new DIY downflow calcium reactor

[Chin_Lee]

So I finally got around to making a new reactor. I planned the design based on several other models sold in retail stores.

The unit`s pump is a sedra 5000 and its a downflow unit. I chose downflow because I didn`t like the air bubbles being trapped in the media as it did with my previous upflow model. In hindsight, currently bubbles are still trapped with the downflow so it didn`t really matter which way the flow goes.

One pet peeve of mine with my previous reactor is having to change the media. So I copied Spazz`s (on RC) idea and made a removable media chamber. Also included an inline drain valve on the upflow to drain the chamber when I need to change the media. The removable chamber is 22 inches high which allows two containers of ARM media to fit inside. As you can see I`ve put in an older ARM coarse on top and newer ARM coarse on the bottom hence the difference in media`s appearance. The total height of the reactor is about 27 inches high.

Other ideas I incorporated:
- I used a heat gun to create a dome on the top lid for the recircuation line and to prevent C02 pooling at the top.
- in-line probe holder to monitor the pH level inside the reactor

Front Profile

Side Profile

Removable chamber bolted to the lower chamber

Domed top to help with C02 recirculation line.
pH probe holder and in-line drain valve

[mark]

nice.

like the dome, can you give some more on making it?

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Beautiful work Chin.

[Delphinus]

Neat. Where's the probe holder? (Sorry if I'm just daft - but I don't see it?) What did you use for a probe holder?

How does the media chamber thing work? Is it basically some 5.5" tubing inside some 6" or something like that?

[Chin_Lee]

Mark
I bolted the lid onto a flange so the holes are all aligned. Then I used a heat gun to heat both sides until slightly soft and then pushed it down on a piece of 2 inch coupling through the flange.

Tony
The probe holder is sticking out through the side of the upflow tubing. I put it there so its out of the way where I won`t need access to the reactor. I used a half inch gland nut that had a male NPT which screwed into a FPT fitting.

The bottom of the media chamber is an acrylic doughnut that has a 2-3 inch hole in the middle and this ring is glued into place. I cut eggcrate to fit on top of the doughnut, then two layers of enkamat, and another doughnut to squish the enkamat down. When I want to remove the chamber, I drain water until its below the flange, unscrew the nylon bolts, and unscrew the top union.

[fkshiu]

Very nice, Chin. Very nice indeed.