using both a calcium reactor and a kalk reactor

[apollothesun]

does anybody use both? ive been running both for about a week and everything tests as follow:
alk 3.8 ppm
calcium 420ppm
nitrate 0ppm
phosphate 0ppm
magnesium 1340ppm
ph 8.5

question is my calcium reactor has a ph controller that shuts off at 6.8 ph.
i also have a american marine ph meter that i stick in my tank that reads 11.88ph. i've been testing my ph in the last 5 days with the test kits reading 8.4 to 8.6. ive calibrated my meters 5 days ago so i know there right. could it be the kalwasser giving a erroneous figure on the ph meter inside the tank? the ph meter inside the display tank is halfway towards the bottom of the tank near the overflow. does anybody else experience this while using both the calcium reactor and the kalwasser reactor?

 

[apollothesun]

has anyone used vodka for nitrate reduction?

 

[apollothesun]

has anyone used vinegar with their kalk reactor?

 

[mmkeeper]

I have used vodka to feed a denitrafier.

 

[DonW]

does anybody use both? ive been running both for about a week and everything tests as follow:
alk 3.8 ppm
calcium 420ppm
nitrate 0ppm
phosphate 0ppm
magnesium 1340ppm
ph 8.5

question is my calcium reactor has a ph controller that shuts off at 6.8 ph.
i also have a american marine ph meter that i stick in my tank that reads 11.88ph. i've been testing my ph in the last 5 days with the test kits reading 8.4 to 8.6. ive calibrated my meters 5 days ago so i know there right. could it be the kalwasser giving a erroneous figure on the ph meter inside the tank? the ph meter inside the display tank is halfway towards the bottom of the tank near the overflow. does anybody else experience this while using both the calcium reactor and the kalwasser reactor?

First if your alk is really 3.8ppm then you need to get that way up. Second if your probe is reading 11.88 in SW then its probably shot if you just calibrated it. Third you dont use vinegar with a kalk reactor only kalk from a bucket. Fourth, I would really advise against adding vodka as a carbon source.

Don

 

[apollothesun]

ill turn up the co2 on my calcium reactor to up the alk. what do u recommend don, at what level? gonna get a new ph probe, try maybe move it to my sump and see the level there,place it at the end where my return pump is. my calcx fluent is in the refugium, i dose kalk continously on a 3/4 pvc T on my return with a dosing pump. i have a mrc kalk reactor and let it stir continously. any suggestions?

 

[apollothesun]

vol 3 delbeeck and sprung

I have used vodka to feed a denitrafier.

the book says it binds nitrates easily so the protein skimmer picks up. do you still use vodka?

 

[apollothesun]

First if your alk is really 3.8ppm then you need to get that way up. Second if your probe is reading 11.88 in SW then its probably shot if you just calibrated it. Third you dont use vinegar with a kalk reactor only kalk from a bucket. Fourth, I would really advise against adding vodka as a carbon source.

Don

its the ph probe. anybody knows where to get a cheap replacement on a pinpoint american marine ph meter probe? marinedepot i think is 49.00. anywhere cheaper?

 

[DonW]

ill turn up the co2 on my calcium reactor to up the alk. what do u recommend don, at what level? gonna get a new ph probe, try maybe move it to my sump and see the level there,place it at the end where my return pump is. my calcx fluent is in the refugium, i dose kalk continously on a 3/4 pvc T on my return with a dosing pump. i have a mrc kalk reactor and let it stir continously. any suggestions?

Calcium reactors are used to maintain the ca and alk not increase it. Dose to get it up to about 10 and use the carx to keep it there. Ph probes are about $50 all over the web, skimping will just cost more in the long run. I'd just wait until you can get a good one. Its not a necessary device anyways so no sensce in throwing money at it continuously.
Vodka is a carbon source for the bacteria and the bacteria take careof the nitrates. This is a dangerous option unless you have a full understanding.

Don

 

[apollothesun]

Calcium reactors are used to maintain the ca and alk not increase it. Dose to get it up to about 10 and use the carx to keep it there. Ph probes are about $50 all over the web, skimping will just cost more in the long run. I'd just wait until you can get a good one. Its not a necessary device anyways so no sensce in throwing money at it continuously.
Vodka is a carbon source for the bacteria and the bacteria take careof the nitrates. This is a dangerous option unless you have a full understanding.

Don

i didn't realize that, the calcx, i'll supplement the alkalinity. i'll use the reef carbonate supplementation, i think its made by seachem.

 

[plack]

"i'll supplement the alkalinity" Be carefull to not add to much at a time or you will get end up scraping all your glass with a razor blade and cleaning out your pumps as well.
Several smaller doses 45 minutes apart works well. I know this first hand !!



Paul

 

[apollothesun]

"i'll supplement the alkalinity" Be carefull to not add to much at a time or you will get end up scraping all your glass with a razor blade and cleaning out your pumps as well.
Several smaller doses 45 minutes apart works well. I know this first hand !!



Paul

thanks for the advice paul do you also run a calcium reactor and kalk reactor? once i get the alkalinity up, does the calcium reactor keep it steady and all i have to do is refill with crushed coral?

