Official: Masterflex Calcium Reactor Setup Thread

[slief]

Originally Posted by naterealbig

Also, is there potential to use a triple-head (w/ adjustable occlusion) for automatic water changes as well as calcium reactor feed all from a single drive, or would this be too complicated?

Thank you,

Nathan

That won't work. The heads spin at the same time and you won't be running a water change 24/7 and the reactor will need a constant slow flow 24/7 so you would need two different pumps.

As for heads for the water change, I would suggest 7518-10. It has stainless rotors and adjustable occlusions. You could go non stainless with a head such as the 7518-60 which also has a stainless head but is made of different plastic. There is also the 7518-00 but I'd go with the 7518-10 if it were me. All those models support a wide range of tubing including LS17. LS17 is the most common and most practical since you can get it from US Plastics via the links in the first page of this thread.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by naterealbig

Also, is there potential to use a triple-head (w/ adjustable occlusion) for automatic water changes as well as calcium reactor feed all from a single drive, or would this be too complicated?

Thank you,

Nathan

Easy. With the many tubing set sizes and flow rates you can find something that will satisfy both. If you want to do this the only downside would be if you needed to stop the AWC for whatever reason your calcium reactor would also lose flow.

I've posted a design somewhere along the way that could remedy this. Instead of shutting down the AWC by stopping flow on the pump you could put Tees in a high point in both suction lines prior to the pump head that are attached to solenoid valves. When closed they would allow the pump to create a vacuum and operate normally. When open they would inject air into the system and a vacuum wouldn't occur. This does add a failure point but as long as you have a conductivity probe I think the risk is minimal.

In the end, I would like to think of this solution as a temporary one while you are waiting on another good deal for another continuous drive. The 3rd head would be transferable to the new pump.

Something else to consider. If you don't want continuous you could always go with a more simple economy drive to do the AWC and just plug it straight into your apex and run it 6 hours a day or there about. They aren't as quiet or adjustable flow. You purchase them with a set RPM. I use them for my ATO pumps, they last a very long time but really shouldn't be used in continuous duty. They are often available on the secondary market at a low cost.

https://www.coleparmer.com/p/masterf...ed-drives/4509

[naterealbig]

1. Absolutely, with a brushless digital you will be able to control the pump easily with the apex. Pretty much all of the digital units would be able to be integrated easily, brushless or not.

2. Yes, it's best that one of your heads have adjustable occlusion to balance the heads. I've found along with that it is best to make equal length tubing runs with a larger diameter tube to reduce losses from the tube.

3. Occlusion refers to the "pinch" of the tube. In the easy-load category of pump heads you can get them with adjustable occlusion. The heads are very precise to begin with but with most manufacturing there are tolerances. Having one head with adjustable occlusion would allow you to flow test the heads and make sure they are identical. It may not however be necessary or you may chose to go with a standard type head.

Thank you! I would assume that the tighter the "pinch" the more flow I would get and conversely, looser would mean less flow?

Here is the product page for easy loads.
https://www.coleparmer.com/p/masterf...?Ntt=easy+load

Thank you, just got done brushing up....

-Please use a conductivity probe on your controller and lock out the water change system if the salinity goes out of norm.

-Replace the tubing more frequently than necessary. Even though tubing sets can last years, I recommend replacing quarterly. For an auto water change setup I would recommend you do it monthly. It only takes a few minutes to keep them clean and fresh.

-Have a low float switch in your reservoir that will deactivate the system should you run low on water change water. Things happen so it is nice to have a reminder.

-Place a water leak rope or sensor at the base of the pump heads to alert you if you have a rupture. While unlikely, I feel it is better safe than sorry on a system like this.

-Aim for stainless roller heads, they tend to last longer and have tighter tolerances. When you get them replace the front and rear bearings, they're cheap and readily available.

Check, check, check, check, and check. Great idea on the leak detector directly below the pump head! I definitely would have missed this in my planning!

[naterealbig]

Originally Posted by slief

That won't work. The heads spin at the same time and you won't be running a water change 24/7 and the reactor will need a constant slow flow 24/7 so you would need two different pumps.

