CalcFeeder Basic/Pro - latest generation calcium reactor

[wishntoboutside]

sponge goes under the media. fill the media a little below where water fils into the degassing chamber. the plate on the top of the media will help any blow thru of media to prevent it going into the intake of the pump in the long haul of things. The mag stuff goes on top of the media. not sure what that part is. sorry I can not help more.

[mrtint]

So
-Stand (that raises media off bottom)
-sponge
-reborn media
-re mag
-black plate
-lid

Do you use remag in degassing chamber? I only ask because that chamber is used to absorb extra co2 to raise PH so it really doesn't break down cause PH probably isn't low enough to break down media like in main chamber


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[Johnseye]

Originally Posted by mrtint

Question on filling AC-1 chamber and degassing chamber

So the bioball chamber has a black perforated plate that sits on top of bioballs
The AC-1 and degassing chamber have the spacer plate...... then black perforated plate and sponge.
My question. Do you just put medias on top of all this or does the perforated plate or sponge go on top of media?
Also how high do I fill chamber?
Last....I'm using remag and reborn media. Do I put the remag in degassing chamber also?


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Perforated diffusion plate goes on top of bio balls in gas chamber. It should be below the output tube from the reactor. What I found was the the plate floats up so you'll need to tie it down somehow. I used a zip tie. I then found that water couldn't flow through the plate fast enough so it collected above it. I was just instructed to remove the plate to increase flow as my PH can't stay low enough.

I originally use remag and reborn. I was told to use ARM as it has a lower dissolving point and has been verified to work. Not sure if that matters once the PH is stable and low enough.

No point in putting remag in the degassing chamber. Keep it in the reactor.

Fill the reactor to just below the output tube to the gas chamber. Fill the degassing chamber as high as you want I guess.

[mrtint]

Does anyone know what pressure you run on the low pressure side of your regulator? Here is why I ask

I can't seem to get the CO2 to drop below the optical eye. I can only get it lower by turning up the pressure on the low side. I am currently at 13lbs. Am I missing something. I thought maybe there was a leak (either water or air) but I can't seem to find one. I currently have regulator set at 4 bubbles a sec and 13lbs. So it's a lot of CO2 that should fill quickly. I had planned on turning bubble count down after it filled correctly
I also have CO2 reflow valve closed


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[mrtint]

Does anyone know what pressure you run on the low pressure side of your regulator? Here is why I ask

I can't seem to get the CO2 to drop below the optical eye. I can only get it lower by turning up the pressure on the low side. I am currently at 13lbs. Am I missing something. I thought maybe there was a leak (either water or air) but I can't seem to find one. I currently have regulator set at 4 bubbles a sec and 13lbs. So it's a lot of CO2 that should fill quickly. I had planned on turning bubble count down after it filled correctly

I also have CO2 reflow valve closed




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[Przemek_PacSun]

If you have latest firmware on your CalcFeeder PRO controller you can set 1-2 bubbles/second and turn off CO2 alarm on device. It hard do say about pressure, it should be automatically adjusted when you set gas flow(more bubbles per second = higher low side pressure).
Please remember, that before water in mixing chamber will saturate in first hours gas dissolve quickly so please set flow thru reactor at lowest possible rate(like 100ml/h).
In other way - you will not be able to saturate water inside reactor with proper amount of carbon dioxide - and pH in effluent will be too high.
You can even stop(pause) pump till your mixing chamber will be filled with carbon dioxide and water level will drop to requested by sensor level.

[mrtint]

Originally Posted by Przemek_PacSun

If you have latest firmware on your CalcFeeder PRO controller you can set 1-2 bubbles/second and turn off CO2 alarm on device. It hard do say about pressure, it should be automatically adjusted when you set gas flow(more bubbles per second = higher low side pressure).
Please remember, that before water in mixing chamber will saturate in first hours gas dissolve quickly so please set flow thru reactor at lowest possible rate(like 100ml/h).
In other way - you will not be able to saturate water inside reactor with proper amount of carbon dioxide - and pH in effluent will be too high.
You can even stop(pause) pump till your mixing chamber will be filled with carbon dioxide and water level will drop to requested by sensor level.