 

[plack]

"thanks for the advice paul do you also run a calcium reactor and kalk reactor? once i get the alkalinity up, does the calcium reactor keep it steady and all i have to do is refill with crushed coral?"

Basically yes.

I do run the effluent of my CA reactor into a cup inside my sump wich has air pumped in by an airstone then it overflows into to the sump already aireated wich seems to help somewhat!!!

Well I guess I put too much kalk in my kalk reactor and the impeller keeps disintegrating on me. 3 in a row now.

I have it in line with my auto water top off on my 180 I use a calcium reactor and Only adjust the co2 and add cruched coral when needed.



Paul

 

[DonW]

Well I guess I put too much kalk in my kalk reactor and the impeller keeps disintegrating on me. 3 in a row now.

Paul

Thats sort of normal especially if your using a mj or mag. You can relief the impellor with sand paper or a file. This will slow the flow but will give some space between the volute and impellor so they will last longer.

Don

 

[plack]

And I was believing I was using too much Kalk.. I am using a MJ Thanks again don

 

[apollothesun]

do you guys still dose iron, maganese, and iodide?

 

[apollothesun]

so i since got my calcium reactor to output 6.6ph on the influent and kalk reactor to top off evaportation. ive noticed for a month my ph for the tank hovered around 7.8ph at night and 8.0ph during the day. then started to get patches of hair algae. i was using crushed coral sand i had laying around for the calcium reactor and thinking that was the cause of phosphate started adding the genx crushed coral media for replacing. no new existing hair algae but the hair algae that was there stuck around.
i was wondering why i had a low ph during the night and thought about the carbon dioxide from the calcium reactor and not being used up by the macroalgae in the sump. so i tried reverse daylight in my sump and still got the same ph results for 2 weeks.
then the break out of red cyno. why does cyno always come during the spring and fall? i've always notice that about red cyno. anyways, started the 5 gal water change every 2 days. still the red cyno was not effected. try blowing it around with the powerheads. just made the cyno go somewhere else. i noticed the cyno would like to stay on the sandbed, and my sandsifting stars would not go to those places. so broke out the gadet and started to vacuum the sandbed. 1st day got hella red cyno. next day came back so vacuumed some more. next day a little less, next a little less. kept on changing the water every few days, but the cyno and hair algae stuck around.
fustrated, got out the books and read that i need more current in my display tank. currently i had a genx 1100 return pump feeding a scwd which was feeding 1 half of the display on one cycle, then feeding the other half of the tank on the other cycle probably with a 600gph on each side. also had 2 aqua via pumps rated for 680gph both on the other side pointing towards the overflow.
ive since got a aqua via that pumps 1190gph conected to loclines pointing into the sandbed, just not enough so the sand doesnt kick up. more shooting towards the glass. 2seio 1100gph connected to a controller pointing both of these to each other.
thats a total of 4800 gph for my 90 gallon reef. notice too that my tank temp has risen and my chiller is more constantly on. i had to move my rocks and corals around too for the upgrade on the flow.
ive notice now that my ph is 8.00 at night and 8.1 during the day. the polps on the corals are coming out more. the bubbles are starting to form on the red cyno and slowly bubling to the top and the hair algae is starting to tear away from the live rock.
in the meantime i upgraded my existing hoods to lumenarcs. lumenarcs are the best. corals love it. best upgrade i did on my lighting. btw i run 250hqi and 250mogul running 10k. also have 2 96watt pc at the blueattinic spectrum.
hopefully this did the trick! let you know on the status. also planning on doing an automatic water change, that constantly changes a gallon of water a day. just waiting for the dosing pumps to arrive.

does anyway have an automatic water change they are using? like to hear from ya, thanks!
hows everybodies tank doing?

 

[lizardarm]

WHOA! that's a mouthfull

 

[apollothesun]

it just sometimes this hobby is so fustrating. you find someones saying it works this way or that. someone says one thing or the other; others using the latest and greatest gadget or others approaching the naturalist way. and also trying to decipher marine science with all this information out of books and the forums can be overwelming. Most importantly the hurt it puts in your wallet. dont get me wrong, i love this hobby. it's the trial and error that keeps me going. Its the beautiful creatures God has created in the ocean.
it's just when that d@mn cynobacteria comes out to play:evil:

 

[xfisher]

haircares

it just sometimes this hobby is so fustrating. you find someones saying it works this way or that. someone says one thing or the other; others using the latest and greatest gadget or others approaching the naturalist way. and also trying to decipher marine science with all this information out of books and the forums can be overwelming. Most importantly the hurt it puts in your wallet. dont get me wrong, i love this hobby. it's the trial and error that keeps me going. Its the beautiful creatures God has created in the ocean.
it's just when that d@mn cynobacteria comes out to play:evil:

have'nt had any problems w/cyno thank the heavens,but there is nothing worse than hair algae,Iv'e been battling it for about a month if you have patches of it get it under control right now it will explode on you,and when it does the breakaway lands all on top of corals and clings and dies and releases it's nutrients in the water to feed the remaining algae which the current frees then on to clog the overflows leaving the tank.I'm using a calx for alk/cal maint. my next addition will be a kalk reactor which will help w/phoshate control.