Tuning your CalRx | Alternate method thats too easy

Tonyreefer · Oct 10, 2015

Alright thanks for all the help! this will make it much easier !

SchnitzelReef · Oct 11, 2015

AquamanE said:
So I guess my better option will be a powerhead :mad:.

I want to be able to shut the whole CaRx system down with controller if a leak is detedcted. I have it sitting on a custom made acrylic tray that will absorb ~1.5 gallons, but that all the leeway i have.

You could always run a 110v solenoid going from your manifold to your calcium reactor. Plug the solenoid into your apex, and if a leak is detected, shut the solenoid off. You can buy these types of solenoids for around $20

Tonyreefer · Oct 11, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
So 35 mL per minute delivers 50,400 mL = 50.4 L per day. It needs to deliver the same alkalinity as your two part.

You said you dose 250 mL per day. What product?
If that is my Recipe 1 from BRS or other sources, then that is delivering 470 meq of alkalinity.

470 meq in 50.4 liters = 9.3 meq/L

So the effluent from your reactor needs to be ~9.3 meq/L (26 dKH) higher than the tank water that is entering the reactor.

Assuming your tank water is about 8 dKH, then you need to get the reactor effluent to roughly 34 dKH.

You can measure that with an alkalinity test, and just keep adjusting the pH fairly rapidly (maybe 2 h between tweaks) to get near that level.

After you get there, then tweak the level up or down (slowly now, at least a couple of days between tweaks) to get the tank alkalinity to where you want it.

So this morning had trouble with flow so I I raised flow to 70 ml per min that means I should cut my target number in half 17 correct ? What are the problems with running higher effluent rate if any ?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 11, 2015

It means you decrease the rise on passing through the reactor from 26 to 13 dKH, added to the tank water coming in at roughly 8 dKH gives 21 dKH for the effluent.

Tonyreefer · Oct 11, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
It means you decrease the rise on passing through the reactor from 26 to 13 dKH, added to the tank water coming in at roughly 8 dKH gives 21 dKH for the effluent.

Thanks again !

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 11, 2015

You're welcome.

Good luck.

puffster · Oct 11, 2015

Hello everyone, I happen to have a dual chamber reactor my values I have set are, 6.7 for the high value (on) and 6.5 for the low value (off). The problem I have is keeping my ALK above 6.5 in the tank with the PH running 7.5-7.6 in the morning and 7.8-8.0 in the evening. How can I tune my reactor to keep my ALK between 7.0-8.0 and my PH 8.0+? I have a 150 mixed reef, L.E.D's, Maxspect Gyre, two Tunze's and a RW-8 for flow. Filtration is a 75 gal. sump/refugium with 50-60 LBS. live rock, Macro algae with DSB, ESSOPS cone skimmer and a BRS reactor running GFO. My parameters run; PH 7.95, DKH 6.5, CA 460-480, MG 1500, PO-4 0.03, NO-3 ) 0.o0. As far as my CaRx, I am running a steady dripping stream with 3 bubbles a second and like I mentioned 6.7/6.5 for my high/low values for the controller. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Ernie

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 12, 2015

All you can do with a reactor is make it efficient, but CaCO3/CO2 reactors necessarily add excess CO2 to an aquarium driving down pH.

You might try reducing the pH a bit, and that will boost the tank alkalinity, but not the pH.

You could also use limewater in addition to the reactor for purposes of raising pH. Many people do that.

More fresh air to the tank also raises pH.

puffster · Oct 12, 2015

Thanks Randy, I was concerned about turning my media into mush with a lower PH within the reactor. Also, what I meant by saying about raising PH was to maintain the PH after using supplement to raise it.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 12, 2015

puffster said:
Thanks Randy, I was concerned about turning my media into mush with a lower PH within the reactor. Also, what I meant by saying about raising PH was to maintain the PH after using supplement to raise it.

The problem is that any modifications to tank pH ae temporary because pH is very strongly impacted by CO2 levels. So if the air around the tank has excess CO2 in it, it will lower the pH. Same for a CaCO3/CO2 reactor adding CO2.

You need to have some method that constantly removes the CO2 if you want to raise pH.

ToXIc · Oct 12, 2015

Have you double checked you dkh test with a friends. You don't normally see higher Cal numbers than alk with a CalRx.

And what's your output drip at?

puffster · Oct 23, 2015

It was a steady stream, but I knocked it back to a steady drip flow of 45 ccm with a DKH of 15.008 out of the CArx. which gives me a tank DKH of 6.104. Measurments were taken with a Hanna Checker. Waited almost a week after adjusment to take readings, wanted to make sure all was settled. Now going to knock the CArx PH down from 6.7 (high) 6.5 (low) to 6.6/6.4 respectively. Now about bubble count, Co2. I have it set at roughly 3bbls/sec. This too many? And last question, what is the ideal DKH output from the CArx to target? I know "it depends" on the system. My CArx is talking to roughly about 190gal. (tank/sump) with mostly baseball to softball size SPS/LPS colonies and one basketball size birdsnest. Oh yea, my CA was taken with two different kits: Salifert and Red Sea and both were within 10-20 ppm of each other. Close enough to accomadate for oprerator error.
Thanks,
Ernie

puffster · Oct 23, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
The problem is that any modifications to tank pH ae temporary because pH is very strongly impacted by CO2 levels. So if the air around the tank has excess CO2 in it, it will lower the pH. Same for a CaCO3/CO2 reactor adding CO2.

You need to have some method that constantly removes the CO2 if you want to raise pH.

Hey Randy, As far as the Co2 lowering PH in the tank. About 3-4 years ago I wrote an article for the reef club in my area and the FW club as well that dealt with this issue. I titled it "Ocean acidification and the reef tank". But, it is one thing that we all have a tendacy to forget about with all that is going on inside of our tanks. Sometimes the answers and solutions to some of the more complicated questions we have are purely simple ones.