For those who run kalkreactors and calcium reactors..

Delphinus · #1 11-02-2007, 04:36 PM

Hi Drew, yeah I was working on my tank build last night. I only get to work on it after the wee one goes to bed. There's only 1 of him but it feels like I'm chasing after 6 or 7 toddlers.

So there's no progress on anything while he's up.

Well, that's weird then. I thought the kalk was to help with the Alk and not the Ca. Guess I had that backwards but I've really been struggling from keeping the Alk from going through the roof ever since putting both online.

I should mention that I do add Calcium additive to bump the Ca levels but it creeps downward over the course of a week. Which means despite the abundance of Alk output, the reactors are not keeping up the Ca levels.

I should mention that I'm running the reactor at pH 6.7 and an effluent flowrate of 60ml/min. Unless my pH meter is in dire need of a calibration but given that it tells me a pH range of my tank from 8.1 (night) to 8.3 (day), I've not had cause to think it was out of range since the numbers are more or less what you'd expect to them to be.

I wonder if the thing to do here is take them both offline for a week or so and let the levels drop, and just keep bumping the Calcium via additives until the Alk has gotten to maybe 3.0, and then restart. It's just that... well .. I've already kind of tried this once already when my alk approached 5.0 meq/l

...

mark · #2 11-02-2007, 05:15 PM

Just running a Ca reactor only but finding similiar.

I can keep the Ca around 400ppm with the reactor alone but find my alk is always on the high end (11dKH) and if my effulant rate drifts up (bubble count same) then the alk wants to spike.

Been testing my mix water lately and find IO is at 11 right out of the bucket, have been considering bringing the alk down before adding to tank to give me some more head room with the tank. That and a finer valve for the reactor effulant.

Aquattro · #3 11-02-2007, 05:17 PM

Well, kalk will add both Ca and Alk, as will a Ca reactor. Tony, on my 150g, once I set the parameters where I wanted them using Kent A&B, my Ca reactor was able to maintain those levels all the time. I never needed both, and that was with a lot of SPS growth. If your Ca reactor is sized to your tank/bio-load, maybe just try running that AFTER you set the right levels.

fishmaster · #4 11-02-2007, 05:53 PM

Just to expand on the topic....Anyone using a kalk reactor mainly to help bring up the ph drop from their calcium reactor? I was under the impression that this is the main reason to run both.

untamed · #5 11-02-2007, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishmaster

Just to expand on the topic....Anyone using a kalk reactor mainly to help bring up the ph drop from their calcium reactor? I was under the impression that this is the main reason to run both.

pH mainly drops at night. I've been trying to use my Kalk reactor to offset this drop. My Kalk reactor runs only at night, but so far it has not made any noticeable change in the pH drop. I continue to increase the nightly amount.

Doug · #6 11-02-2007, 07:37 PM

Using kalk only will maintain add calcium and help with alk. levels but I have always found the alkalinity to drop in kalk only tanks. I and others doing the same, add a buffer once a week or so, to maintain alk.

My co2 reactor, maintained both my calcium and alk. as Brad mentioned his did. I found my alk was always on the higher side, pushing around 11.2dkh.

I think most running a co2 reactor, use a kalk reactor or drip, to help boost calcium in a heavy demand tank and also as mentioned, to help with ph levels. However I know of several co2 reactor users who dont follow this idea, as there reactors are sized large enough to provide calcium & alk, plus they also seem to maintain high enough ph levels with no kalk.

I like kalk myself, as its cheap and easy to use. I have never used a reactor though, just dripping now or mixing it in my top off tub when running my larger tanks.

I would say keep the co2 reactor running the same or back it down a bit and keep using a good kalk mix to bring calcium levels up, with perhaps a bit of Reef Advantage or whatever you use, to increase the calcium levle some.

Whats the alk. reading on the reactors output? If mine got a bit ot high, I think I decreased the co2 amount a little, which usually lower it. Cant remember for sure but think mine was running in the low to mid 20,s dkh area.

Delphinus · #7 11-02-2007, 07:42 PM

Thanks Doug. I'll test the reactor's Alk output, I have no idea what it's at, I've only measured pH of the effluent.

One thing catches my eye in what you just said - "good kalk mix." I'm wondering if part of my problem is I'm using Mrs Wages pickling lime (Someone gave me theirs when they left the hobby). I don't really like the stuff very much. It turns poo brown after a week although the pH is still 11ish so I think it's still working but nevertheless I'm wondering I should switch to a proper kalk mix.. I only use a few tablespoons per week or two so it takes me forever to use it up..

Delphinus · #8 11-02-2007, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reef_raf

Well, kalk will add both Ca and Alk, as will a Ca reactor. Tony, on my 150g, once I set the parameters where I wanted them using Kent A&B, my Ca reactor was able to maintain those levels all the time. I never needed both, and that was with a lot of SPS growth. If your Ca reactor is sized to your tank/bio-load, maybe just try running that AFTER you set the right levels.

Hi Brad, thanks, that is basically what I'm trying as I try to dial in the two reactors together. (Ie. using the two-parts until I get Ca=390 and Alk=3.0, then let the reactors try to maintain after that point.) It's just that over time, Ca will will fall, and Alk will rise. Which wasn't quite was I was expecting, I was expecting both values to rise (or drop) together. If I run the kalk by itself both values will drop. If I run the Ca by itself I should theoretically be able to retune to the system's draw rates but I was hoping to add kalk to the mix because it helps to precipitate out phosphate (or so I thought).

I dunno maybe I'll just give up on the kalk for now. It's not like I have any SPS left, so the draw should be fairly low anyhow, but I was hoping to maintain the levels for the benefit of the other things I have left (clams and LPS).

untamed · #9 11-02-2007, 07:48 PM

Of course, it could be something related to the Ca/Alk that your specific tank uses. It think it is fairly accurate to say that both Kalk and Ca reactors deliver both Ca/Alk in a mostly balanced way.

Holmes-Farley also says that often having one of these parameters a bit low is an indication of not enough of the balanced Kalk or Reactor...as opposed to concluding that you need to chase Ca or Alk separately.

Delphinus · #10 11-02-2007, 07:52 PM

That's just the thing, you can't chase Ca and Alk independently when you have a reactor. I am starting to appreciate the Balling method instead

Or just adding the stuff manually, it's just that I can't stand wondering at 10pm at night "Did I remember to add my Ca additive before I left for work this morning? How come I can't remember?" ... That's the beauty of the reactors - once dialed in they are set-and-forget but ... OTOH dialing them in can be such a pain. I can dial in a single reactor perfectly but now adding a kalk reactor to the mix, it just seems I can't wrap my head around what's going on in there.