Her kommer en længerer smøre men det er god vejledning.
Korallin Ca Reactor Setup Sheet.
This is written to help you in setting up a Koralline Ca Reactor regardless of model. The assumption is that you have used the included instructions to assemble your reactor by installing the circulation pump and filling the reactor with your chosen media. Depending on your selection of media it may require a rinse in fresh RO water prior to use. This is instructions on how to connect the reactor to your tank and how to adjust it for proper operations.
A note before we get started with the installation and that is that it is far less hassle to adjust a Ca reactor when your tank is at proper levels of Alk and Ca when you start. If your system is considerably out of balance then a large water change is the best way to get system back to a workable level to start with. If your system is balanced but low of Alk/Ca then a 2 part additive or Kalkwasser is a great way to bring your levels up to NSW levels and keep them balanced while doing so. If your Alk is low you can add a carbonate buffer to bring it up, for low Ca levels I use Kent’s Turbo Ca. Keep in mind that you need to let the tank settle for 48 hrs after the addition of any additive for a more accurate reading.
Now that your system is in the ball park of NSW levels of Alk and Ca your ready to proceed with the reactor installation and setup.
Make sure all gate valves are kept in the closed position while installing all plumbing.
First we want to connect the inlet line to the reactor using ¼” airline tubing (refrigerator ice maker tubing works great in this portion of the installation and is rigid which helps prevent kinking and restrictions) and it goes to the reactor fitting (Eingang). This is how you gets water from the tank into the reactor. It can be done several different ways. One is to place the inlet higher then the reactor and allow gravity to ‘siphon’ feed the reactor. The only disadvantages to this is if your water level drops below the input tube when you do a water change you can loose siphon and you’ll have to restart the siphon, and in an extended power outage there is a chance of the reactor siphoning your tank down and flooding your
sump. Second and the best way IMO is to feed the reactor via a pump. Either ‘T’ off from the return pump from the
sump or use a small power head to feed the reactor. Keep the input tubing as strait to the reactor and as short as practical. Also it’s a good idea to place it in a place of minimal light to prevent unwanted algae growth inside the tubing that will reduce flow to the reactor.
Now that you have the input to the reactor plumbed in you need to install the output from the reactor back to the tank or
sump. There are two output lines (both have a gate valve on them) one comes directly from the top of the reactor (called outlet #1 and marked ‘Ausgang’) and the other comes from the fitting just after where the pump output ties into the reactor (there is a single fitting here with a gate valve attached this is outlet #2 marked ‘Entluftung’). You need to hook a ¼” airline up to outlet #2 and run it to where ever you have the ‘famous effluent drip cup’ installed. The preferred place for the drip cup is so it can allow effluent to drip into a high flow area of the tank or
sump. I personally prefer it to drip into my skimmer compartment of the
sump. You also need to have the cup where you can easily get to it for taking effluent samples for testing of dKH and also you’ll want to be able to get your PH probe into the cup for testing of the PH.
Outlet #1 will also need to drip into the tank or
sump but its output is very low so it’s irrelevant as to where it drips at as long as it’s into the tank or
sump water. I have my outlet #1 going just inside the stand and dripping into the side of the
sump near a return pump to the display tank. Use the same ¼” airline tubing for this as well.
Now that you have all 3 lines connected to the aquarium and both gate valves are still in the closed positions we need to attach the CO2 system.
Attach the regulator to your now filled CO2 bottle (if you didn’t fill it yet, it can wait) making sure you use the nylon washer between the bottle and the regulator. Screw the regulator adjustment knob into the regulator just until it makes contact inside the regulator. Make sure the needle valve is fully closed and attach the “CO2 Proof” tubing to the needle valve and run the other end to the check valve. You’ll notice on the check valve it has an arrow pointing in the direction of flow, flow is from the bottle to the reactor.
Now that you have everything hooked up (but not plugged in to power yet) you need to prime the system. Do this by opening both gate valves. If you opted to use a pump to feed the reactor plug in that pump now (but only that pump, not the circulation pump on the reactor) and the reactor should start to fill up. If you opted to use the gravity feed, making sure the inlet is submerged under water, you may have to close one of the gate valves and suck on the other line to start the siphon. After the siphon is started you can reopen the other gate valve.
Allow the reactor to fill completely with water, during the fill the bubble counter should fill as well. If the bubble counter does not fill with water during the priming of the reactor do this:
If you use a pump to feed the reactor, unplug that pump so the reactor is at equal pressure rather then being pressurized by the pump. Take the fitting off the check valve that goes to the bubble counter, water should start to enter the bubble counter now and fill it. Don’t let the water drain back so it comes out the other end of the bubble counter and flow into the check valve (when you see the bubble counter get almost full, reconnect the check valve).
