservoir, how is the input of the kalk reactor hooked up to the reservoir? A tube that goes from the input, is put into the reservoir, and a pump forces water into the kalk reactor? Or is suction from the peristaltic utilized through the reactor, since the reactor is a pressurized system?

The pump input should be pulling water from your top off reservoir and then pushing water through the output into your kalk reactor.

Most kalk reactors I can think of have pressure in them to force the water out of the reactor, the only ones that don't I believe are the Deltec and Aqua Medic kalk stirrers.

[rleechb]

Hmm.. so the peristaltic draws water in... and pushes water into the "input" of the kalk reactor, which forces water out the "output" of the kalk reactor at the same rate that it's drawing water, right? I may have to go and buy one of these today...

[slovan]

Yep, you got it. :)

[rleechb]

hmm.. last question. Will I have any issues pump water up about 5'? My reservoir sits on the ground, my peristaltic hangs about 5' up on the wall, and the kalk reactor would sit inside my stand. So I'd be pulling water from the ground, up to the pump, down to the reactor, and back up into my HOB refugium (I don't have a sump).

[slovan]

It all depends on the type of pump you have. Some can draw and deliver from long distances but some aren't so good. What kind of pump do you have?

[rleechb]

Using one of these:

http://www.reefdosingpumps.com/products/sentry.html

[rleechb]

actually, scratch that.. it's this pump:

http://www.innovativeaquatics.com/products/nautilis2.html

looks exactly the same though?

[slovan]

You might want to email or call them and ask what the draw height is on that model. I had one similar to those and I had mine draw from about 2' of height. Not close to 5' so I couldn't tell you if it'd work or not.

If you can spend a little extra, a Litermeter III will definitely fit the bill. The draw and delivery of those pumps will allow you to do just about whatever you want to do.

[rleechb]

The pump is actually drawing from a reservoir right now at 5', but it dumps the water only about a foot down into the hob refugium. I'm hoping that I push the water down 5' to the reactor sitting in the stand, and back up another 5'. I guess I'll find out, I just ordered a reeftek kalk reactor. If things don't work out, I'll either raise the reactor, or look into that litermeter =D. Thanks slovan

[slovan]

Cool. I hope it all works out for you so you won't have to spend anymore more money on it.

I'm not familiar with the Reeftek design or what they use to stir the kalk but the units with the stir bars like Deltecs are awesome. I had a GEO unit before and it worked great. The only thing I didn't like was the maxijet pump used to stir it got noisy after several months of use.