Calcium reactor pH problem

[five.five-six]

I've been running calcium reactors since before it was common to use a controller to run the solenoid. I'm no expert but this isn't my first rodeo either.

The Co2 is running at about 30-40 BPM and the effluent is running at maybe 100 drops per minute.

These rates, IME should turn the media into pudding in a week, but I can't get the pH below 6.45.

I've tried running higher bubble rates and lower drip rates, but the reactor just fills up with Co2.

I've been running this reactor for several years, but this just started about a month ago.

so far, i have cleaned calibrated the pH probe, cleaned and inspected the circulation pump and replaced the check valve.

What else should I look at?

 

[drexel]

What media?

 

[DEWreefing]

I've been running calcium reactors since before it was common to use a controller to run the solenoid. I'm no expert but this isn't my first rodeo either.

The Co2 is running at about 30-40 BPM and the effluent is running at maybe 100 drops per minute.

These rates, IME should turn the media into pudding in a week, but I can't get the pH below 6.45.

I've tried running higher bubble rates and lower drip rates, but the reactor just fills up with Co2.

I've been running this reactor for several years, but this just started about a month ago.

so far, i have cleaned calibrated the pH probe, cleaned and inspected the circulation pump and replaced the check valve.

What else should I look at?

Tank might be low? What type of media mark? 6.4 seems way to low unless your running lime stone or whatever. What is the pH of the actual tank?

 

[drexel]

pH probes are notoriously bad a keeping calibration, which is why I stopped using one for my reactor a long time ago. I also switched to Tunze media, which is super clean and doesn't leave a lot of the leftover crap on the bottom of the reactor like everything else does. My masterflex runs at 50/mL a minute and I adjust the bubble count to my tanks demands. I'm also only running it for 18hrs a day and using kalk at night.
I would just measure the effluent and see if that has changed at all? Is the recirculating pump slower or working properly? I don't find the flow rate affects the effluent as much as other things like saturation or dwell time.

 

[five.five-six]

What media?

ARM, mostly + some dead skeletons and the magnesium’s stuff + whatever.

The thing is this, it’s always been easy to dial into the pH I want and the probe was calibrated since this started. I’m at a loss for why it’s happening.

 

[Jimbo327]

What's the effluent dkh? What pH probe are you using?

 

[mchain275]

It's possible the probe has degraded to a point that recalibrating won't help. Have you tried swapping in a different probe temporarily? Notwithstanding that the probe is reading at 6.45, how are the calcium and alkalinity numbers in tank?

Seems your issue is hardware, but nonetheless wanted to offer some advice on media. The best thing I've done for my tank in the past two years is ditch ARM in favor of Reborn in my calcium reactor. I had to run my reactor all the way down to like 6.18 to effectively melt the ARM, which depressed my tank pH given 80mL / minute of effluent running through the reactor. After switching to Reborn, I can run the reactor at 6.48 and the tank parameters are more stable. Best of all, tank pH improved by .2.

 

[drexel]

I would test effluent and adjust the bubble count accordingly. I also agree that ARM needs a lower pH. Reborn starts to melt at 7.5-4ish, but also has a lot of PO4. For flow, just have a steady drip, the rate doesn’t matter, unless it’s really fast? I’ve found 50-80mL per minute is more than enough. I also wouldn’t control anything with a pH probe anymore, as they can drift quickly and only last a short period of time.


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[DEWreefing]

The dead skeletons would be mush at 6.4 don't you run kalk as well

 

[bakbay]

I’m on a GEO 618, Alan Le regulator, and Versa pump. My effluent rate is 40mL/min and the CO2 inside the reactor is 6.62-6.65, enough to keep 150g SPS-dominant tank between 8.5-9dKH.

Assuming that your pH probe is still good, try to lower the effluent rate? That should lower your CO2 inside the reactor, dissolve more media. I think the most important factor is Alk though. I would only change one parameter at a time and test.

Good luck! I bet it’s your pH meter giving false readings.

 

[turbonut]

Faulty probe or regulator


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[wishntoboutside]

I hate to hear how old everything is lol.