Calcium Reactor and PH /alk balance

Laura and Jim will be hosting the May meeting this Saturday the 12th and it will be the usual of food, drinks, raffle and fun.
 
Doors will be open at 6:00 pm for social talk and the meeting will start at 7:00.  Parking gets a little tight and the city says you can't park on 4th but there is a parking lot a block away.   Meeting is usually held in the backyard so feel free to bring your favorite lawn chair, weather permitting of course.

If you need address/directions, contact a club member.

Best if you park at Mini Mall (where the spaghetti establishment use to be)
 
You will get to see his new frag tank set up in the making.
 
Hope to see you there!

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[Kylem]

Hello all,
I recently purchased a Calcium Reactor rated for 800 gal tank for my 300.   I have a aquacontroller III
with a temp probe to control my heater and a PH probe to control my Calcium reactor.
I have read many postings on using a PH probe in the Calium reactor to using one externally.   I measured the PH of the effluent coming out of the reactor till I got a decent flow of 22 ml/min and dripping 1 drop per second or 2 to get a PH in the reactor of about 6.77.  I increased the drop rate to 1 drop per second hope to obtain a 6.5-6.8 range.  Once I get my PH stable in the reactor I can linearly increase or decrease as to my Calcium needs. 
   That said and done; my PH has been down to 8.0 in the morning and 8.28 durning the day.  Before I could not get my PH over 8.1 untill I added my air intake to use outside air on the Skimmer to get more fresh air turn over and to allow the CO2 to bleed off in the sump before it reaches the tank.
My Alk used to be like 4-5 meq/l when I was dosing but now I can only keep it around 3.2 meq/l.
My Calcium started off fine at 400 ppm and then dropped to 300ppm and I can't get it over 320ppm
If I add Calcium chloride; it ends up solid in my pumps and jambs them up so they won't turn.  This solidifing happen in a short time of a few days instead of months.   I am running two refugiums with lights on 24h/day.
   I have my calcium reactor running contantly.  It has a solidnoid valve to turn of the CO2 and I was planning to have it shut off when the PH dropped to low (7.9PH) and come on at 8.0 PH.  Is this right or is my thinking wrong?  I don't have a kalkreactor but was dosing as needed.  Maybe I need to add the alk at night to offset the PH drop.  Have I got my thinking straight with this or am I missing something?!?
I wish you guys were close by because there is no one over here to help me...I am it.

[Ed]

Kyle,
    Everything sounds good.   What is worrying you?   
Drip your influent by the intake of your skimmer would be added insurance of excessive CO2. 


Ed

[Kylem]

Thanks Ed,
I slowed my drip rate to 15 ml/min and kept the bubble rate at 1 drop per sec.  My output went way up so I have 600 ppm cal output and high alk....16 meq.

I boost the Alk at night when the lights go out by dripping in some from a small pail.  This keeps the alk up for a while longer and I set the PH controler to turn the Ca reactor on after 2.5 and shut off when it drops below 2.0  otherwise it keeps dumping CO2 into the water and doesn't get used up.  Thanks for the tip Ed about the drip by the intake of the skimmer.  I would have to modify the sump because it is just one big tank right now. 

I have been maintaining the Ca ate 350ppm in the tank with alk at 3.2 Meq.