|
|
|
|
#1
12/24/2007, 09:35 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Calcium Reactor
Please dont call me completely stupid... I have a newly setup 265 reef tank with a calcium reactor under the tank, but not setup. I have everything hooked up, but dont know what to do...what valves to turn on the co tank...what bubble count means etc....help????
|
|
#3
12/24/2007, 11:56 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
That helped some...so if I use a controller to cut the co2 on when it goes above say 6.5 in the chamber...thats cool...but is there a controller that cuts the whole reactor off if the calcium is where it shoud be in the aqaurium....or does it keep going until you shut it off yourself?
|
|
#4
12/25/2007, 12:04 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
The reactor doesn't add calcium to the tank, it maintains your current level. You add calcium buffer to get to where you want the level to be, then the calc reactor runs to keep it there.
__________________
90g reef/29g sump, DIY cabinet, 2x250w MH, 2x54w T5 actinics, ER RS135 skimmer, VorTech pump, 18w UV sterilizer |
|
#6
12/25/2007, 12:51 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
When you use the controller to shut off the C02 feed it will cause the PH drop to decrease which in turn will keep the media from releasing calcium like it does with the lower PH. This in turn will stop/slow down the release of calcium from the media itself. If its in the off mode(C02) water will keep circulating in the reactor but wont be pushing calcium levels up.
Like RedEDGE2k1 said you are only using it to maintain a level in your tank that hopefully was already established or created. The controller is essentially a fall back device in case something would go amiss and really shouldn't be a means to solely turn on and off the C02. If you can get the correct settings and output on the reactor in sync with your tanks calcium needs it should be able to run without shutting the C02 on and off all the time. I know it sounds confusing but once you get a reactor dialed in to your tanks needs and get levels balanced it will do its thing on its own without really needing a controller to keep shutting C02 on and off all the time The reactor would know when to shut off if using a controller set to a specific PH level. If the effluent went below say 6.2 it would shut off the C02 and then the media would stop breaking down and releasing calcium. These are all influenced by the flow through the reactor, the PH level in the reactor and the output drip rate from the reactor and PH of the effluent its dripping out. They all come into play in the tuning and balancing of levels in your tank and reactor. I know how it works and may not be able to word it the best to help you understand. I was in the same place when I got my GEO. I did lots of reading and searching of old posts and some advice from others and then it all made sense. I can guarantee one of the reactor pros will chime in and help explain it much better than I can. I know they helped me understand all of these ins, outs, C02 levels and drip rates.
__________________
-Mike Last edited by Phyxius; 12/25/2007 at 01:03 AM. |
|
#7
12/25/2007, 04:55 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
as far as i know of.. the controller ( if you have one) only regulates the c02 injection which in turn controles the PH in the reactor...
the way the reactor works ( in maintaining lvls) from my understanding is that as ph drops.. it desolves the media and saturate the water in the tank (called effluent after it exits the unit) ... not to maintain the lvls.. you have to manually calibrate the unite to disolve a given amount of media to = your ca/alk demands ( from what i have read, media starts to desolve at under 7ph.. the unit also adds more alk than ca though.. ) ie... if your unit is putting out effluent at 1 liter/hr at a ph of 6.5 vs 2 litters /hr at the same ph of 6.5... the 2litter/hr is 2x more concentrated in ca/alk than the 1 litter/hr but.. if you have a unit putting out 1 litter/hr at 6.5 vs 2litter/hr at a ph of 6.9.. they may be pumping out the same concentraion of ca/alk due to higher ph ... hope that was clear... the easiest thing to compare is how heaters are sized ... to high of a flow rate = not enought heat transfer to effectivly raise tank temp.. so it's something like heat gain hase to be more that heat loss to = a sufficient heat gain... again.. i have no on hand experience of how they work.. this info is what i have gathered from reading as many ca/rx threads as i can... ( i have a ca/rx and cant afford to set it up yet so im learing as much as possible in the time being) Happy Holiday!! YzGyz
__________________
YzGyz = Wise Guys ohhh and cows go MOOO!!! 2nd best way is to learn from ones own mistakes but the best way to learn is from others... thx to Randy and so many other for making reefing that much easier |
|
|
Linear Mode
