Calcium reactor question.

[Ilovereef]

I have a lifereef LCR2 calcium reactor set running for 4 months for my 150Gal SPS tank. I used to have very good calcium, alkalinity, and PH in the first few months (420+, 10, 8.2). For some reason, it drops down to ~350 calc, 8 Alk, and 7.8 - 8 PH. I did add more corals and the corals has been growing fast in the last few months. I tried to increase the bubble count and effluence water but that doesn't help. (I have a PH controller with lower limit at 6.5. The effluence water PH is arround 6.7 - 6.9 most of the time)
Any advices? thanks.

 

[Boomer]

You may want to try and stablize that pH more in the reactor to more like 6.7 all the time. If increasing the bubble count did not help slow down the flow rate. Try reading through these for help.

A Guide to Using Calcium Reactors
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-05/sh/feature/index.htm

Calcium Reactor setup calculator (CaCO3/CO2 reactors)
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/reactor.html

 

[Ilovereef]

You may want to try and stablize that pH more in the reactor to more like 6.7 all the time. If increasing the bubble count did not help slow down the flow rate. Try reading through these for help.

A Guide to Using Calcium Reactors
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-05/sh/feature/index.htm

Calcium Reactor setup calculator (CaCO3/CO2 reactors)
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/reactor.html

Thanks a lot for your helpful input. I'll try that.

 

[Sgtomko]

I don't know that much about calcium reactors, but I read if you bubble a bunch of air through the water exported from the reactor, it will bring the pH back up. You could either use your protien skimmer to do that, or a dedicated bubbler.

 

[Boomer]

That will work fine in some cases but if you have high room air CO2 it may do little if anything.