intermarin ca reactor, kind of urgent, need any info possible...

[dbates]

hey all,

i recently and unexpectedly won an auction on ebay for an intermarin calcium reactor. i have never heard of the company before, but i know it is german.

has anyone dealt with these or could anyone give me an opinion on it?

the seller is wanting me to make the final payment on it but i dont know if i should get it or not. I will be using it on a 100 gallon joint system, that doesnt have a too high of a ca demand, because it is lps/softies.

any opinions are much appreciated

thanks,
dbates

[dbates]

bump

[Flamehawk]

If your bid won, yes, you should pay him or he has the right to file a non-paying bidder form that can eventually get you banned.

HAving said that, Intermarin has several size model. The design looks good (i believe it's a fluidzed model), but the smaller model has a 2.5" diameter only? PLease give pics or dimensions of the unit so that we can help you better. The smaller model is similar to the original KNOP which people complaint that i had too small of a chamber.

HTH, JOHNNY

[dbates]

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/80006intermarin.jpg




http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/80006intermarin_2.jpg

[dbates]

it also has an overall height of 14 inches, which leads me to beleive that it is a small model??? as long as it would deliver a somewhat adaquate amount of ca, it would be fine, but with such a small chamber how long would the media last?

[Flamehawk]

The design looks good, except for the size of the chamber. I like how the water flows from the bottom and thru to the top of the media. I have a 8" diameter by 24" tall GEO on a 135gal. I have no idea how long the media on that reactor would last. I guess it would depend on a lot of factors. I would say the Intermarin design should work better than the old KNOP which is very similar in size. The old Knop has the opposite flow disign where the media could compact and clog the sponge. Hope thi shelps, JOHNNY

[dbates]

how does one determine how long it takes for the media to run out? does it actaully dissolve? meaning you would know to replace it once the chamber is empty? or some other way...?

[jdieck]

Originally posted by dbates
how does one determine how long it takes for the media to run out? does it actaully dissolve? meaning you would know to replace it once the chamber is empty? or some other way...?

THe media actually disolves and the media level inside the chamber starts to drop. It is better to just add more media when the level has reached about half the chamber.
It is difficult to know how much media you will use because it depends on how much consumption your tank has. If the tank is predominantly softies by best guess is that you will need to refill half the chamber every two months but to know better I might narrow it down if you tell what and how much are you dosing today to maintain yoour Calcium and Alkalinity.

[dbates]

i will be in college and am in the process of automating as much as possible, which is why i am getting this. is replacing media a difficult task? i wouldnt think so, probably just close the co2 tank and then unscrew the top of it and pour it in? the only reason i ask now is because i want to know if it will be simple enough for my parents to do it...

[jdieck]

Originally posted by dbates
i will be in college and am in the process of automating as much as possible, which is why i am getting this. is replacing media a difficult task? i wouldnt think so, probably just close the co2 tank and then unscrew the top of it and pour it in? the only reason i ask now is because i want to know if it will be simple enough for my parents to do it...

Replacing the media is the easiest part of operating a reactor but needs some familiarisation to make small adjustments to the effluent flow or CO2 bubble rate to keep the tank alkalinity constant.

[Flamehawk]

If you're going off to college, i would recommend a pH controller. When you start the reactor back up, it takes some skills to calibrate the bubbles per minute and also the effluent rate. SO you set the contoller at a set pH and it will deliver just the right amount of bubbles to lower the pH. Just make sure the probe is well calibrated before you leave. JOHNNY

[dbates]

my thoughts exactly, i already have a ph controller on the way,

is there anything else i would haev to worry about?

[dbates]

i just found out that it has a 2 in diameter, which lead me to beleive it is on the small side, but it would probably get the job done..?? any comments on that?

[jdieck]

It is rather small, if it can achieve saturation you might be looking at refilling about every 7 to 10 days.

[Flamehawk]

Well, you can always add a second chamber to increase capacity. Just make it easy to refill. JOHNNY

[jdieck]

Here you go:

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/Ca_Chamber_DIY.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/DIY_Probe_Sump.jpg