Arm media for CaRx question

[kris2001]

At what PH does arm media for calcium reactor turns into mush? My media has reduced in the reactor by 1/3 I will wait till half of the reactor to be emptied so that I can replenish or top off remaining media..

Until then I want to lower the pH in the reactor to keep up with the alkalinity demand for my tank inhabitants.

Currently it's at 6.74 turn off. 6.75 turn on CO2...

Thx

 

[KrisReef]

Can you increase the flow through the reactor?

I believe I have run ARM close to 6.5.

 

[kris2001]

I Increased the flow and reduced reactor ph It's now 6.74... Not gonna reduce any more since I'm afraid it'll turn to mush..

DT is now at 8.1 phew much better than 7....

Also my solenoid valve for CO2 fires every few min... Is it bad for solenoid's longevity? How often should it stay on/off? See pic thx

 

[KrisReef]

Not specifically sure about the solenoid & cycling speed and wear and tear. I have had them stay on for longer periods so that the valve started to get warm/hot. I think if it is getting hot to the touch after it has been on for 5 minutes then it probably might be an issue? Cycling faster might also create extra heat as well, so for what that was worth,..

 

[Garee]

Haven't turned to mush yet at these Ph levels.

 

[Reefahholic]

I Increased the flow and reduced reactor ph It's now 6.74... Not gonna reduce any more since I'm afraid it'll turn to mush..

DT is now at 8.1 phew much better than 7....

Also my solenoid valve for CO2 fires every few min... Is it bad for solenoid's longevity? How often should it stay on/off? See pic thx

It’s not good for the solenoid to constantly turn off/on/off/on. Your .01 variance is super tight. Try a 0.1 variance.

Example:

On = 6.75
Off = 6.65

 

[kris2001]

It’s not good for the solenoid to constantly turn off/on/off/on. Your .01 variance is super tight. Try a 0.1 variance.

Example:

On = 6.75
Off = 6.65

Based on last two posts I've updated it to:
6.80 on
6.70 off

Let's see.... If 6.07 hasn't turned to mush that's great since...
I'm at 60 percent of media left in reactor. Hoping to run reactor by tweaking pH as long as possible.

Don't wanna touch the kamoer stp pump speed since it's not very consistent and proportional... Yet to change expensive pump head ...I did change tubing!

Thx all

 

[Reefahholic]

Based on last two posts I've updated it to:
6.80 on
6.70 off

Let's see.... If 6.07 hasn't turned to mush that's great since...
I'm at 60 percent of media left in reactor. Hoping to run reactor by tweaking pH as long as possible.

Don't wanna touch the kamoer stp pump speed since it's not very consistent and proportional... Yet to change expensive pump head ...I did change tubing!

Thx all

What LPM are you running at?

 

[jda]

It is a bad idea to use pH readings from one probe to another. Any of those could be off by 5-10%. It is Ok to use them as a swag, but I would not count on them as absolutes. These are the least reliable pieces of equipment in our hobby.

The new stuff is calcite - the old stuff is aragonite. The calcite will take more co2 to mush. The calcite runs about the same as the aragonite in my reactor, IME - about the same ratio of effluent to bubbles plus about 10% more bubbles.

 

[Reefahholic]

It is a bad idea to use pH readings from one probe to another. Any of those could be off by 5-10%. It is Ok to use them as a swag, but I would not count on them as absolutes. These are the least reliable pieces of equipment in our hobby.

The new stuff is calcite - the old stuff is aragonite. The calcite will take more co2 to mush. The calcite runs about the same as the aragonite in my reactor, IME - about the same ratio of effluent to bubbles plus about 10% more bubbles.

Jda, what media are you using now?

 

[kris2001]

What LPM are you running at?

What's LPM?

 

[Reefahholic]

What's LPM?

mL’s per minute I mean. So used to hospital terminology

 

[jda]

I have a few bags of the larger reborn still and I also have some sacks of larger ARM (the newer calcite stuff). I bought a few 25kg sacks a few years ago when they were on sale and I still have a bunch. When I run out, I will get the larger arm again, most likely.

 

[Reefahholic]

I have a few bags of the larger reborn still and I also have some sacks of larger ARM (the newer calcite stuff). I bought a few 25kg sacks a few years ago when they were on sale and I still have a bunch. When I run out, I will get the larger arm again, most likely.

The Arm dissolves at a much lower pH than reborn. Does that bother you or do you have a secret method that helps keep the pH up?

 

[jda]

For me, it does not matter what the pH inside of the reactor is. The only time that my tank pH moves if if the tune is inefficient and undissolved co2 gets into the tank. I tune either one so that the dKh of the effluent is around 25 and no gas is getting trapped inside of the top of my reactor. As long as this happens, there is no effect on my tank.

I might care more if I used a pH controller to dump and quit, or whatever, but I don't.

For full transparency, my house also gets aired out nearly all the time (except for super cold spells in the winter), so I don't have tank pH problems in the first place. 48" attic fan at like 10-12k CFM can replace all the air quickly.

 

[kris2001]

It’s not good for the solenoid to constantly turn off/on/off/on. Your .01 variance is super tight. Try a 0.1 variance.

Example:

On = 6.75
Off = 6.65

Been running at 6.80 on, 6.70 off to increase the time solenoid is on or off...

But it hasn't helped. Beats me why!

Is it due to CO2 tank being far away like 6 feet ?I never mess with bubble rate.

See pics...

Not only does it cycle like before (solenoid) it seems to turn off at 6.79 and on at 6.81.

Thx

 

[X-37B]

Been running at 6.80 on, 6.70 off to increase the time solenoid is on or off...

But it hasn't helped. Beats me why!

Is it due to CO2 tank being far away like 6 feet ?I never mess with bubble rate.

See pics...

Not only does it cycle like before (solenoid) it seems to turn off at 6.79 and on at 6.81.

Thx

At that distance you may need more pressure to maintain a constant drip/flow.
Just a thought as I count bubbles and measure effluent.

 

[jda]

Have you been checking and recording your effluent dKh? That is the only true reading that you can use. pH probe is the least reliable piece of equipment in the hobby and they drift, fail on whims and don't last long at all. I would never trust a reading from a pH probe unless you have 3 of them and take 2 out of 3 readings.