Ok now we have everything hooked up and the reactor is full of tank water. We now need to make sure the reactors circulation pump is evacuated of air and can pump water. First close outlet #2 and leave outlet #1 open. Plug in the reactors circulation pump and see if its pumping water or calvitating (not pumping water because its full of air). If its pumping water let it circulate and get all the air out of the reactor, it will be flushed out via the open gate valve at #1.
If its not pumping water and is trying to pump, lean the reactor over on its side and allow the air to evacuate the pump and water to enter, the pump should kick in and start to pump water at this point. (If your pump is not pumping at all it may be that you have allowed some of the reactor media to get into the intake and the impeller is jammed this is the best place to start checking if your pump is not turning.)
Again let the pump run until it evacuates all the air out of the reactor, you can pick the reactor up and gently ‘bump’ it down to dislodge any trapped air in the media. You can look inside the reactor at the very top and see if any air is trapped inside. If there is no air trapped inside your ready to proceed with setup, if it still has air, keep #1 open fully until all air is evacuated.
To setup the reactor initially we need to set a drip rate for the effluent out of the reactor and into the drip cup. We do this by closing both #1 and #2 gate valves and then opening #2 very slowly until the output into the drip cup starts to drip at a rate of about 40 drips/min. When you get the drip into the cup set at about 40 drips/min you’re ready to start adding CO2 to the reactor and start making some Ca and Alk for that beautiful reef tank you got up there.
To start off your CO2 bottle should be closed and the regulator is attached and tightened (with the nylon washer installed) and needle valve closed. Slowly open the main valve on the bottle and watch the gauge on the left side of the reactor (this is the bottle pressure) it should, depending on the temp of the bottle, read between 900 and 1100 psi and the right hand side should still be on 0 (because you haven’t screwed the regulator knob in any further then just touching right?) At this time you can plug in the solenoid if you have not done so yet.
Now you want to slowly screw the regulator adjustment knob in until the right hand gauge (working pressure) starts to climb up. Set it at 15 psi for now. The regulator may make some humming noise until it gets settled in (about 1-3 minuets) with a 15 psi working reading on the right hand gauge slowly open the needle valve a little at the time until you see a bubble in the bubble counter. You want to adjust for about 10 bubbles/min to start off.
Now you should have the reactor fully setup and operational. The effluent drip should be about 40 drips/min and the CO2 at 10 bubbles/min. Give the reactor an hour to settle in with the new settings and get the CO2 levels inside the reactor stabilized.
After an hour dump out your effluent drip cup and prepare to start testing. While the drip cup fills up get your tank readings and record them on the sheet.
Test the PH and the dKH of the tank. Right down the effluent drips/min and the CO2 bubbles/min as well. By the time you finish testing the tank water the effluent cup should be full again. Take a sample of the water from it and measure the dKH, and place your PH probe in it and
test the PH as well.
The PH should be between 6.5 and 7.0 and the dKH should be above 25. If you are at these levels your good to go on the reactor if not here is what you need to do:
If PH is low, you need to either up the effluent DPM (drips/min), or decrease the CO2 BPM (bubbles/min). At this time with the reactor being new to the system its best to lower the CO2 into the reactor rather then upping the DPM.
If your dKH is not above 25 then your not getting enough CO2 into the reactor and you need to up the CO2 BMP. Depending on your media in the reactor it should be about 30-50 dKH.
Now that you have that all set its time to start daily testing of the tank to set the reactor to the demands of the system.
During the testing and setting up of the tank DO NOT add anything to the tank other then top off water daily. Doing so can throw off the tests and give you a false reading and prolong the reactor setup.
Test the dKH of the tank daily at about the same time every day (I myself do it twice a day when I’m setting up a new reactor). Write down the dKH level of the tank on the setup sheet. If you notice that your dKH level is dropping from one day to the next you need to increase the amount of Ca/Alk the reactor is adding to the system by increasing the effluent DPM and upping the CO2 BPM to keep the effluent dKH above 25. This usually takes a week or two to set depending on the tanks demands and how much you have to adjust daily.
After you get the reactor adjusted to the point that your dKH remains constant from one day to the next there are a few things you can do now. Your dKH should be between 8 and 13 at this time depending on your system. If it’s lower then you’d like you can increase the DPM and BPM to bring the dKH of the tank up but do so slowly, not more then 1 dKH per week. If your dKH is at a level your happy with (and it should be) you now need to
test Ca and see what its levels are at. The preferred levels are between 350 and 450 ppm with most people preferring around 410 ppm. If your levels are low use ‘Turbo Ca’ to bring the Ca level up to desired levels. Do NOT use a 2 part buffer or anything that is going to boost dKH when doing so. You only want to add a Ca booster. If you have a 2 part buffer only use the Ca boosting part on the tank to bring up Ca ONLY.
