3, 2, 1, Start the REACTOR

[Reefmaster]

hey all. FINALLY got the much coveted reactor. we ended up going with a PM 622 from J&L. just wanted to get a feeling from those who have been running reactors about whats happening.
set it up and ran it the first night with no co2. started about a bubble per sec the following night, eff ph 7.3. increased this to about 4 bubbs a sec last night and found the eff ph at 6 and tank ph at 7.8 this am. have now cut back to 1 bub/sec, eff ph 7, tank ph back to 8.1. the question, what bub rate and eff ph are you guys seeing on your reactors. and how long did it take after setup to see some equilibrium? in the meantime we're still dosing calc and dreaming of never having to do it again!

[Acro]

once your alk rises in the main tank your ph will rise also doesn't take much time at all can't remember how long as I have had my reactor running for over 2 years but if my ph drops now I know I need to test alk and it is always when ph is low so I have to increase effleunt or bubbles per min. your tank can handle a ph drop as long as its not to long when dialing in the reactor I have had the ph at 7.3 and no ill effect on the tank but jumps back up fast once the alk has risen just don't let the ph drop to low and really watch the alk later Jamie

[titus]

Hello Reefmaster,

I'm sure you are referring to bubble per minute, right? Afterall, 4bps = 240bpm!

I'd say each setup would have a different tune it time, depending on the system and the experience of the user. Further, it also depends on how fine the needle valve you have as well. Sometimes dpm and bpm change over time at the initial setup.

Yes your tank pH may dip at the beginning. However, once your dkH is up, your pH would stabilize.

BTW, how much you paid for it?

Titus

[Reefmaster]

hey titus.
the setup instructions with the PM622 state 1-4 bubs per second. yup, 60 to 240 bpm. it is a big reactor and there is a substantial draw on our system. presently 75bpm with ph7.0 effluent. can those who have reactors just post the co2 rates for comparison? bottom line is cal/alk are headed where they're supposed to be, just using alot of co2 to get there.

got the unit from j&l, $739 for reactor, plus reg/valve etc which we got a good price on. bought a 15lb bottle here for $100! gotta like that!

[titus]

Hello Reefmaster,

In any event if your system is stabilizing to the pH = 7.0 point, then it's good. However, using 75 bpm is indeed quite a bit of bubbles. What's your dpm?

And $739 um.... maybe a hint that I should charge a lot more for my reactors in the future. images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

Titus

[Reefmaster]

hi titus
ya $740 is a pile of dough. too bad you weren't still building your units or we would have considered buying one of them (as we posted back in september images/smiles/icon_smile.gif ) i don't have any others to compare to, but i have to say this unit seems well built. i'm not sure i understand why you shut down canreef, if you don't mind me asking, why not just hire someone to manage production while you complete your thesis? shane

[titus]

Hey Reefmaster,

Well if I hired someone earlier on while I was still involved, it's much easier for transfering the operation of the business. However, I have been the only one doing it the entire time so....

Titus