Calcium Reactor Apex programming

[rtsusc83]

Just transferred my livestock (SPS/LPS) from a 70gal to a 210gal tank.  Looking for examples of apex programming for Ca Reactor.  My load is light so I would have to factor in on whether how long I run the reactor.  Appreciate any input.  Thanks.

[Supernova26]

I was in the same situation a year ago. I had a light load and running wanted to run the calcium reactor. I think the best thing to do is measure how much alk and cal your system uses daily. You might not need to run the calcium reactor at all. Do you have a ph probe in the reactor? This will  help with the dial in. In my opinion running calcium reactor only a few hours a day is difficult to dial in. If you have a ph probe you can run the co2 just enough to dissolve small amounts of media but this would also be difficult as ph probes tend to drift over time. 

[taiscici]

Ph probe is a must have if running a CR, will make things a lot easier.

[rtsusc83]

I have a ph probe on geo 618 reactor

[Origami]

I have a pH probe installed in my reactor. This block of code releases CO2 into the reactor when the pH rises above 6.72.

 

Fallback OFF
If CaRx_pH > 06.72 Then ON
If CaRx_pH < 06.65 Then OFF

 

This acidifies the water in the reactor, which is constantly circulating and dissolving some of the reactor media, leaving the reactor water (effluent) enriched. The setting of the pH level varies sometimes with the media that you use. You don't want it so low that your media turns to mush, but you don't want it too high to where the media is not dissolved. Initially, I test the effluent coming out of the reactor, lowering the pH gradually until it hits a target between 25 to 30 dKH. After that, I leave it fixed. My approach to dosing using a calcium reactor is to dial in the alkalinity and then to deliver metered amounts of effluent over the course of a day. By varying the volume of calcium reactor effluent released into the tank, I can modulate the amount of calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, and trace elements delivered into the tank.

I use a programmable MasterFlex peristaltic pump on the output side of the reactor. I think that I have the pump set to deliver about 50 ml per minute.

 

This block of code turns that pump on for 42 minutes and 35 seconds for every hour, delivering calcium-enriched effluent to the tank.

 

Fallback OFF
OSC 000:00/042:35/017:25 Then ON

 

By knowing the concentration of my effluent (by testing), I'm able to make adjustments either by changing the time or the effluent delivery rate.

 

Alternatively, some people approach dosing with a calcium reactor using a constant drip rate or using a fixed stream rate. They then lower the pH in the reactor until they achieve stability in their alkalinity.

 

In the end, both approaches work.

[s2nhle]

I have a pH probe installed in my reactor. This block of code releases CO2 into the reactor when the pH rises above 6.72.

 

Fallback OFF

If CaRx_pH > 06.72 Then ON

If CaRx_pH < 06.65 Then OFF

 

This acidifies the water in the reactor, which is constantly circulating and dissolving some of the reactor media, leaving the reactor water (effluent) enriched. The setting of the pH level varies sometimes with the media that you use. You don't want it so low that your media turns to mush, but you don't want it too high to where the media is not dissolved. Initially, I test the effluent coming out of the reactor, lowering the pH gradually until it hits a target between 25 to 30 dKH. After that, I leave it fixed. My approach to dosing using a calcium reactor is to dial in the alkalinity and then to deliver metered amounts of effluent over the course of a day. By varying the volume of calcium reactor effluent released into the tank, I can modulate the amount of calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, and trace elements delivered into the tank.

I use a programmable MasterFlex peristaltic pump on the output side of the reactor. I think that I have the pump set to deliver about 50 ml per minute.

 

This block of code turns that pump on for 42 minutes and 35 seconds for every hour, delivering calcium-enriched effluent to the tank.

 

Fallback OFF

OSC 000:00/042:35/017:25 Then ON

 

By knowing the concentration of my effluent (by testing), I'm able to make adjustments either by changing the time or the effluent delivery rate.

 

Alternatively, some people approach dosing with a calcium reactor using a constant drip rate or using a fixed stream rate. They then lower the pH in the reactor until they achieve stability in their alkalinity.

 

In the end, both approaches work.

Thank you for sharing.