Hi Scott! Thank you for feedback here. My thought was using Easy Load heads, so I could use smaller diameter tubing for the water change to get different volumetric flow rates (for the reactor vs AWC system). Additionally, I was thinking adjustable occlusions heads would allow me to fine tune here. Is this not possible?

Also, why would I not want to just do a continuous water change (that ran 24/7)?

Originally Posted by slief

As for heads for the water change, I would suggest 7518-10. It has stainless rotors and adjustable occlusions. You could go non stainless with a head such as the 7518-60 which also has a stainless head but is made of different plastic. There is also the 7518-00 but I'd go with the 7518-10 if it were me. All those models support a wide range of tubing including LS17. LS17 is the most common and most practical since you can get it from US Plastics via the links in the first page of this thread.

When I looked up the 7518-60 and 7518-10, the Cole Parmer site is telling me that these have "fixed occlusions". I'm not completely up to speed on the nomenclature - what am I missing here?

Thank you again for your reply and recommendations! My new setup is going to be bullet proof, and this pump(s) will have a huge impact.

[slief]

Originally Posted by naterealbig

Hi Scott! Thank you for feedback here. My thought was using Easy Load heads, so I could use smaller diameter tubing for the water change to get different volumetric flow rates (for the reactor vs AWC system). Additionally, I was thinking adjustable occlusions heads would allow me to fine tune here. Is this not possible?

Also, why would I not want to just do a continuous water change (that ran 24/7)?




When I looked up the 7518-60 and 7518-10, the Cole Parmer site is telling me that these have "fixed occlusions". I'm not completely up to speed on the nomenclature - what am I missing here?

Thank you again for your reply and recommendations! My new setup is going to be bullet proof, and this pump(s) will have a huge impact.

For AWC, not sure how much you want to change out but running the AWC 24/7 doesn't make a lot of sense unless you have a painfully slow pump or a massive system. You'd be better served getting a cheaper motor for that and just running two heads and have a dedicated calcium reactor pump so you can fine tune the calcium reactor flow rates without being tied to the AWC.

[naterealbig]

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

In the end, I would like to think of this solution as a temporary one while you are waiting on another good deal for another continuous drive. The 3rd head would be transferable to the new pump.

Ok, looks like you and Scott are aligned on the fact that there should be separate drives for the two processes. I'll put 2 on the wish list, as I haven't made the purchase yet.

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

Something else to consider. If you don't want continuous you could always go with a more simple economy drive to do the AWC and just plug it straight into your apex and run it 6 hours a day or there about. They aren't as quiet or adjustable flow. You purchase them with a set RPM. I use them for my ATO pumps, they last a very long time but really shouldn't be used in continuous duty. They are often available on the secondary market at a low cost.

https://www.coleparmer.com/p/masterf...ed-drives/4509

This actually sounds like a great idea. I could run the pump at night, so the noise doesn't get me. I will check out the link. Is there a mechanical limitation to these running continuously, or is just the noise a detractor.

[naterealbig]

Originally Posted by slief

For AWC, not sure how much you want to change out but running the AWC 24/7 doesn't make a lot of sense unless you have a painfully slow pump or a massive system. You'd be better served getting a cheaper motor for that and just running two heads and have a dedicated calcium reactor pump so you can fine tune the calcium reactor flow rates without being tied to the AWC.

This makes complete sense, and I will definitely go with your (and Racer's) recommendation for a dedicated pump. This one perhaps can run at night so the noise doesn't bother me.

Thank you so much for your help with this.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by naterealbig

Thank you! I would assume that the tighter the "pinch" the more flow I would get and conversely, looser would mean less flow?

You're welcome!

