Calcium reactor - effluent alkalinity too low

ravedood · 09/16/2020, 07:21 AM

I am setting up my first CaRx. It is a Geo 612 with a GLA regulator all controlled by an Apex. I am using ARM media. The highest I can get my effluent dhk is about 8.7. The solenoid opens at 6.5ph and closes at 6.7. I am pushing water through the reactor with a continous Versa pump. The effluent drips out at about 1 drop per second. I am having to manually add alkalinity to keep my levels up. I was expecting the effluent to be between 15 and 35 dkh. What am I doing wrong?

Vinny Kreyling · 09/16/2020, 08:37 AM

More CO2 will raise your effluent. I use a Kamoer & PULL through. There is the thought that pulling allows for less back pressure for the gas to overcome & thereby allowing you to run @ a lower pressure. I can run @ just over 3 PSI with a Carbon Doser regulator.
Sometimes media will have an effect too. Years back MTC a well respected company used Carib Sea Florida crushed coral. I use the MTC Mini Cal & crused coral & my effluent is in the range you are looking for. It's cheap too. Adjust ONLY 1 parameter, bubbles or flow in a 24 hr period & then check.

ravedood · 09/16/2020, 02:28 PM

Yes i was under the impression that more co2 or slower drip rate would increase the effluent dkh. My carx already looks like a cup full of sprite with the amount of co2 that is in there. Should it look like that? Will it blow of i add more co2? I feel like the co2 is not dissolving the arm media. Should I maybe lower the ph in carx even lower that 6.5?

Vinny Kreyling · 09/16/2020, 05:15 PM

It should not look that way. I would lower the drip rate giving the chamber more time to dissolve the media. Some have complained ARM does not dissolve so I would lower the PH to 6.3 also. After that if you still have problems I would change the Versa to pull. Do a search on ARM media for more suggestions.

ravedood · 09/17/2020, 09:11 AM

I have lowered the drip rate to 5ml/min. I also set the solenoid to turn off when the chamber reaches 6.4 PH. Lets see if the effluent dkh goes up.

dadnjesse · 09/26/2020, 01:55 PM

You say it looks like a cup of Sprite . Is it noisy? It sound like it has an air leak. Also don't be afraid of lowering the PH to get higher Effluent Alkalinity DKH. It should be at least 20 DKH

Kevin Guthrie · 09/28/2020, 12:52 PM

I generally shoot for max one bubble in per water drop coming out, 24/7. I get an occasional bubble coming up in the reactor chamber.

If you feed off your return pump, the high pressure config - valve on water outlet vs on water inlet - allows more CO2 to dissolve than lower pressure, increasing the amount of dissolved aragonite due to lower pH. But doing so the valve tends to clog more often than when used on the input. I use Caribsea ARM and after 15 years switched to open outlet and a peristaltic pump.

09/16/2020, 07:21 AM	#1
ravedood Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Pembroke Pines, FL Posts: 1,540	Calcium reactor - effluent alkalinity too low I am setting up my first CaRx. It is a Geo 612 with a GLA regulator all controlled by an Apex. I am using ARM media. The highest I can get my effluent dhk is about 8.7. The solenoid opens at 6.5ph and closes at 6.7. I am pushing water through the reactor with a continous Versa pump. The effluent drips out at about 1 drop per second. I am having to manually add alkalinity to keep my levels up. I was expecting the effluent to be between 15 and 35 dkh. What am I doing wrong? __________________ Florida Marine Aquarium Society Member --Ben

09/16/2020, 08:37 AM	#2
Vinny Kreyling Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Miller Place, NY Posts: 7,206	More CO2 will raise your effluent. I use a Kamoer & PULL through. There is the thought that pulling allows for less back pressure for the gas to overcome & thereby allowing you to run @ a lower pressure. I can run @ just over 3 PSI with a Carbon Doser regulator. Sometimes media will have an effect too. Years back MTC a well respected company used Carib Sea Florida crushed coral. I use the MTC Mini Cal & crused coral & my effluent is in the range you are looking for. It's cheap too. Adjust ONLY 1 parameter, bubbles or flow in a 24 hr period & then check. __________________ 250 gallon mixed reef, 2 Reefbreeder's Photon V 2, Deepwater BLDC 12, DAS EX-3 Skimmer, MTC mini cal, 2-3/4" Sea Swirls, Aquacontroller & 6 Tunze pumps.

09/16/2020, 02:28 PM	#3
ravedood Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Pembroke Pines, FL Posts: 1,540	Yes i was under the impression that more co2 or slower drip rate would increase the effluent dkh. My carx already looks like a cup full of sprite with the amount of co2 that is in there. Should it look like that? Will it blow of i add more co2? I feel like the co2 is not dissolving the arm media. Should I maybe lower the ph in carx even lower that 6.5? __________________ Florida Marine Aquarium Society Member --Ben

09/16/2020, 05:15 PM	#4
Vinny Kreyling Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Miller Place, NY Posts: 7,206	It should not look that way. I would lower the drip rate giving the chamber more time to dissolve the media. Some have complained ARM does not dissolve so I would lower the PH to 6.3 also. After that if you still have problems I would change the Versa to pull. Do a search on ARM media for more suggestions. __________________ 250 gallon mixed reef, 2 Reefbreeder's Photon V 2, Deepwater BLDC 12, DAS EX-3 Skimmer, MTC mini cal, 2-3/4" Sea Swirls, Aquacontroller & 6 Tunze pumps.

09/17/2020, 09:11 AM	#5
ravedood Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Pembroke Pines, FL Posts: 1,540	I have lowered the drip rate to 5ml/min. I also set the solenoid to turn off when the chamber reaches 6.4 PH. Lets see if the effluent dkh goes up. __________________ Florida Marine Aquarium Society Member --Ben

09/26/2020, 01:55 PM	#6
dadnjesse Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Raymond NH Posts: 210	You say it looks like a cup of Sprite . Is it noisy? It sound like it has an air leak. Also don't be afraid of lowering the PH to get higher Effluent Alkalinity DKH. It should be at least 20 DKH

09/28/2020, 12:52 PM	#7
Kevin Guthrie Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 506	I generally shoot for max one bubble in per water drop coming out, 24/7. I get an occasional bubble coming up in the reactor chamber. If you feed off your return pump, the high pressure config - valve on water outlet vs on water inlet - allows more CO2 to dissolve than lower pressure, increasing the amount of dissolved aragonite due to lower pH. But doing so the valve tends to clog more often than when used on the input. I use Caribsea ARM and after 15 years switched to open outlet and a peristaltic pump.