Official: Masterflex Calcium Reactor Setup Thread

[Blitzie]

Hello All
Great Topic and Content

I have skimmed through most of this topic and I still have a question about the drives.
I Have a 180 gallon system that is is primarily SPS (95%).
Approximately what speed (rpm) could I expect to run a drive with a system this size? I would plan on using LS/17 tubing for the calculations. I see several drives available some are 10-600 RPM, others are 20-600 RPM and others are 1-100 RPM. I know early on in the topic TKRacer mentions 6-600 RPM Drives but if people are running them at 10 RPM or so is it really required. It seems those 6-600 drives get quite costly

[ostrow]

Originally Posted by Blitzie

Hello All
Great Topic and Content

I have skimmed through most of this topic and I still have a question about the drives.
I Have a 180 gallon system that is is primarily SPS (95%).
Approximately what speed (rpm) could I expect to run a drive with a system this size? I would plan on using LS/17 tubing for the calculations. I see several drives available some are 10-600 RPM, others are 20-600 RPM and others are 1-100 RPM. I know early on in the topic TKRacer mentions 6-600 RPM Drives but if people are running them at 10 RPM or so is it really required. It seems those 6-600 drives get quite costly

That was my question a few posts up. As I see it:

Cons:
Far more expensive

Pros:
Less wear on drive
Quieter (each 10rpm increase comes with noticable noise increase)
Longer tube life

Given the relative cost of tube to pump, that seems irrelevant.

[Blitzie]

Originally Posted by ostrow

That was my question a few posts up. As I see it:

Cons:
Far more expensive

Pros:
Less wear on drive
Quieter (each 10rpm increase comes with noticable noise increase)
Longer tube life

Given the relative cost of tube to pump, that seems irrelevant.

I am just not sure what RPM I could expect to run on that size system
Are we talking 10 RPM or 10% of a 100 RPM capacity drive or am I talking 50 RPM.

[soulpatch]

how far can i move water with these? IE can i push and pull 20 ft? If so I can put in utility room...

[ostrow]

Originally Posted by Blitzie

I am just not sure what RPM I could expect to run on that size system
Are we talking 10 RPM or 10% of a 100 RPM capacity drive or am I talking 50 RPM.

Every tank will be different. I have a 300gal system, 155gal display, with SPS. I havea 7240-40 (10-600) and L/S17. I run 70ml/min. Not sure what the rpm would be but on that? It is definitely in the low end for sure. This is to keep alk at about 3.6 meq/l or 10.2dKh.

[dendrite]

Originally Posted by ostrow

Every tank will be different. I have a 300gal system, 155gal display, with SPS. I havea 7240-40 (10-600) and L/S17. I run 70ml/min. Not sure what the rpm would be but on that? It is definitely in the low end for sure. This is to keep alk at about 3.6 meq/l or 10.2dKh.

The L/S tubing gets 2.8 cc/ revolution. If your running 70 cc/ min then the pump is rotating 25 revolutions/ min. More then enough capacity even with a 100 RPM pump

[dendrite]

oops, it's the L/S 17 tubing we are talking about

[Blitzie]

Thank you

[awais98]

Hi does any one know if drive: 7550-60 take easy load heads?
I see only precision tubing heads on ebay.
They are going cheap there 200s and want to buy it if it works with an easy load head.

I did not get that info from ColeParmer online site.
Could'nt wait till tomorrow to call company.
Thank you

[hkgar]

Help with Korallin c1502.

I have had it running with a CP pump for a couple years. Today I had to change some tubes around and when reassembled the water in the reacor empties through outlet two even though the Masterflex is set at 20ml/min. The Eheim pump is pushing the water out outlet two. If the recirc pump is shut off the flow from outlet 2 drops to the 20 ml/min

It all worked fine before, what's up?

Pump cose in the inlet and tere are outlet tubes on both outlets 1 & 2

[ClownsRCoo]

I have an extra 7518-00 easy load head if anyone is looking for one....$130

In excellent shape


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Blitzie]

Thanks to the people who answered my questions
As a recently Purchased a 77521-50 Pump and a 77201-60 Head off Ebay
I then purchased the fittings tkracer619 listed in 3rd post just in different quantities.