The flow rate varies with pump tube diameter. Adjustable occlusion just means you can match the heads pinch on the tube. If one head pinches less than the other back pressure may cause it not to flow the exact same amount. In the end, I don't think it's absolutely necessary. You'll want to balance the head pressure by tube lengths. Since I had an uneven run I had 25ft of tube coiled up on one side to make the runs even length. Worked great. The pumps push water better than pull so if your pump isn't exactly in the middle you will need to toy with tubing length a bit. Using larger diameter (3/8 vs 1/4) poly tubing to the pump makes a big difference here. Hope that makes sense.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by naterealbig

This actually sounds like a great idea. I could run the pump at night, so the noise doesn't get me. I will check out the link. Is there a mechanical limitation to these running continuously, or is just the noise a detractor.

There isn't a mechanical reason that I am aware of but I don't think cole-parmer rates them for continuous duty. That said my oldest one has been in my possession for around 9 years and I took it out of the trash after another reefer (my boss when I worked for Aquatic Art) tossed it for fear it was reaching end of life. It's probably been running as an ATO pump for close to 15 or 16 years.

[hkgar]

Personally I would keep all 3 functions separate. At least that is what I do. I use one Masterfflex for ATO and one for Calcium reactor. (90 ml/min) I use the Apex Dos pumps for the AWC

[IUfan]

Thank god for Apex and there Advanced Leak Detectors. Just had a regretful email notification to tell me I had a leak in the Calcium Station (where the CA reactor and CP reside), everything did what it was supposed to and turned off, checked and was expecting a leak on the CA reactor only to find the silicon tubing (the bit that’s being rolled) had split, ran this setup for a few years now and never had tubing split like this, and it was only 2 months old.

Anyway:

1. Did I just get unlucky or is there an issue with the pump head?

2. When the pump heads get old do they damage the tubing more? Time for a replacement head?

3 Am I supposed to lubricator the rollers?


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[hkgar]

Originally Posted by IUfan

Thank god for Apex and there Advanced Leak Detectors. Just had a regretful email notification to tell me I had a leak in the Calcium Station (where the CA reactor and CP reside), everything did what it was supposed to and turned off, checked and was expecting a leak on the CA reactor only to find the silicon tubing (the bit that’s being rolled) had split, ran this setup for a few years now and never had tubing split like this, and it was only 2 months old.

Anyway:

1. Did I just get unlucky or is there an issue with the pump head? Possible pump head issue. What tubing are you using? the recommended tubing should last 5000 hours.

2. When the pump heads get old do they damage the tubing more? Time for a replacement head? Check the rollers for bad pots and also the interior of the head.

3 Am I supposed to lubricator the rollers? I would say no, the rollers do not need to be lubricated.


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[IUfan]

Using the Tygon LS17 pharmed tubing, what is recommended in the first post.

I left the unit off, so will check them this weekend more closely. May just spend some money and buy a new pump head


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[tkeracer619]

Check the reactor for clogs, it can split like that if the system is building too much pressure.

You can use penetrating grease (not wd40 but an actual penetrating grease) to lube the rollers. Cole-Parmer doesn't actually recommend lube though.

Check for bearing wear. It was likely a fluke.

[IUfan]

I’m currently using a 7518-00 pump head, the newer model is 7516-00, if the 7518 works with my pump, will the 7516 work also?


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[hkgar]

It is not a question of working with the pump, it is a question of working with the LS-17 tubing. Both pumps will work wit the tubing.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by IUfan

I’m currently using a 7518-00 pump head, the newer model is 7516-00, if the 7518 works with my pump, will the 7516 work also?


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Yes, they are both precision tubing compatible and wkll work with your drive. You should look fot a stainless rotor head though.

[IUfan]

Is there any way to identify a pump head with a stainless rotor head?


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[slief]

Originally Posted by IUfan

Is there any way to identify a pump head with a stainless rotor head?


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Yea, by the model/part number. The 7518-10 has stainless rotors. If you look the model number up on the Cole Parmer site, the Specification table tells you what the rotor material is.
7518-10
https://www.coleparmer.com/i/masterf...-rotor/0751810

7516-00
In the case of the 7516-00 as well as the 7518-00, they both use cold rolled steel rotors.
https://www.coleparmer.com/i/masterf...chterm=7516-00

7518-00
https://www.coleparmer.com/i/masterf...chterm=7518-00

[hkgar]

I recently switched from a Reef Octopus reactor to an Aquamax3. I use a Cole Parmer 7523-80 with a 7518-00 head and an Aquarium Plants regulator. My flow rate is 90ml/min. What is the drawback to colled rolled steel rollers?

