Questions: My Reef Creations CR-2 Dual

[Batfish]

Just got one of these installed and running. Have a few questions for those that use them:

1) How long does it take effluent pH to stabilize after making changes to the bubble counter? I started with the prescribed "one burst every three seconds" and after 24 hours was only seeing 7.3 pH effluent. I increased to one burst every 2 seconds (30 bpm) and 12 hours later had 7.1 pH. My regulator is right at 10psi and my CO2 bottle is new and full (950 psi). pH is being monitored with a Milwaukee SMS122 set to kill the bubble counter solenoid if the tank pH drops to 7.8. My effluent is running right at 60 ml/min.

2) I have the chamber cap screws very tight, but I still get some minor leaks showing at the tips of the cap screws. Any advise for buttoning this thing up to be watertight?

3) On a 265 gallon tank, how long should it take to see an appreciable change in "coral favorable" conditions? What should I look for in the tank to determine if this reactor is doing its job? What is the preferred calcium level?

4) How do you prefer to top off your evaporation? Since a calc reactor is a closed system for water, you can't introduce new water easily. I have the option of a Kangaroo 224 enteral feeding pump or a kent float valve in the sump. Water will come from a Spectrapure RO capable of 25 GPH.

Thanks very much for any insight.

Mitch

 

[Len]

I usually give the reactor 24 hours before I take the effluent reading. After 24 hours, the changes are minimal IME.

As for the minor leaks, how old is your unit? I've found it sometimes takes a while for the seal to become water tight. I'm not exactly sure why this is .... perhaps something to do with the rubber gasket's properties(?).

The ideal levels to achieve is 400+ppm Ca, pH of 8.1-8.3, and alkanity about 8-12 dkH. It's not uncommon for some or all of these values to deviate from ideal but corals still do well, but those are good figures to look for.

I top off my system with a dosing pump. I have to manually add water to a FW resevoir that feeds the dosing pump, but after a flat valve failure (stuck reed-style float), I feel safer with a dedicated dosing pump.

 

[Batfish]

The unit has only been running for 2 days so it is brand new. I am noticing some of those leaks closing up already.

My tank is right at 8.1 pH. I don't have an alkalinity test at present so can't test DKH. Calcium has been right at 400 ppm for several months even without the reactor.

I was leaning toward the dosing pump also, but can you tell me how you integrated the dosing pump to your FW reservoir and how large that reservoir is? I have some new pump sets, but they only have a 1000 ml bag (hospital IV style) to feed from and won't last a full day even at 50 ml/hr. I figure I need to replace more like 3500-5000 ml/day. So maybe something in the 10-12 gallon range for the reservoir?

Thanks for the reply and the welcome, Len!

Mitch

 

[oimate84]

what reactor media are you using? some media wont dissolve at 7.3ph, its best to get effluent around 6.8ph...as for top off, i use a float switch in my sump and have a powerhead in a nearby FW resovoir...Not the safest thing to do, best to get a doser, but my resevoir is only 10gallons and that wont make a huge drop in salinity if my float gets stuck..

 

[Batfish]

I am using CaribSea Aragonite for my reactor media.

I dropped the effluent flow slightly last evening after the pH bottomed at 7.1. I will recheck it after work today and see if there is any change.

Mitch