Reactor Setup Help - Korallin C1502 Low KH

[RKGraves]

Thank you for your help!

We've recently installed a Korallin C1502 reactor ssystem into our 120g hard coral/soft coral/fish reef tank and are having problems maintaining correct KH and Ca. We are using Knop 1.8 - 2.5mm KORALlith media. Our reactor drip rate was originally 40 dpm, but I have gradually been increasing it and we are now up to 120 dpm.

Problem:
Drip rate seems way-high, and can't maintain KH.

Chemistry values
- Need to manually buffer daily, otherwise KH drops about 1 point per day.

- Ca is lower than we would like but holding steady at 310.

- N02 level are between 1 - 1.5

- PH varies between 7.7 - 8.1

- Mg 1100

- C02 drip rate is 5 - 6 bubles per min. (any higher and I get C02 buildup in the top of the reactor chamber).

Everything I've read indicates our drip rate should be apx. 40 - 60 drips per min. The output of our reactor tests correctly with KH greater than 25, although it is hard for our test kit to measure accurately at that level.

The reactor output drips into the refugium chamber just before the chaeto algae. And the input to our reactor come from the Chaeto chamber. We are using a dosing pump to pressure feed water to the reactor. Also, we run Boyd Chemi-pure elite in the refugium in the chamber after the protein skimmer.

When I first installed the reactor, CaC03 media was obstructing the Ehiem pump from cirulating correctly. I corrected that problem 2 weeks ago. Reactor equipment all seems to be functioning correctly.

What are we doing wrong? What do we need to do to maintain KH?

Thank You for Your Help!
Randy & Deanne

 

[Marrkart]

First you need to get your cal and alk levels up by doseing also test your mag reactors matain levels,second arm corse medium is the best to use,third you need to drip in return to tank ,did you buy the reactor top that holds a ph probe ,if you didnt you need to drip ina cup with ph probe in it it should read 6.5 to 6.7 then you adjust by watching ph level.my 1502 had co/2 in the top for about a week vented it off with port 2 this stoped after week 3 I have a 180 with medium load and im at 60 bubbles a minute and a fast drip I found it easer to adjust by watching my ph tested my kh daly for 2 weeks.my kh is 10 my cal is 425 mag 1300

 

[RKGraves]

First you need to get your cal and alk levels up by doseing also test your mag reactors matain levels,second arm corse medium is the best to use,third you need to drip in return to tank ,did you buy the reactor top that holds a ph probe ,if you didnt you need to drip ina cup with ph probe in it it should read 6.5 to 6.7 then you adjust by watching ph level.my 1502 had co/2 in the top for about a week vented it off with port 2 this stoped after week 3 I have a 180 with medium load and im at 60 bubbles a minute and a fast drip I found it easer to adjust by watching my ph tested my kh daly for 2 weeks.my kh is 10 my cal is 425 mag 1300

Thank you for your reply and information. Two things from your reply caught my attention.

1- I've moved the Reactor output to the return chamber of our refugium (harder to count the drips but makes more sense to drip Ca here)

2- I will order some ARM course media and re-start my testing. I believe the Knop media is good stuff, but switching to the ARM would put me inline with what everyone else seems to be using; which sounds like a good move for getting things working.

No, we do not have the top with the PH probe. Everything else you mentioned we are doing, or have taken into account.

Again Thank You!
Randy & Deanne

 

[jezzeaepi]

Your problem is simply that the ph in your reactor is not low enough to dissolve your media, and consequently is not adding anything to your tank. You need to have way more bubbles per minute, and a slower drip rate. Something like 15 bubbles per minute, and 40 drops per minute would be a good place to start. What does your calcium reactor effluent test at for PH?

 

[Marrkart]

jezz is rite you need to test the ph comming out of the reactor drip into a cup.and have a ph probe in it media disolves at 6.5 to 6.9 need to order a pinpoint ph meter

 

[DonW]

Koralith will not even start to dissolve until your ph is below 6.5. Arm starts at 6.9 but has much more P.

Don

 

[RKGraves]

Thanks Everyone for Your Help!

I now have a much better understanding of how it all works!

Our Ph test kit does not read low enough (7.4 - 8.6) to accurately check the Ph at the output of the reactor. I will look into getting a Ph probe, but in the mean time I have increased the C02 to 12 bubbles /min., and will continue to increase it until I start to get excess C02 accumulating in the top of the reactor chamber.