With the Reef Octopus the reactor ph held very steady but with the Aquamax the ph continuous swings. Not much but a variance of .03-.04 (see attached graph).

The other change was from using ARM media to now a combination of Arm and Newborn.

I know the variance is small but I think it is making more difficult to maintain my tank dKH.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by hkgar

What is the drawback to colled rolled steel rollers?

Just built a little better and survives in our environment better. I wouldn't go out and buy a SS version if I already had a CRS version. Just if you're shopping for a new head...

Originally Posted by hkgar

With the Reef Octopus the reactor ph held very steady but with the Aquamax the ph continuous swings. Not much but a variance of .03-.04 (see attached graph).

The other change was from using ARM media to now a combination of Arm and Newborn.

I know the variance is small but I think it is making more difficult to maintain my tank dKH.

If I had to guess it would be the way that reactor injects and recirculates co2.

[Nanook]

I’ve got a GEO 8x18 that has the JG fittings and it’s currently just circulating saltwater through it without CO2. For the extremely unhandy folks, can you point me to a diagram of how to hook up the masterflex pump? Any recommendations for the masterflex pump these days? Thanks

[zachtos]

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

The pump is easy to hook up, you would just need a 0-10v dc source.

You bridge the start circuit and put the dc signal to the pump. No other connections are necessary unless you want control over that feature. Simply supplying a 0v signal will stop the drive.

Has anyone actually tried this? I'm an electrical engineer (mostly design prototypes), and I could get this working no problem. I just bought an APEX and will be planning to find a way to control this with the 0-10V signal... so when the TRIDENT CA/ALK monitor arrives, I can remotely control my calc/alk, as I'm not interested in going back to 2 part dosing again.



*Also, in the user manual, it says I can control it with RS232 / Serial, so easily could be controlled with an Arduino for home users. Full control could then be granted, giving you access to see the motor speed/direction, change speed/direction, start/stop, prime. But for most of our usage needs, I think adding the 0-10V from the apex to throttle up/down will be enough.

APEX could only send 0-10V for speed. You can set in device to make 0V = 0ml/minute and 10V to = X ml/min, so you can choose max flow to be 100ml/min for instance, if you wanted to limit max speed via remote control.

[zachtos]

Originally Posted by slief

Funny you mention the 0-10v signal. I was reading up on the remote interface and saw mention of 0-10v control. My first thought was that one could connect it to an Apex. I looked at the diagram for the 15 pin connector and noted that pin 1 is the +10v and pin 3 is the ground. That said, my guess is that you would need more than just the 0-10v control in remote mode. It has a start/stop signal, a forward/reverse signal, Prime signal that would all need to be communicated some how. Still would be interesting to be able to control the RPM via a controller based on tank ph, reactor ph or other variables.

Also note, if someone wants to test for me, let me know. I won't have my unit for a few weeks, but will integrate when arrival.

The manual says STOP/START , DIRECTONCW/CCW, PRIM via contact closure... so I THINK that means if you short the +/- terminal for START/STOP, then the motor will START in shorted, and STOP if opened... same for prime, same for direction... that can be done with a paperclip or solder on the back of your connector... Someone let me know, this is easy to test. Put 10V on the 10V pins, then short the start/stop pins and it should go. You need to download the manual and read how to get into remote control mode.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by zachtos

Has anyone actually tried this?

APEX could only send 0-10V for speed. You can set in device to make 0V = 0ml/minute and 10V to = X ml/min, so you can choose max flow to be 100ml/min for instance, if you wanted to limit max speed via remote control.

Yes, I had a controller that I bought a long time ago that had some keypad damage for $10. I was able to operate it with a potentiometer. I dropped it a while back and it let the smoke out.

Setting the max ml/min in the controller is smart.