The fact I am running a Lifereef Calcium Reactor meant that I had 3/8 OD tubing so I converted the entire reactor over to 1/4” tubing.
I hooked up all the tubing and fired up the pump in a pulling of water setup. I set the pump at the max RPM and it primed itself quickly with no leaks. I then dialed it back so that visually the drop rate is equal to what I was running prior. It has been running steady and has not bound with air as others are mentioning.
Now I am waiting for my Carbondoser to come in.

Just a comment to people who may be considering this setup I have a 150 Gallon Tank and a 30 Gallon Sump and by setting the drip rate to visually what it was before I am running at 8 RPM. At that speed the 77521-50 which is a 1-100RPM model is very quiet. I know I may need to adjust it in the future but I just wanted to pass this along

[awais98]

Wanted to buy a easyload pump head for the high precision L/S 17 tubing if anyone has one. PM me
Thanks



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[vhuang168]

Woohoo, managed to snag a 7523-80 new in box for $500!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[awais98]

Originally Posted by vhuang168

Woohoo, managed to snag a 7523-80 new in box for $500!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[slief]

Originally Posted by vhuang168

Woohoo, managed to snag a 7523-80 new in box for $500!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's a terrific pump! I've had the same one for over a year now. You will love it!

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by vhuang168

Woohoo, managed to snag a 7523-80 new in box for $500!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dang, nice find!!

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by hkgar

Help with Korallin c1502.

I have had it running with a CP pump for a couple years. Today I had to change some tubes around and when reassembled the water in the reacor empties through outlet two even though the Masterflex is set at 20ml/min. The Eheim pump is pushing the water out outlet two. If the recirc pump is shut off the flow from outlet 2 drops to the 20 ml/min

It all worked fine before, what's up?

Pump cose in the inlet and tere are outlet tubes on both outlets 1 & 2

Did you figure it out? If not post pics.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by soulpatch

how far can i move water with these? IE can i push and pull 20 ft? If so I can put in utility room...

Yup, you can. If going that far I would use a 3/8 poly tube instead of the 1/4. It will work better.

[tkeracer619]

Great Post! I use CP for all my dosing needs except for a LM3 I recently got in a box of junk for top off to one tank. The CP are just so much better than any other hobby pump!

Originally Posted by Airywhitesoul

AKA: Learn from all of my (many, costly) mistakes

I was inspired by this thread when I ran into multiple failures of BRS 60mL/min peristaltic pumps. My tank kept crashing and the only way forward was to get a more reliable set of pumps. Unfortunately, there just aren’t pump options in our hobby that are both powerful and reliable for peristaltic purposes. The main problems that was causing pump failures was that I was forced to produce RO and new salt water in my garage and pump it to my aquarium room. The BRS pumps couldn’t handle the long runs from this setup. Additional pump failures occurred from ATO abuse due to Texas climate and my desire for automated water exchanges. On top of this, my lifestyle is so busy that by the time I realized a pump had failed, it was always too late and the unbalanced chemistry would cause a tank crash.

I invested in two big upgrades to improve the reliability and maintenance of my system: a Neptune Apex aquarium controller and ColeParmer peristaltic pumps. Those 4 transducers and wattage monitors on the Apex really give you instantaneous awareness of problems via telephonic means. I also changed all of my 60mL/min BRS peristaltic pumps to Masterflex 7543-30 peristaltic pumps. The process for doing this wasn’t very simple (despite this truly excellent reef central thread), and I’d like to show others exactly how to do this so they don’t waste time, money, and you understand what exactly you are getting yourself into. You should think of these pumps in terms of three components: Pump, Head, and Tubing/fittings.

Noise should be a primary decision point for a buyer of these pumps. it was not a concern for me (and the pumps I eventually chose are a bit noisy so beware if they are attached to a wall with someone sleeping next to it). I actually prefer the standard heads versus the easy loads since they hold the tubing tighter and you don’t have to fiddle with them as much as with the Easy Loads. It does take a bit of math to plan exactly how much fluid you want to exchange and back calculate the tubing diameter (mL/rotation) and RPMs of the pump when you are going with a fixed RPM. Tubing is unfortunately expensive, and there’s really no way around this. The tubing is abused and it needs to be high quality if it is going to handle the forces placed upon it by the pump. You don’t need much of it (12” or so per pump), so that’s a positive.

