DIY Calcium Reactor from Berlin Skimmers

[dngspot]

I have been working on turning a couple of Berlin skimmers into a calcium reactor. This is how far I am so far.

You can get the full story here http://www.wichitaaquariumclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=460 The thread is very pic intense and detailed.

 

[lizardarm]

Those started out as skimmers? Wow!,
looks like you're done there.

 

[dngspot]

Thanks, a few more changes have been made, follow the link.

 

[dngspot]

I have let the reactor run for 8 hours now at 20 bubbles of CO2 and 40 drips of effluent. The ph is 7.38 in the effluent cup this morning. I adjusted the CO2 to 30 bubbles per minute and will check the effluent tonight. My goal is to get the PH down first, then see 25 dkh in the effluent. Once this is done I will adjust the bubble and effluent flow rates for the tank demand.

 

[dngspot]

This morning, the effluent was 6.83 ph the tank was at 8.1 like all mornings. I will test the alkalinity tonight. Last night the tank alkalinity was 11 dkh. I am dripping about 55 ml per minute of effluent and 37 bpm of CO2.

 

[apollothesun]

dude, nice work. where did ya buy the top pieces to encase the skimmers at?

 

[dngspot]

Thaks, I made them from 1/4 inch acrylic. If you follow this link you will find directions on how they where made. http://www.wichitaaquariumclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=460

After coming home I found my CO2 bubble count went up. It is now at 57 bpm. Checking my Ph it is at 6.74 and my Alkalinity is at 27 dkh. I am dripping 20 ml which is about 2 drips a second. All of the figures are readings of my effluent. The tank Ph was at 8.2 which is .1 lower than yesterday. The Alkalinity in the tank is 10 dkh which is 1 dkh lower today. The Calcium is holding at 480.

I glued a small Glad Ware cup to the top of the effluent cup, so now the effluent will go into the small top cup then trickle into the larger cup. The reason I did this is so I could install a air stone. Hey folks it does work, in about 10 minutes the effluent Ph in the lower cup went from 6.74 to 7.5.
Here is a pic.

 

[dngspot]

I have removed the vent line from the left chamber all together. I found myself leaving the valve closed all of the time. Those little black valves do not hold water very well. I have removed the one on the right chamber and installed a Gest valve.
Again the reason for not needing the left valve is any CO2 that develops at the top of the left chamber is blown through the top to the right side. Now only one line is needed. The right side works very well, when I started the units I forgot to turn the valve off to the venturi. It kept pulling air off of the top and sending it through the pump.
I would also like to add for those of you who have the smaller Berlin skimmers they could be used also. I started with two and felt that they where to small for my needs. My aim was not to refill the canisters any more than once every year if possible. With a 210g tank I think I would have been filling the smaller ones every six months. The general design would be the same.
These would be just as easy to build from raw materials too.

 

[dngspot]

Current parameters. CO2 60 bpm, effluent 20 ml about 2 drips a second. Effluent Ph 6.7, Alk 30 dkh. The tank Ph 8.4, Alk 10 dkh, Calcium 480 ppm., and Mag 1250 ppm. I am going to leave it here and watch the Alk in the tank.
The corals are looking better than ever. Another week of this and they are going to be the happiest critters in the world.
2 things have made major changes in my tank, the first and best was the refigium, second Revive, I had a velvet problem that troubled me for a long time. Now right next to the refigium is the third, a calcium reactor. Way cool, I should have done this along time ago.

 

[dngspot]

The reactor is doing great. The coral growth is beyond my expectation. I am kicking myself for not doing this sooner.
I had a small problem that drained my CO2 tank. I was using what I thought was a better regulator. It came from a welder that is about 15 years old and has been out of service for at least 2 years. The diaphragm leaked and dumped the CO2 to atmosphere. I had another that came from my welder and was used a couple of times then replaced with a better flow meter. I installed it on the tank and it works way better. I can regulate to a lower pressure and the needle valve is not so sensitive. Go figure a name brand does not always do better than the off brand.
While the tank was down I painted it, could not stand the red.

 

[Snowboarda42]

That looks great! What size tank is it on?

 

[dngspot]

A 210g reef ready with a 70 gallon sump under it.

 

[wpitrof]

how big of a tank do you think the smaller ones will work for?

 

[dngspot]

I think you could get by fine with one on my 210g, you may find yourself changing the media more often, that all.

 

[dngspot]

have just made a small mod to my calcium reactor. I have moved the PH probe to the second calcium chamber.
This will include a new DIY PH probe holder, which will have a quick release feature. It is made from a Guest fitting, that I got from Home Depot for less than $3.50. I picked up this idea from another site, I would like to give credit to who came up with this but do not remember who it is, or the site.

In this next pic you will see the material in the center of the fitting that must be removed. I used a 1/2 inch drill bit for this. I had to drill down about 1/2 of an inch and stopped when all of the material was removed. If you make one of these, you must be careful not to drill into the o-ring, seen in the third image. Drilling is done from the threaded side only. In the pic the center shadowed area is what is removed.

This pic shows the finished result.

This is the intended location of the probe fitting. I marked a spot through the fitting before drilling.

...the drilled and tapped hole.

...and the finished pic.

The next step is to plumb in the effluent line into the skimmer intake. This will help to remove co2 from the effluent.