What's the pH in your Ca reactor?

[pookstreet]

What pH range does everyone keep in their Ca reactors, measured either with a probe in the chamber or in the effluent? Please also list the make and type of reactor (down flow vs. reverse flow), type of media used, etc. I was wondering what are the preferred pH levels for the different media out there so they can be dissolved most efficiently without turning them into goo. Thanks.

 

[DaveMorris]

I use a dual chamber calcium reactor that was built by Jasper down here in San Diego. My effluent coming out has a ph of around 7.8 due to the extra chamber. I wouldn't want to do it any other way. The media I use is regular, no name crushed coral.

 

[pookstreet]

Do you know what the pH is in the first chamber? It should be quite a bit lower, right? I don't know if a pH that high will really dissolve any of the media fast enough to supply the Ca and alk that's needed.

 

[wishntoboutside]

my knop c.(reverse flow. the lil tug boat. loves the small crushed media . med size did not work as well. it is filled every three weeks. ph out of it is set on controller at 6.5. besides my tank drawing a heck alot of calcuim on a lil reactor it does work. for now=)

 

[Yinger]

I use a geo 612. Reverse flow with arm coarse and effluent pH is around 6.8

 

[dfladermaus]

geo 612 with arm media. I modified the reactor to hold a ph probe and it reads around 6.5

 

[timmay]

MRC Nano reactor with arm media. Reverse flow with ph @ 6.8

 

[pookstreet]

Richard, when you say filled every three weeks, does that mean you really go through that much media that fast? Or are you just topping off? I've had my GEO 618 filled for over a year and it's barely used up a quarter of the media inside the chamber.

 

[pookstreet]

I use a geo 612. Reverse flow with arm coarse and effluent pH is around 6.8

Hey Ying, have you tried a lower pH with the Arm coarse media? That's the media I am going to use next. How fast do you go through one container? Thanks.

 

[pookstreet]

Thanks for all the reply guys. I guess I should indicate what I am using currently. It's a GEO 618 using the Aragonite Florida crushed coral as the media. Right now, the pH is just a notch below 6.5. I've kept it at 6.6 or so in the last year and a half and just don't go through that much media at all. It's running on a 300 with a lot of SPS. Will be switching to the Arm coarse media as soon as it's time to refill the chamber.

 

[Yinger]

Kenny, I haven't had to refill it in a while. I tried increasing the bubble count a little bit, but it was adding too much CA and ALk to the tank... didn't need that much, esp after loosing a ton of sps for some unknown reason lol. But the GEO is a good reactor, at a 6.8-6.9 pH, the effluent was testing around 23 dKH. I'm sure it'll be even more if i lowered it to 6.5 or so.

 

[sandman450f]

PM422 reverse w/ arm 7.5 after extra chamber, (after making a minor mess unplugging that chamber just for u), 6.8 effluent exiting the primary.

Ph probe hasnt been calibrate in a year (bad me), Arm 50% container every 5months or so

 

[pookstreet]

after making a minor mess unplugging that chamber just for u), 6.8 effluent exiting the primary.

Awwww.......how sweet......I love you too........:wavey:

 

[pookstreet]

Kenny, I haven't had to refill it in a while. I tried increasing the bubble count a little bit, but it was adding too much CA and ALk to the tank... didn't need that much, esp after loosing a ton of sps for some unknown reason lol. But the GEO is a good reactor, at a 6.8-6.9 pH, the effluent was testing around 23 dKH. I'm sure it'll be even more if i lowered it to 6.5 or so.

Thanks Ying. Looks like I'll just have to keep an eye on my system to see how fast the Ca and Alk is being used up.

 

[loc01]

Mine is a dual chambers, down draft flow with a regular ARM media, ph at the effluent of 7.0.

Loc

 

[Shaz1971]

Dual chamber here aswell set at 6.5

 

[pookstreet]

Has anyone had their media melt on them and at what pH?

 

[wishntoboutside]

kenny, yes i top off my media every three weeks due to chamber bieing small and a high calcuim load on my sps tank. i usually add 2 to 4 inches of media at this point

 

[L.A.-Lawman]

I have two reactors. I have a korralin c-1502 with an add on MRC chamber. it runs 6.5 in the first chamber, 7.0 on the output on the second chamber.

my reactor on my main system is a lifereef LCR-1. it runs a 6.8.

hth

 

[OCReefMadness]

Single chamber is supposed to be around 6.6 to 6.7 for the effluent and the dual chamber is around 6.9 to 7.0.