With your Ca levels at the desired settings you need to recheck your dKH of the tank and make sure its still stabilized from day to day. If it is, its time to sit back and watch your reactor take care of your tank while you enjoy watching rather then dosing. If your dKH drops after adding the Ca then you need to up your DPM and BMP again to keep it constant and then
test Ca again.
If you find your having a hard time keeping Ca levels up but your dKH is remaining constant then your system most likely is low on Magnesium and needs to be supplemented. I recommend you
test your levels before you add anything. (this goes for anything you dose, NEVER dose something to your tank that you haven’t tested for or anything your not able to
test for)
You’ll notice that after a few months pass by the media in the reactor has dissolved and its level in the reactor has dropped down. This is how it’s supposed to work and is ok, but if you let it drop to low it can start to lessen the output of the reactor to the tank. You can tell this with your weekly testing of the water and you’ll start to notice a slight drop in dKH as weeks go by, this is an indication that you need to refill the media levels. It’s recommended that you change 100% of the media (empty the entire reactor and throw the media out and replace all of it with new) twice per year. Myself I use my testing to determine when the media has lost its usefulness. When it gets depleted it will start to drop dKH levels in the effluent and that’s when you need to change the media out 100%.
Sorry that this is so long but after you get the hang of it, setting up a reactor is very simple and one of the best additions to a tank to make it more automated and less time consuming for maintenance.
After you have your reactor properly adjusted to your system it should not require further adjustments other then an occasional adjustment to up/down its output in correspondence with your tanks needs. If you add new corals or clams to your tank, your reactor is going to need an upward adjustment. As time goes by and corals clams and coralline algae grow it requires more demand from your reactor and will require an upward adjustment as well.
Keep in mind that any adjustments to the reactor need to be done in a balanced proportion with the effluent drips and the CO2 bubbles, they work hand and hand together to provide the proper output of the reactor effluents dKH and PH. I hope you found this write up helpful in the installation and setup of your Koralline Ca Reactor.
kc
A.K.A. Dragon_Slayer
Tuning the Reactor
Once the calcium reactor is assembled, the next step is to tune it to meet the calcium and alkalinity demands of the tank. There are several different ways to tune the reactor, but I will describe the method that I (and many other reef-keepers) use.
IMPORTANT: As with all things in reefkeeping, it is important to be patient! After making adjustments to the reactor, it should be left for a few hours to allow the changes to take effect. Resist all temptation to meddle and tinker with the settings un-necessarily.
Two controls are used to adjust a calcium reactor. One controls the effluent, or the amount of water flowing through the reactor, and the other controls the amount of CO2 added to the reactor, usually measured by the number of bubbles of CO2 in the bubble counter.
The following steps describe the tuning process:
Step 1)
Set the reactor at a fairly low CO2 bubble count and a low effluent flow rate. Most manufacturers suggest guidelines, which for my reactor was 40 drips per minute of effluent water and 10 bubbles per minute of CO2.
Step 2)
Then adjust the pH within the reactor to approximately pH 6.5 to 6.7 for dissolving the medium. First, measure the pH of the effluent exiting the reactor with a
test kit or pH probe (I recommend a pH meter as most pH
test kits are not sufficiently accurate). If the pH is too high, reduce the effluent flow rate; if the pH is too low, increase it. Allow a few hours for the reactor to respond to the changes, and repeat this step until the pH value is between 6.5 and 6.7.
Step 3)
Monitor the tank alkalinity level to ensure that the reactor is supplying enough calcium carbonate to replace that being used by the animals in the tank. An alkalinity
test kit may be used to measure these levels (1 mEq/L change in alkalinity is only 20ppm calcium!). For future reference, it is a good idea to keep a logbook of the tank's alkalinity level and any adjustments you have made to it.
Measure and record alkalinity every few days and compare the readings. If the alkalinity level is falling, increase the amount of CO2 so more of the medium is dissolved. Conversely, if the alkalinity level is rising above the level you want, reduce the amount of CO2 so less of the medium is dissolved.
Of course, making adjustments to the CO2 rate will affect the pH level inside the reactor. A quick fix to keep the pH stable is to make the same adjustment to the effluent flow rate as you make to the CO2. For example, if you double the CO2 rate, double the effluent rate, too; this is only a rule of thumb, but should prove effective.
