What PH do you run your CA reactors at?

[deputydog95]

I've been trying out that ARM aragonite media. Seems to dissovle really well. I was running it around 6.6

I was looking at the bottle today and it said to run it at 7.5

Seems kind of high. Anyone else running theirs this high?

[myreef]

I run my single chambers at 6.6-6.8 and my duals at 6.9-7.1 coming out of the second chamber.

[deputydog95]

should i blow off the directions on the ARM media and run it at 6.6?

[myreef]

I do...

[sethd12]

i run mine at 6.5 to 6.6. dont listen to the directions

seth

[cwboomer]

Wouldn't the directions imply that they want you to "kick-in" CO2 at 7.5? I know with a Milwaukee controller, with only one setting you would want it to kick out at 6.6-7.1?

Do I have this all wrong?

[deputydog95]

huh? you shouldn't be using your controller to control the ph. you should set it and use the controller as a safetly measure in case the co2 goes bonkers.

[Zoom]

I use MRC large CR with the ARM media , i have to run my at 6.8 or my Alk drops you need to adjust you reactor so it keeps up with your ALK some small tanks will be ok with 7.0 some large tanks at 6.6 you just have to check and adjust it . Don't cut back your out flow to much you need good flow i keep my at 80ML a minute your reactor mey be different check your owners manual.
I never use a controler.

[scuba4ever]

I use my Milwaukee SMS122 to control the CO2 for my reactor and it maintains the effluent pH at 6.5, not a problem

[cwboomer]

so, deputydog, you do not use your controller as an intrument to control the dosage requirements of CO2 based on PH. You use it more like a failsafe device then to prevent a PH crash from excess CO2? Would that be accurate?

[deputydog95]

i don't even use a controller. no point. i have a solenoid that stops the co2 flow if the power goes out. a controller shouldn't be used to dose co2, just as an emergency backup. you should focus more on setting it properly. once set, it won't fluctuate more than .02
with a good co2 reg, the co2 rate should be rock solid, making a controller unecessary.
i run my reactor at 6.5 and 40 ml a minute. keeps the alk and calc spot on. i've had great luck with these settings. i was just curious if anyone had been running it as high as the ARM container suggests.

[halmast]

I have a Milwaukee ph Controller as well. I have it set at 7.9 in the event of a catastrophic drop in system pH so the Calcium reactor will shut off. I run my pH of the effluent at 6.8

[180Gallon]

I run mine at 6.6-6.8 out of second chamber and about 40-45 ml/min. I have a pin point controller that is set at 6.5 on the effluent as a fail safe. The controller rarely ever cuts on. Tank PH is 8.1-8.3. No Kalk dripping yet and have been running a reactor for about 5-6 months.

[cwboomer]

I was just perusing some other threads. I guess I am just looking at it from a different point of view.

The other post was about using a controller as just that....measuring the tank PH, not the effluent or the sump.

Just a different way, I guess. I guess don't understand why the PH of the effluent would be more important that the ph of the tank. If you want your tank at a certain PH, say 7.8, but your tank is at 8.0, your effluent might come out much lower and dump into the sump and dissapate by diffusion into the surrounding water. I guess no one does it that way?

D

[greg s]

6.5-6.7..60ml a min (about)..for my k2r seams to work!
i too use the sm122 ph monitor, as a fail safe.

[deputydog95]

the ph of the effluent is essential to making sure the reactor media is dissolving. more co2 bubbles = lower ph. it is directly proportional to the flow rate of the reactor. changing one affects the other. you have to find the best balance of flow and effluent ph. most people agree that a ph of 6.6 is ideal for quickly dissolving the media completely. you then adjust the flow rate to get the desired alk. however, when you adjust the flow faster or slower, you'll have to adjus the ph to maintain 6.6 or whatever you want to run it at. if the effluent ph is set properly, the media will dissolve and stabilize the alk, resulting in solid alk, ph, and calc levels. the effluent ph has nothing to do with the tank ph. it's all about alk. if you can get your alk right, ph will stabilize btwn 8.2 and 8.3 and calc should be around 420. the only way to use a reactor properly, is to measure the ph and flow rate of the effluent. otherwise, you're just guessing.

[reefkeeper1]

That figure of 7.5 isn't going to dissolve enough calcium to keep up with fast growing hard corals. I have a MR2 from Andy, and I've set my pH off the second chamber as he suggested. Just be sure to clean out the mush when your first chamber gets to 1/3 to 1/4 full to prevent compaction.

[reefkeeper1]

Actually, it's a CR-2, not an MR2 that I have from myreefcreations.