Calcium Reactor Question(s)

[riemannp]

I purchased a used Pacific Imports dual cartridge calcium reactor and plan to get it going on my 240g DT. See photos.

Questions:
1. Does the circulation pump need to operate full time?
2. Could I omit the 2nd cylinder until such time I need to scale up and use it's added capacity?
3. What media size/type should I use? Large gradation? Fine? Specific brand?
4. I do not plan to use the pH probe, and will simply manually calibrate it to desired output. Any fatal flaws with my approach?
5. Does carbon dioxide have capatibility issues with certain materials? In other words, I assume plastic hosing / valves are just fine for CO2.

Thanks in advance.

 

[mojoreef]

1. Does the circulation pump need to operate full time?

Yes

2. Could I omit the 2nd cylinder until such time I need to scale up and use it's added capacity?

The concept of a dual chamber reactor is to have large media in the first chamber and small media in the second. With calcium reactors you are always looking to both dissolve co2 into the water and then make sure it does not come out into your tank. The dual was designed to melt the larger media in the first tube and then be screened out in the second prior to going into you sump.

3. What media size/type should I use? Large gradation? Fine? Specific brand?

Simplest answer would be ARM brand and then use the large grade media for the first and small for the second.

4. I do not plan to use the pH probe, and will simply manually calibrate it to desired output. Any fatal flaws with my approach?

The concept of using a PH probe is to make sure that water inside the reactor is a low enough PH to melt the media inside. So the question would be how are you going to know this in order to make adjustments??

5. Does carbon dioxide have capatibility issues with certain materials? In other words, I assume plastic hosing / valves are just fine for CO2.

yep


mojo

 

[trido]

Mojo pretty well summed everything up for you.

I've had experience with a few different reactors and at first tried to just test the outflow early in the hobby. I was always adjusting the bubble count, output drip rate and then testing the effluent coming from the reactor. I was always half guessing the test results of the effluent and then having to test the tank to truely see what was going on.
Finally I bought a Milwaukee controller and set the Ph to 6.5 in the reactor. Then I was able to set the bubble count to a reasonable rate (not too slow but also not a jet stream into the reactor) and the reactor/controller does the rest. Now all I do is set the drip rate entering the tank to control how much Calcium/Dkh is needed to keep the balance and only test the tank water. So much easier.

 

[jrgilles]

Yup, what mojo said

 

[riemannp]

Thanks for this feedback mojoreef and trido, your answers have stirred a few further (round 2) questions....

How much alkalinity is generated in addition to calcium? I ask because I currently have a light calcium load, but will be adding coral in the weeks/days ahead. Thus I like the scalabiltiy of the calcium reactors. Might a kalkwasser reactor / ATO set up be helpful, or perhaps overly redundant?

Trido, I appreciate your feedback on the (painful) calibration to try to manually dial it in. I had just assumed I could sample from the reactor here and there with say a SeaChem pH drop tester for quick pH reading. Your experience is what I was looking for. Your controller does what exactly in response to reactor pH? It can't control the flow of CO2 nor the influent flow, so it simply tells you your trend such that you can adjust the flow of either (or both) flow(s) right?
I actually have a used Aquatronic controller, but just struggle to pay $80 for a (12 month disposable) pH probe, but I might as well bite the bullet.