A
selection of useful tidbits of information for the aquarist.
Readers are encouraged to send their tips to
terry@advancedaquarist.com or to post them to our Hot
Tips sticky in the Reefs.org General Reefkeeping Discussion forum for possible
publication. Next month's Hot Tip theme will be "Automation
Tips".
Calcium
Reactor Tips:
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sponsor of this column
A pH meter will come in handy! And test the alkalinity of
your tank water, not the alk of the reactor effluent.
-- "Bone"
Check your reactor often, the taps can quickly
become blocked with deposits, causing a buildup of C02 inside
the unit.
My second tip
would be to get a fluidised reactor if you can afford it,
their much more efficient with the media, and can allmost
use all of it up without getting blocked up.
-- "Mouse"
My
tip would be to forget about bubble counts and drip rates.
The size of the bubbles and drip on each brand of reactor
will be different. If you want to compare how your reactor
is running compared to someone else's you need to know the
PH of the effluent and the rate of the effluent.
I
set my reactor so that the effluent runs into a cup in my
sump. I keep a PH probe in the cup 24/7. At a glance I can
look at the PH of the effluent in the cup and how fast the
effluent is running out of the cup into the sump and know
that my reactor is working properly. When dialing in the
reactor you can adjust it by changing the effluent rate
up or down and adjusting the bubble count to keep the PH
of the effluent at the level you want it. This also helps
to off gas co2 as the effluent runs from the cup into your
sump and will help keep the PH in your tank from dropping
as much when you run a reactor.
I
run my reactor at 6.7 PH after the 2nd chamber at an effluent
rate of 400ml per minute. That's for a 415 gallon tank with
plenty of stony corals.
--
Nathan Paden
I
find the a flowmeter for the CO2 make adjust the PH of the
effluent a snap
Like
Nathan, I have the effleunt run into a cup (actually, an
empty container that 35MM films comes in is perfect) in
the sump. I keep a PH probe in that cup.
I
pump water to the reactor through a needle valve. This makes
it easy to control the drip rate.
-- "Louey"
If
you have problems maintaining magnesium levels as well then
add pure dolomite to the reactor to help elevate Mg levels
(happens pretty slow).
Dolomite
is a mineral containing both calcium and magnesium carbonate,
CaMg(CO3)2. As it dissolves it will add both calcium and
magnesium.
The
amount to add depends on the system demands and configuration
of the reactor. It is not uncommon for 10% to 20% of the
media used to be dolomite. Monitor and adjust as needed.
Get
the dolomite from a reliable source and make sure it is
pure.
