Ca reactor adjustment

option 2



otty:

CO2 is 24/7 for this equation




my reactor runs CO2 24/7 with 2 chambers then the effluent enters the skimmer. the drip rate is matched to the consumption rate. CaOH2 runs 24/7 on ro/di

i based this equation/question based off of my system, heres the reason why.

i adjusted the effluents pH to 6.8 in the first chamber when the main tanks pH was at its lowest point, which is at night, the effluents pH never drops below 6.8 which in turn wont drop down the main tanks pH over time and also raises the effluents pH at night but still low enough to melt the media.

if i would have adjusted the effluents pH to 6.8 in the first chamber when the main tanks pH was at its highest point, which is during the day, the effluents pH would drop below 6.8 at night which in turn drops down the main tanks pH over time turning the media into mush. remember the main tanks pH drops at night, so this means the pH going into the reactor would be lower causing a lower pH in the effluent since the CO2 bubble rate and drip rate are constant.

reefers dose CaOH2 during the night to counter act the lower pH from the reactor. you could also have the effluent go into your skimmer, use an air stone, or an oxygenation chamber prior to re-entering the system.

ive worked over 26 hrs in the past 1.5 days, so i hope this makes sense.

 

It sounds like you've posed a question and based the answer off of only your system.
Many systems don't run the same so I think I'll just stick with keeping my effuent constant and let the controller decide when to input Co2. Works fine for me and my pH doesn't swing hardly at all.

 

I think he stated that this scenerio was based on his system, but Im not sure, you would have to read back. Luna

 

I guess I missed the point of this post. Asking everyone how his system works best and then telling them wrong??? WTH??? :-X

Was this posted to gain insight or just to say I'm right you're wrong?

Maybe I missed something?

 

I looked at it as a trivia Q and nothing more. Luna

 

you completely missed the point, i wasnt asking anybody how to set up my system, and this post wasnt to say im right and your wrong.

just because your system uses a controller doesnt mean everyone else has to. i know of many systems that run there systems like mine, the reason for this post was to help those that do.

yes you did

thats all it was.

 

I'm still missing the point of this. Maybe you could sum it up (at least the point you were trying to make) for the rest of us.

 

RG, I believe I understand what your questions were looking to understand...

For example: The Tuzine Ca Reactor we used for our 75g system has no provision to monitor the reactor pH and the operations manual directed the operation to be based on a ratio between the drips of effluent and bubbles of CO2. So we just ran it 24x7 as directed by the manual. Seemed to work well enough. However, the pH monitor for the CO2 controller was only a low safety shutoff for monitoring the Tank's pH.

However the Tuzine Ca Reactor has a small chamber for media and needed to be kept fully submerged in the sump or it would build up a CO2 bubble and stop the internal circulation. There is no provision on the Tuzine to provide a pressurized supply of makeup water. And trying to optimize something that I cannot directly measure (reaction chamber pH, by collecting and measuring the effluent pH), was more difficult and unreliable than I cared to continue dealing with....how much pH drift and stratification occurs in the collection chamber used to measure pH, how quickly will the collected effluent pH respond to a change in the tank's pH and resultant change with in the reaction chamber....


The new Ca reactor we will be using for the new tank will have a provision to monitor the reaction chamber pH and optimize the induction of CO2 to maintain the chamber's pH. It also uses a pressurized external supply for makeup water (sump, ro/di, or your choice) and should not have the "bubble" issue as this one is designed to sit outside the sump.

After having use a Ca Reactor, these are features that I think are necessary on any Ca Reactor. Though I know that a great many do not have all of these.

 

RG, I've lived with similar issues in the past and even without a controller I never found the effluent of my CA reactor effected my over tank PH. I do not run a refugium of any kind so I do not have O2 production at night. I would only see swings form 8.2 to 8.0 during an average 24 hour cycle.
In your initial question you state the PH of the effluent is constant at 6.8. With out a controller on the CO2 this is not possible. Because you would have fluctuations based on the incoming PH. Because the drip rate is "constant".
Having said that I totally agree with your results. that your CA-R should be tuned when the tank PH is at it's lowest

J

 

not true, to a point. granted the effluent pH fluctuates slightly due to the main tanks pH input to the Ca reactor. taking out the variable of the main tanks fluctuating pH, the effluent can be a constant 6.8 without a controller. with a controller there is still a fluctuation. the other reason i was forced to word it that way was some were wanting to wander off the details given and come up with there own.

thank you sir, thats all i was trying to get across to people.