Thank you for that. By turning the CO2 alarm off...... it kept the solenoid open until the chamber filled. Perfect

Another question. Is the solenoid a timed open and close or does it stay open until the optical eye closes it?

I know on the kore 5th ATO you set amount of time that it stays open


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[Przemek_PacSun]

No, it's still open till optical sensor will read gas level.
It works little different than in Sentry ATO/Kore 5th.

[mrtint]

Originally Posted by Przemek_PacSun

No, it's still open till optical sensor will read gas level.
It works little different than in Sentry ATO/Kore 5th.

Thank you

Can you help me solve this one?
I get a CO2 error code every 4-6 hours. PH is holding but the problem (I think) is the gas mixing chamber (black bio ball side) only had about 2" of water in bottom. Seems the solenoid opens when it shouldn't.
I think the water should be just under optical eye and as CO2 is consumed. Water rises above eye which opens solenoid to add CO2

So my guess is optical eye is getting false reading. I am going to re position the bio ball and restart reactor to see if it changes anything. Unless there is something else you recommend


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[mrtint]

Looks like you answered this question back on page 10 for lionfish. I will try those steps and PM lionfish to see exactly what he did. Thanks


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[Przemek_PacSun]

You can also turn off CO2 alarm - it will protect agains that error also.

[mrtint]

Originally Posted by Przemek_PacSun

You can also turn off CO2 alarm - it will protect agains that error also.

It's fixed. Not exactly sure what fixed it. I just went thru set up again. I THINK the first time I did not have the effluent line under water!

Looking forward to getting this thing dialed in. Once I confirm effluent PH is good..... I'll get degassing chamber going.

I went with remote set up. Here it is
IMG_2174.JPGIMG_2176.jpg




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[Przemek_PacSun]

Yes, effluent output under water is MAIN key which can reactor working not properly.
Due dissolving gas in water volume is shrinking - so if output is above the water it start sucking air from outside of reactor (by output tubing) and put air into reactor which take some space instead of carbon dioxide(so pH is rising ).
Reactor looks normal but instead of CO2 there is mix CO2 and air = so it affect pH.

[Johnseye]

Originally Posted by Przemek_PacSun

If you have latest firmware on your CalcFeeder PRO controller you can set 1-2 bubbles/second and turn off CO2 alarm on device. It hard do say about pressure, it should be automatically adjusted when you set gas flow(more bubbles per second = higher low side pressure).
Please remember, that before water in mixing chamber will saturate in first hours gas dissolve quickly so please set flow thru reactor at lowest possible rate(like 100ml/h).
In other way - you will not be able to saturate water inside reactor with proper amount of carbon dioxide - and pH in effluent will be too high.
You can even stop(pause) pump till your mixing chamber will be filled with carbon dioxide and water level will drop to requested by sensor level.

When initially filling the gas chamber that is full with water, setting the co2 regulator to 1-2 bubbles/second doesn't provide enough pressure to push the water down and out. I use a needle valve after the low pressure stage so can dial in my bubble count very precisely. I had to turn it up a bit faster to get the gas chamber to fill, even with the alarm off.

If the controller pump is paused, why would it matter how fast the co2 chamber fills with gas? If the solenoid turns off and on whenever more co2 is needed, wouldn't that control the co2 and make the bubble count irrelevant?

[Przemek_PacSun]

Even if it will be set for less than 1 bubble/second after some time mixing chamber will be filled with gas.
There is no needed any pressure because that carbon dioxide is "sucked" by mixing chamber.
You can see that when solenoid valve is opened( even if step motor is paused) there is effluent outgoing from reactor chamber..
Thats because carbon dioxide is sucked by mixing chamber.
If you will disconnect that tubing (co2) from solenoid and you will left it opened - you will see that reactor start to be filled with air ( the same reason - under pressure effect in mixing chamber).
So any big co2 pressure is not needed.
After initial phase when co2 is dissolving quickly later, when there is too high co2 flow set - after each solenoid valve open water level will drop dramatically low - which can affect main pump(carbon dioxide sucked by pump).
Thats why so important is proper co2 flow set from the beginning.