Structurally, you’ll see I’ve mostly been able to keep the electricity above the liquids. That was intentional since you never know where your next leak will come from. I pump the new salt and RO water from the garage and store them in Davy Jones lockers from AvastMarine, next to my CO2 bottles (always have a backup) that are locked in place. The water level pressure transducer that comes from Avast Marine has never failed me in 10+ years of use. I’m a fan. I use a dual head Masterflex 7543-30 w/ L/S 17 tubing for daily water exchange to accomplish 3-4 gallons of water exchange automatically. The cool thing about the Masterflex tubing is that it is very exacting in diameter, so it’s probably the best way to do an even water exchange without risking over or underfillling the tank. You also need to think about the RO tubing strategy, not just L/S tubing for the pump heads. I wanted the long run from my garage to my small holding tanks for RO and fresh salt water to use large bore L/S 35 Norprene tubing and 3/8” RO tubing to reduce resistance and strain on the pumps. That Norprene is tough and meant for abuse. The rest I used L/S 17 w/ 1/4” RO tubing as suggested on the first page of this thread.

The pump setups are as follows:

Pumps:
Pump: ColeParmer 7543-30
Noise: Loud (maybe 60-70dB)
Cost: $45-$70 on eBay
Size: slightly larger than BRS (see picture). VERY convenient.
Strength: Above requirements for 100’ RO tubing run.
Heads accommodated: 1 or 2 (need appropriate hardware to attach it to pump).
Fluid dynamics: w/ LS17 - 84mL/min ; w/ LS35 - 114mL/min

Pump: ColeParmer 7553-60 (variable speed for Ca reactor)
Noise: Medium (maybe 50dB)
Cost: $41 on eBay
Size: Requires stand. Big and bulky (think toaster)
Strength: Above requirements for 100’ RO tubing run.
Heads accommodated: 1 or 2 (need appropriate hardware to attach it to pump).
Fluid dynamics: wide range due to pump speed variability. Definitely perfect for a calcium reactor.

Pump: BRS 1.1mL/min
Noise: Silent
Cost: ~$80 from BRS
Size: Perfect for mounting in a clean line.
Strength: Adequate for short 1/4” RO tubing run. Low flow likely prevents major pressure problems and permits pump longevity plaguing 60mL/min pump.
Heads accommodated: 1 only. Has built-in tubing and fittings, thus cutting down on secondary pump costs dramatically and simplifies things.
Fluid dynamics: fixed at 1.1mL/min. Perfect for Ca/Mg/Alk/Carbon dosing

Tubing:

Type: PharMed® BPT Biocompatible Tubing (L/S 17) 1/4" ID x 3/8" OD x 1/16" Wall PharMed® Tubing 10’ cut into ~12” lengths.
Purpose: Flexible and tolerant of steel rollers in pump head.
Cost: $38.50 ($3.85/foot)
Endurance: medium
Fluid dynamics: 2.8 mL/min/revolution

Type: Masterflex Norprene tubing (A 60 G), L/S 35, 50 ft.
Purpose: Flexible and tolerant of steel rollers in pump head.
Cost: $125.00 ($2.50/foot)
Endurance: Extreme
Fluid dynamics: 3.8-4.3mL/min/revolution (depending on head type)

Technical data on Masterflex tubing:
Tolerance to cuastics/UV/porosity:http://www.coleparmer.com/TechLibraryArticle/700
Sizing chart for L/S tubing: http://www.coleparmer.com/TechLibraryArticle/772
Life chart for tubing: http://partners.coleparmer.com/techi...ing_LSLife.htm

Type: LLDPE (Low Density Polyethylene tubing) 1/4” or 3/8”
Purpose: RO tubing for low cost runs away from Masterflex tubing
Cost: Inexpensive
Endurance: Years maintenance free

Heads:
L/S35 Head: Standard Head 7035-21
Cost: $50 on eBay
L/S17 Head: Standard Head 7017-21
Cost: $50-$75 on eBay
L/S17 Head: EasyLoad 7518-60
Cost: $75-$150 on eBay
Additional Info: Hardware for double stacked heads: http://www.coleparmer.com/Product/SS...ds/EW-07013-05

Purpose: main tank ATO
Pump: 7543-30
Set Up: L/S 17 tubing w/ 1/4” RO tubing from RO water container feeding into a Avast Marine Kalk stirrer. Requires a water level pressure transducer controller to turn ATO on/off.