My misunderstand had to do with the role of the C02. I thought it was needed to keep the tank Ph in check with the addition of the Ca. But now I understand it is used to lower the Ph in the reactor inorder to disolve the media.

I've re-read my Korallin installation instructions and will manually dose to bring our levels back up to optimal, and start again the reactor calibration.

Thanks Again For Your Help!
Randy & Deanne

 

[Boomer]

Randy this may help you.

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

 

[RKGraves]

Thank you everyone for your help! All this information is great. And I'm looking forward to reading the articles. Again Thanks.

I have a weird situation I'm hoping someone can help me understand. I've been running the reactor at apx. 50 drips/min and 18 - 20 CO2 bubbles per min. When the reactor runs overnight (8 hrs) I get little-to-no CO2 buildup in the top of the reactor. But when I come home from work (10 hrs) I find 1.5 - 2.0 inches of excess CO2 in the top of the reactor.

Any guess why the difference between CO2 absorbtion between day and night?

I have a wild guess.....At night the grow light is on the cheato algae, causing it to absorb C02 and grow. During the day the light is off. Could this be the cause?

Thanks for your help,
Randy & Deanne

 

[Boomer]

It is on the grounds that Don hit on. The pH is not low enough to dissolve the reactor media during the day, thus the CO2 builds up during the day as the tank pH his higher. At night the pH tank water is lower so the mean pH of the reactor is lower and dissolution of the reactor media is more so, thus much less CO2 build up as it is being used. You effluent reactor pH needs to be lower. As has been poitned out, we need to know the reacort effluent pH. And that build up can lead to a very dangerous issue if it some who ends up getting purged into you effluent water, as it can crash your tank pH.

 

[DonW]

Also take a look at the feed. Those reactors have and always have had issues with co2 build up. Many people use them so do some searching on the forums for a fix. I've always avoided them for just that reason.

Don

 

[danno14]

Many people use them so do some searching on the forums for a fix.

An aqualifter on a simple timer seems to work fine for me....

 

[RKGraves]

Thanks everyone for your help!

I can see I need to be able to accurately measure the pH at the output of the Korallin C-1502. In shopping pH equipment I find both pH meters and pH controllers. The C-1502 has the option of a pH probe compatible lid for use with a controller.

Would any of you please offer recommendations regarding pH meters vs pH controllers? And, recommendations for manufactures and/or models?

We appreciate everyone's help!
Thank you,
Randy & Deanne

 

[Boomer]

How much do you want to spend ? A meter just measures the pH and a controller reagulates/controls and measures the pH. That means, if you set the effluent pH on the controller to say 6.4 the controller will regulate the CO2 so you are at or near that pH always. A cheap controller is like just over $100 and can go up to 4 G's.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

These reactors work best with an aqualifter as Danno said, and a PH controller is a must

 

[RKGraves]

Yes, we do feed the reactor with an aqualifter pump.

Regarding how much to spend for a pH meter or controller; as much as is necessary, but no more than is needed..... It looks like most basic units fall between $80 - $220.

I'm open for recommendations!

Another thing I am trying to solve is a finer adjustment for the reator output drip. The adjuster that came with the reactor controls the output drips/min by squeezing the 1/4 output line. It seems I can get just under 40 drips/min or near 60 drips/min, but little-to-no controll in between. Is there a device available that allow for a finer level of control with suchlow pressure?

Thank you,
Randy & Deanne

 

[Herefishyfishy]

The output drip rate in that wide range is fine. The PH controller will take care of most of the rest. Don't sweat the fine tuning until you have a complete system and learn how it is all fitting together. You can find good deals on used controllers on eBay and other sites. Make sure they say the Ph probe is in good working order. Once you get it all put together, then it will make more sense how to adjust it all. There will be a Eureka moment and it will all make sense.

One more point, if you are getting gas build-up even with the aqualifter, check for leaks.

 

[danno14]

I would suggest using the aqualifter to pull the excess c02 out of the top port.... not to feed it. I feed with a pressure line from my pump; much more consistent. The Alifter kicks on 4 times a day for 10 minutes to pull the excess out. A waste of c02 perhaps, but it's cheap.
D