[Johnseye]

Originally Posted by Przemek_PacSun

Even if it will be set for less than 1 bubble/second after some time mixing chamber will be filled with gas.
There is no needed any pressure because that carbon dioxide is "sucked" by mixing chamber.
You can see that when solenoid valve is opened( even if step motor is paused) there is effluent outgoing from reactor chamber..
Thats because carbon dioxide is sucked by mixing chamber.
If you will disconnect that tubing (co2) from solenoid and you will left it opened - you will see that reactor start to be filled with air ( the same reason - under pressure effect in mixing chamber).
So any big co2 pressure is not needed.
After initial phase when co2 is dissolving quickly later, when there is too high co2 flow set - after each solenoid valve open water level will drop dramatically low - which can affect main pump(carbon dioxide sucked by pump).
Thats why so important is proper co2 flow set from the beginning.

At 1 or 2 bubbles/second I waited a couple hours and it didn't seem like the water level was dropping in the gas chamber. Maybe I wasn't being patient enough. I haven't had a problem with turning up co2 so high that it caused the gas chamber water level to drop so fast that it went below the sensor. The needle valve allows for fine level control.

Do you see any issue with filling the gas chamber quickly with co2, then dialing the pressure back to 1-2 bubbles/second once the gas chamber is filled with co2 to the sensor?

[Przemek_PacSun]

No of course, you can fill up mixing chamber with high rate/flow of CO2 and after filling it - adjust flow to 1/2 bubbles - but please remember about keeping output tubing under water because after first initial adjusting(large amount of co2 dosed into reactor when water is not saturated yet) water volume inside will start shrinking - sucking a lot of air from outside tubing(when it will be under water - it will suck water which not affect proper calcium work).

[lionfish300]

Originally Posted by Johnseye

At 1 or 2 bubbles/second I waited a couple hours and it didn't seem like the water level was dropping in the gas chamber. Maybe I wasn't being patient enough. I haven't had a problem with turning up co2 so high that it caused the gas chamber water level to drop so fast that it went below the sensor. The needle valve allows for fine level control.

Johnseye, I could not wait a few hours to see if water level to go down. So I turn co2 up just like you and once water level dropped I dial back

[wishntoboutside]

I did the same. Blast it full of CO2 then readjusted afterwords. My regulator did not have a bubble counter so I installed one from an older reactor I had. This way I could see the bubble rate. I see my water lever in the chamber a few inches from the bottom to about half way up. The rest CO2.

[lionfish300]

Originally Posted by wishntoboutside

I joined your club this morning. I went to test the aquarium to find water on the flow.. starting looking at things and sure enough water spraying from the controller. silicone tube has long split in it. I have this mounted right above the ballast for my UV. so this could have been really ugly.

I took the screw off the pump to slide out the silicone tubing to see rust on the back of the bearing... not what I needed to see at all.

anyone know where I can buy silicone tubing for this that will last longer then the OEM tubing?

Can someone for PAC SUN chime in on this?

did you already receive your replacement tube? Tomasz told me that they send my out last Monday. Its been a week no show

[wishntoboutside]

hello lionfish.

Have not received it yet and yes been a week and back to manual dosing. I am sure they are on the way and we just have to wait. Hopefully soon there distributors will set up to provide support better as the product grows as well. they are across the pond per say so that does not make it easy for them.

[Przemek_PacSun]

That's product is quite new in NA and after first shipment made to our Distributor which sold completely within few days we shipped next one - also with some spare parts(like tubings which was not expecting by us issue reported by few Customers).
Im sure that within next week when new order should reach our Distributor warehouse all parts/products should have better availability/support.

[robbous]

Originally Posted by lionfish300

did you already receive your replacement tube? Tomasz told me that they send my out last Monday. Its been a week no show

i received my replacement tubing last week, installed it with grease supplied with it onto rollers and started reactor back up shut down 5th kore doser and reactor has been running perfect. Here is a vid of my 500 Gallon Tank. all the coraline is gone from front of tank now.

[robbous]

Here is vid
https://youtu.be/yPHzyMFPr50

[wishntoboutside]

Rob,

you have a beautiful aquarium.