Purpose: RO or Salt New water supply - sub-station ATOs
Pump: 7543-30
Set Up: L/S 35 tubing w/ 3/8” RO tubing 100’ run from large garage based 60 gallon drums to tank filling Avast Marine Davy Jones lockers x 2 w/ float valve controller to turn ATO pumps on/off.

Purpose: Daily water exchange
Pump: 7543-30
Set Up: L/S 17 tubing w/ 1/4” RO tubing, two stacked L/S 17 standard heads on one pump. Effluent waste water drawn off near skimmer (due to lack of algae or animals) and directly fed into sink waste, new salt feeds from a Davy Jones locker into same area.

Purpose: Calcium Reactor Feed pump
Pump: 7553-60 variable speed
Set Up: L/S 17 tubing w/ 1/4” RO tubing fed through an Easy Load head (to allow a variety of tubing options if flow ends up too high with L/S 17 at lowest flow rate). Calcium reactor set up is complicated. I’d recommend http://reef.diesyst.com/crarticle/crarticle.htm as a good read for the complexity involved in tuning them.

Lessons learned: 1) Almost any of the ColeParmer pumps will work for the peristaltic aquarium applications, even the small ones, like I got. They are WAY stronger than anything on the aquarium trade. 2) Noise - putting pumps and equipment in a closet or remote location allows a lot more diversity in inexpensive options. 3) Model numbers - overwhelming from ColePalmer standpoint. However, it’s the head that you are worried about - all of the pumps that I saw will handle the heads, so model number is somewhat irrelevant. The main thing you should be worried about is to make sure the RPMs and tubing size make for delivery in the 50-150mL/min for ATO/water exchange purposes OR 1-2mL/min for Two part and carbon dosing. Do the calculations with the L/S 17 (2.8mL/min/revolution) and L/S 35 (3.8-4.3mL/min/revolution) tubing and multiply by the revolutions per minute before you buy a pump and make sure the output is in range for your application. 4) 1/4” RO tubing for short runs, 3/8” RO tubing for long runs. 5) Cost - tubing costs a lot! You must consider all 3 aspects of these commercial grade pumps to get a price point figured out. I’d probably start with making sure you get the L/S 17 head and then go from there. Better yet, get a L/S 17 on the pump you want. 6) Size - if you get a bunch of big peristaltic pumps that will always run at the same RPMs (like an ATO), you are probably wasting money and space. Fixed RPM pumps are fine for this purpose and can be rather small.

Fittings are another problem for another write up. L/S 17 uses 1/4” barbs and we conveniently always connect it to 1/4” RO tubing with a John Guest fitting. L/S 35 uses a 3/8” barb and we conveniently always connect it to 3/8” RO tubing with a John Guest fitting.

Best of luck! I hope this helps!

[vhuang168]

There is another 7523-80 on eBay right now. Same seller as the 1 I bought but this one is an auction. Starting bid is $200. New in box!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[swk]

Originally Posted by vhuang168

There is another 7523-80 on eBay right now. Same seller as the 1 I bought but this one is an auction. Starting bid is $200. New in box!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is this a brushless model?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[vhuang168]

Yup. Newer design body but not the latest model.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[vhuang168]

Has anyone used a dual head to do awc with a Masterflex pump? I'm assuming it is very doable but how close would the 2 heads be in terms of output?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hkgar]

Originally Posted by vhuang168

Has anyone used a dual head to do awc with a Masterflex pump? I'm assuming it is very doable but how close would the 2 heads be in terms of output?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I understand it is not very doable as the pump flow is sensitive to head pressure. To do it one of the heads needs to have a pressure adjustment.

I use the Apex DOS pumps for my AWC and never a problem.