When finished, double-check the effluent to verify that it is still around pH 6.5. If not, you can repeat step 2.
Step 4)
After the reactor is set up, check the tank alkalinity levels periodically for a few weeks to take into account the calcium carbonate requirements of any new additions and coral growth in tank. Also, as the medium becomes depleted you may need to re-adjust the reactor, or refill it. If adjustments are required, simply fine-tune the reactor using the steps outlined above.
Troubleshooting:
Low Tank pH
After adding a calcium reactor, many aquarists complain that the pH of the tank is lower than it was previously. Aquarists often think that excess CO2 in the effluent that has not had time to react with and dissolve the media is the reason for the reduced pH. However, remember that the calcium reactor is adding alkalinity, mainly in the form of bicarbonate, (which itself will depress the tank pH) until excess CO2 is degassed into the atmosphere. Some of the bicarbonate is then converted into carbonate. This is very similar to the effect observed when adding sodium bicarbonate to your tank as a buffer.
In order to rid the tank of any excess CO2 and maintain a good pH, it is essential to have good circulation at the air/water interface.
The pH can also be boosted by using limewater as top-off water. Limewater (also known as kalkwasser) works by using the CO2 in the tank water and the hydroxide ions from the limewater to increase the alkalinity. In turn, removal of the excess CO2 leads to an increase of the tank pH.
Another popular technique to remove excess CO2 is to degas the effluent, either by running it through an additional container of calcium carbonate chippings or by dripping the effluent into a small container housing an air stone. Results from these methods vary, with some aquarists reporting significant increases in alkalinity or pH and others seeing little observable difference (probably due to different calcium reactor designs and their effectiveness). With both of these methods you must be careful. As the pH is driven back up towards natural seawater levels, some of the bicarbonate is converted into carbonate. Once the water becomes supersaturated with carbonate, it will be more inclined to precipitate onto calcium carbonate surfaces, and some alkalinity will be lost.
Out of Balance
Another common problem when setting up a calcium reactor is getting a correct balance between calcium and alkalinity. A common complaint is as follows:
"I have an alkalinity of 3.5 mEq/L (10 dKH), but my calcium level is only 320ppm. I have tried adjusting the reactor, but cannot get the calcium level to rise without the alkalinity going too high."
A calcium reactor may be described as a 'balanced' calcium / alkalinity additive. Basically, this means that it adds calcium and alkalinity to the tank in the same ratio as is used by our corals during the process of calcification. Simply put, it is not possible to change the calcium level without the alkalinity being affected also in a defined manner.
As an example, for each 1 mEq/L alkalinity (2.8 dKH) the calcium reactor adds 20ppm calcium. If your tank starts out with 3 mEq/L alkalinity (8.4 dKH) and 320 ppm calcium, and you raise the alkalinity to 4 mEq (11.2 dKH) using the calcium reactor, then the calcium level will only increase to 340 ppm!
Natural seawater at 35 ppt salinity typically has around 2.5 mEq/L alkalinity (7 dKH) and a calcium level of 410 ppm, but I personally aim for around 3 mEq/L alkalinity (8.4 dKH) and 420 ppm calcium, and many others prefer even higher levels. Once you have decided on the levels, it is a useful idea to map where the calcium and alkalinity levels are (Bingman 1998) and then perform any corrections needed to get them back on target.
If the calcium level needs boosting, then I recommend using an additive such as calcium chloride. One gram of an anhydrous calcium chloride product (such as Turbo Calcium) will raise the calcium level by 360 ppm in 1 litre of water (95 ppm in 1 gallon of water).
If the alkalinity level needs boosting, then sodium bicarbonate can be used. One gram will raise the alkalinity by 12 mEq/L (34 dKH) in 1 litre of water (3.2 mEq/L (9 dKH) in 1 gallon of water).
In both cases, I recommend making changes slowly, rather than adding them all at once.
It is also worth noting that you may have difficulty achieving natural calcium and alkalinity levels if your salinity is less than natural seawater (35ppt) (Holmes-Farley 1998) or if you have a deficiency in magnesium (Bingman 1999, Holmes-Farley 2001). A solution to magnesium depletion, used by some aquarists, is to include a few teaspoons of pure dolomite in the calcium reactor where it can dissolve, adding magnesium to the tank (Bingman 1997).
Conclusion
Too often equipment is not supplied with detailed instructions to guide the new user through the complex maze of fine-tuning a calcium reactor. I hope this article has provided a better understanding of the principles, equipment, and operation of a calcium reactor.
