I have a 200 reef attached to a 180 basement frag tank with a 150 sump. It's packed with big acros and everything looks good and is growing well, but I can't get my alk above 7.
I've been using a Dastaco A2 reactor for the last few years, but I got that before I added the 180 frag tank. I used to have it on a low setting, but now I have it maxed out. My corals have grown for sure, but I think maybe the strength of the dosing pump is fading. The reactor just doesn't put out enough effluent. I just measured the alk of the output and it's 20, so it seems to be working. A new dosing pump is $450
I also use an avast kalk reactor with my ato. I put in a couple tablespoons a day. I'm not sure if its a design flaw, but all the kalk gets processed into the system. There's never anything to clean out of the bottom. I evaporate 5 gallons a day. It hasn't seemed to cause a problem, but I'm not sure I want to dump a cup of kalk in there.
So... I added a Korallin C4002 Calcium reactor with a masterflex pushing water through. I figure I might eventually replace the dastaco with this. However for the last 5 days the alk has stayed right at 7. I'm running 250 ml/min and bubbling a bit faster than one bubble a second. My ph probe says the effluent is at 6.5, so should be good. I just checked the alk of the effluent though, and it's just 7.8.
Maybe the name of this thread should be "what's wrong with my Korallin reactor." I'm new to this piece of equipment. One odd thing I noted though: when I initially set it up, I had the reactor completely above the sump, and I kept getting air or CO2 building up at the top. If I turned off the eheim it went away. I lowered the reactor to sit beside the sump and the problem went away. Could I have some air intrusion? The masterflex is pushing, not pulling.
Thanks for any thoughts!
I've been using a Dastaco A2 reactor for the last few years, but I got that before I added the 180 frag tank. I used to have it on a low setting, but now I have it maxed out. My corals have grown for sure, but I think maybe the strength of the dosing pump is fading. The reactor just doesn't put out enough effluent. I just measured the alk of the output and it's 20, so it seems to be working. A new dosing pump is $450
I also use an avast kalk reactor with my ato. I put in a couple tablespoons a day. I'm not sure if its a design flaw, but all the kalk gets processed into the system. There's never anything to clean out of the bottom. I evaporate 5 gallons a day. It hasn't seemed to cause a problem, but I'm not sure I want to dump a cup of kalk in there.
So... I added a Korallin C4002 Calcium reactor with a masterflex pushing water through. I figure I might eventually replace the dastaco with this. However for the last 5 days the alk has stayed right at 7. I'm running 250 ml/min and bubbling a bit faster than one bubble a second. My ph probe says the effluent is at 6.5, so should be good. I just checked the alk of the effluent though, and it's just 7.8.
Maybe the name of this thread should be "what's wrong with my Korallin reactor." I'm new to this piece of equipment. One odd thing I noted though: when I initially set it up, I had the reactor completely above the sump, and I kept getting air or CO2 building up at the top. If I turned off the eheim it went away. I lowered the reactor to sit beside the sump and the problem went away. Could I have some air intrusion? The masterflex is pushing, not pulling.
Thanks for any thoughts!