lewisriverfisherman Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 I'm getting tired of 2 part dosing so I'm going to set up a calcium reactor in the near future so i was wondering what is the latest and greatest for: PH Controllers Regulator and needle valves Or if you have anything laying around that you aren't using. Also looking for a 5lb CO2 bottle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 I'm in the same boat. My 2-part dosing has increased substantially over the past few months (now 175 ml per day) so I've started researching calcium reactors. I don't have any room left inside my cabinet, so I'd probably put the reactor gear inside a small side cabinet. Following along... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorge Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 I wouldn't even consider running a calcium reactor without a peristaltic feed pump. The next most important item is the needle valve. Get something like a Victor. A dialed in calcium reactor can be a thing of magic. Kamoer now makes a feed pump that's fairly inexpensive. Not sure how those hold up over time. I personally like masterflex pumps. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manny Tavan Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheClark Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 Begin My Opinion ======= Regulator is the most critical, followed by needle valve, followed by peristaltic feed pump A good 2 stage oxygen regulator can be refitted for CO2. Before that, I had nothing but problems. A peristaltic is awesome, and highly recommended, but many incredibly successful folks on here have managed to get by without one. APEX can alert you when flow is deviating, almost as good... ====== End my opinion 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenbasketreef Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 (edited) 1. Good calcium reactor, Geo Marine or Reef Octopus, the rest you pay for cosmetic not function 2. Add 2nd or 3rd chamber / media reactor, doesn't mater brand, to hold decent amount of media to strip escape co2 2. Basic Controller will be Carbon Doser, the best to avoid end of tank dump issue go with 2 stage controller with quality needle valve & electronic solenoid valve from Alan Le or diy 3. Timer to control injection period for the basic, or milwaukie ph controller with ph probe to control ph inside reaction chamber for accurate control 4. Start at PH 7 inside the reaction chamber then adjust down by 0.5 point ph to increase alk 5. Feed pump separate than circulation pump or can use dosing pump IMO dosing pump or timer are either or option, both can deliver stable alk once set correctly. Myself I use a timer from home depot to control on/off on solenoid valve to deliverr CO2 and my feed pump continue running at the feed setting using plastic gate valve Edited July 6, 2019 by goldenbasketreef 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bicyclebill Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 Dang, how could anyone possibly follow the gospel from Rudy?!? I’ve had much better stability since I added the kamoer peristaltic pump, though I had to replace the roller head short of six months due to noise. 100% agree with Jeremy and Rudy on the regulator and needle valve, though needle valve isn’t needed with peristaltic pump. I’m still a big fan of the Dwyer mini flow meter to make it easier to keep track of flow through needle valve if using one. You can literally see the ml/min flowing. I’m still very happy changing to reactor though. I only have to mess with it every 6 months or so, as opposed to monthly. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdxmonkeyboy Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 I did a massive amount of research on this before I started mine. Essentially there are two schools of thought on this.. precisely control your ph with carbon doser electronic needle valve or precisely control your effluent with a peristaltic pump. Or..both. There were people saying that controlling the PH with a probe was a risk, better to do it with a precise needle valve. Well, I am here to tell you that I have the most precise needle valve you can buy, the carbon doser electronic, and I could NOT, no matter how hard I tried, get the ph to remain constant in the reactor. it was rising, or it was falling. Given the tools we have available, I think the following is the best way to go about it. 1. large co2 tank 2. any needle valve..the cheaper the better 3. apex ph controller (because it generates a graph) 4. Kamoer FX-stp peristalic pump. The following setup has these advantages. 1. no risk of Co2 tank dump and PH crash... probe shuts off co2 at set PH. 2. Maintains proper flow rate of effluent. This is HUGE!!! Like THE major component. People say it is not necessary. Maybe. But then again, these same people are stating they can get a constant drip rate with a stand alone pump and a needle valve? Both of those will require regular, diligent maintenance to achieve that. 3. Easy to adjust for incremental increases or decreases. To set it all up... you set the ph range you want. For me the regulator is on at 6.74 PH and off at 6.73. Adjust the needle valve so that you don't have huge spikes when the co2 comes on. You have to remember there is a lag between when the co2 comes on and when the ph changes. If your flow is too high then you will overshoot your PH. If co2 flow is too low, the PH will not drop fast enough. Then adjust your effluent rate. I started at around 60ml/minute. Then you only have to adjust ONE thing to dial it in, your effluent rate. If alk is rising, then slow your pump down. Falling..turn it up. If the pump is running faster than you want (it will wear the tubing out faster) then simply drop the ph range in your reactor. A secondary chamber is nice, I have one, don't know how much good it does. I also have my effluent line discharging to the entrance to my skimmer pump, this allows the co2 amount to equalize to room levels due to the aerating effect of the skimmer. Badah-boom, badah bing. $600-$800 bucks, nice an steady alk, cal and mag (I put magnesium chips in my reactor). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bicyclebill Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 Ooh, after reading Brian’s post I realized it’s worth clarifying needle valve, as there are two. One on the regulator to control c02 output and one in the effluent line controlling output from reactor into sump. I don’t use the effluent one, but have the ultra fancy c02 needle valve on my ultra fancy regulator. And it works about the same as the ultra cheap ones. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewisriverfisherman Posted July 10, 2019 Author Share Posted July 10, 2019 3 hours ago, Bicyclebill said: "but have the ultra fancy c02 needle valve on my ultra fancy regulator. And it works about the same as the ultra cheap ones." Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk HaHaHa you dont say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.