DIY Ca reactor

Discussion in 'I made this!' started by reef_guru, Jan 19, 2008.

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  1. reef_guru

    reef_guru Humpback Whale

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    this thing is going to be a beast, 3 chambers, all recirculating, ran out of cement so heres some pics for now. the beer bottle is for size comparison. dimensions 6x6x20 each, the tube is going to be the CO2 bubble counter.
     
    Last edited: Nov 7, 2008
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  3. Scott Osborne

    Scott Osborne Feather Duster

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    Yeah!!! I love square stuff.

    Here's a square CA reactor I built
    [​IMG]
     
  4. reef_guru

    reef_guru Humpback Whale

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    flat acrylic is cheaper, the footprint of flat acrylic offers more sq/ft than tube stock. yours differs from mine in that the one im building will have a pH probe on the intake side of the pump, along with a recirc pump for each additional chamber, and a bubble counter.
     
    Last edited: Jan 21, 2008
  5. Scott Osborne

    Scott Osborne Feather Duster

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  6. cuttingras

    cuttingras Starving Artist :)

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    I'm not understanding the whole bubble counter and CO2 stuff, would you explain in "Linda Language" for me?
     
  7. reef_guru

    reef_guru Humpback Whale

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    the main pump is a 2-mdqx-sc and the recirculating pumps are maxijet 400's
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2008
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  9. reef_guru

    reef_guru Humpback Whale

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    you match the CO2 bubble rate ( amount of bubbles ) with the effluent flow rate ( amount of flow ) to get a 6.5-6.7 pH based off of your tanks dKH consumption rate.

    Ca reactors only work when the internal pH is low. the media wont dissolve above 7 pH. CO2 lowers pH
     
  10. cuttingras

    cuttingras Starving Artist :)

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    ahhhh ok I think I gotcha! I'll ponder that a while longer! Thanks!:) pondered...is there a chart or something to follow by?
     
  11. reef_guru

    reef_guru Humpback Whale

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    heres a site to get you started. figure out your tanks dKH consumption rate then plug the numbers

    Reactor Setup help
     
  12. cuttingras

    cuttingras Starving Artist :)

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