Can Only Get Effluent in Calcium Reactor to 14.4 dKh

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PeterC99

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Effluent is at 9.5 and tank is at 6.1.

I dropped the PH another .05 in the reactor. Am I missing something else here???
I added an inexpensive second chamber and put fine media in it. Used up that excess CO2 and raised effluent to 26 dKh. Tank pH back up to 8.35.

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jda

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Take the pH controller offline or just set it to on. Tune the thing with the paper linked in my signature. Start with about 10 bubbles a minute and 40 drops and let us know in 24 hours what the effluent dKh is. This is just a starting point and will need adjustment from there.
 

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You just do it to find the ratio and then you raise or lower in that same ratio to meet tank demand. Gotta find the magic ratio first.
 
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jda

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I have to turn mine up all of the time. Mostly growth, but also need more output when the media dissolves some and the "harder" to dissolve stuff is left. About every 6-8 weeks, mine needs turned up.

Tank alk goes from 7.2, or so, to 6.6 over a few months and then I turn it up. It takes a week or two, but then back up to the low 7s, peaks and then goes back down again slowly. Lather, rinse and repeat.

I never found too much different between ARM (new or old) or Reborn. The man made stuff by Korallin was really hard to dissolve and had no other traces in it nor magnesium - I did not like it. Crushed coral works great too if you have a reverse flow reactor, but it will get compacted if you do not.
 

watdachuck

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I ordered a new Ph probe, installed, and calibrated it today. The effluent alk is already over 10 after 20 minutes. I am going to continue testing but thinking my probe had reached the end of its lifespan. This makes way more sense than the media not dissolving correctly.
 
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PeterC99

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I ordered a new Ph probe, installed, and calibrated it today. The effluent alk is already over 10 after 20 minutes. I am going to continue testing but thinking my probe had reached the end of its lifespan. This makes way more sense than the media not dissolving correctly.

Glad to here it. Once you dial in the calcium reactor, you leave it alone and enjoy stable Alk & calc.
 

watdachuck

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I will say, in my experience now, that ARM media requires a much lower pH to meet the same alkalinity as reborn especially with higher effluent rates. I'm running 6.1-6.4 in the reactor.
 

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