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View Full Version : Low alk since switching to Gen-X reactor media


christyf5
06-11-2007, 05:45 PM
Hey guys,

I was just wondering for those of you that use the larger sized reactor media (http://oceanaquatics.com/store/product/966/Gen-X-Reactor-Media/)if you've had any problems with alk. I've always set my reactor at the same settings (about 60bpm CO2 and a steady drip rate) and my alk has just gone down the toilet since I started using this media at the end of april. I managed to "maintain" an alk level of 7.4 sometime in may but I'd loaned out my test kits for a bit and didn't get a chance to measure again until a couple of weeks ago. My alk had dropped to 5.4. I upped the CO2 and waited a bit before testing again and the alk was at 4.8 the last time I checked it (on the weekend).

I was under the impression that this stuff used less CO2? At this rate if I have to crank up the CO2 any higher I'll be finished the bottle in just a few months (usually lasts about 10 months or so) and have algae up the wazoo no doubt :rolleyes:

I guess in the meantime I'll be going the baking soda routine (whee) or going back to the finer grained stuff. I never had a problem with it before just thought I'd try something new.

Anyway, just wanted peoples thoughts on the stuff.

TIA,
Christy :)

Delphinus
06-11-2007, 07:35 PM
Wow, that sucks .. What pH are people running these things at? I remember the Schuran reactors when they first came out, people were running them at insanely low pH values, like in the 6's or possibly even the 5's. Which means significantly higher CO2 rates obviously but maybe the catch is you can get away with a slower effluent rate. (ie. in the end the same amount. or close to the same amount, of CO2 "escapes" into the tank, so to speak).

Good luck figuring it out! I'd like to know too since I was going to switch to this media once I've finished up my current A.R.M. (old style smaller particles, dang I seem to have a ridiculously large stockpile of it .. apparently I didn't need to "oh I'll just order one more container of A.R.M. to finish up the shipment" quite so much.. :rolleyes: )

Pescador
06-11-2007, 10:20 PM
(about 1bpm CO2 and a steady drip rate)


I was thinking about switching from ARM as well, but just to double check if you meant 1 bp minute or 1bp second. At 1 per minute I'd be saving alot of CO2. :smile:

Has anyone tried Super Calc Gold or Koralith?

christyf5
06-11-2007, 10:22 PM
oops my bad, one per second. I think right now I have it at like 1.5 per second.

someone using the ARM stuff had reported one per minute though. I used to use ARM and I certainly used way more than that!

fishface
06-11-2007, 11:39 PM
sounds very familiar...i try to keep pH around 6.7, any lower and my tank drops too much. i haven't used anything else but if and when this is gone i'll give some other media a shot.

mark
06-12-2007, 10:12 PM
can't contribute (using ARM and if anything my alk goes high) but why's everyone switching from ARM?

zulu_principle
06-12-2007, 10:39 PM
Ill check my systems here that are running the same reactor and same media and get back to you.

As for the schuran reactor, no problems on alk.


Wendell

christyf5
06-12-2007, 10:43 PM
can't contribute (using ARM and if anything my alk goes high) but why's everyone switching from ARM?

For me, it was something new. I'm easily swayed by "ooh new and improved" sometimes. Most likely I was at the LFS and itching to spend my money on something. I do that sometimes :razz:

Delphinus
06-12-2007, 11:31 PM
No way - you too?? Wow I wonder if anyone else is like that too. I thought I was all alone..

marie
06-12-2007, 11:39 PM
For me, it was something new. I'm easily swayed by "ooh new and improved" sometimes. Most likely I was at the LFS and itching to spend my money on something. I do that sometimes :razz:

I'd be the same way if I had an lfs around here to visit :lol:

Jason McK
06-12-2007, 11:51 PM
Hey Christy, What is the PH of your effluent?
I'm having the same problem. I just tossed the jug and forgot to check what the recommended PH of this media was supposed to be?

J

fishface
06-12-2007, 11:59 PM
Hey Christy, What is the PH of your effluent?
I'm having the same problem. I just tossed the jug and forgot to check what the recommended PH of this media was supposed to be?

J
they don't even have a recommendation on the jug...so i run mine at 6.6-6.7 and hope it's working:lol: .

christyf5
06-13-2007, 12:26 AM
I dunno, my pH meter croaked like a week after I got it, stupid POS. Anyway, I'm getting one of those salifert kits, I'm tired of crappy meters and their crappy probes not working. I'll have to test the effluent when I get home. I dunno, maybe I need to turn down the effluent and let the CO2 have a longer visit with the media? Beats me. At this point all I do know I'll be Suzy Homemaker with the baking soda when I get home on Friday :razz:

kari
06-13-2007, 12:36 PM
Suzy,

Are you baking your own cake on Friday?

christyf5
06-13-2007, 02:03 PM
You betcha, nobody else is gonna do it for me :razz:

SuperFudge
06-13-2007, 03:39 PM
I didnt notice a huge difference in parameters after going to larger media, but i liked it because i did notice the dissolving was much more even.
Flow through the reactor was better, and less channeling through the media.

I had switched from the old ARM because i was sick of the mush it made after a month or so, in the base of the reactor.

Caribsea has come out with its version of the larger media, im gonna give that a try...my last try with hagen`s large substrate was a bit of a disaster...i think the barkmulch in there shoulda been a sign not to use it in the first place... :P

Marc.

christyf5
06-13-2007, 03:43 PM
Bwaaha, what are you talking about? The barkmulch helps give it that "peaty" quality and provides fiber for your corals.

Hagen? pfft. you should know better :razz:

As for my own issues (of which there are many but we'll address the alk problem for now :wink: ) theres a chunk of foam in the bottom of the reactor that stops the finer media from flowing through and destroying the pump, I'm going to take that out and replace it with a larger mesh to try to get more flow through the reactor since this media is supposedly designed for a higher flow reactor. Then I'll dial down the drip rate and give the CO2 more time with the media. Hopefully that gets the job done. It sounds good anyways.

SuperFudge
06-13-2007, 03:46 PM
Hagen? pfft. you should know better :razz:



Heh, i bet i coulda grown tulips quite nicley in there tho.

christyf5
06-13-2007, 03:47 PM
And brought a little bit 'o' sunshine to the tank room as well :wink:

Chin_Lee
06-13-2007, 05:30 PM
I used ARM before they came out with the large media but like Marc said, it was mush in a few months and my circulating pump was working like a horse to keep up with the additional head pressure created by the back pressure of the mud. I then switched over to Caribsea Florida Crushed Coral media. The media is 2-5mm and for $33 bucks, it will fill my reactor 3 times. I won't post bubble count specs since each reactor is different to achieve individual's needs. But my efllunet pH was 6.7, Alk level on the effluent was above and beyong what my salifert test kit could register. Output rate of approximately 3 drips/sec.
Unfortunately i hate testing soooooo much that I didn't test the CA level in the effluent even once in the last 6 months :redface:
Just emptied out my reactor last night after 6 months and refilled with same media and I threw in all of my acro skeletons in there at the bottom to recycle. I did have to wash the media out over and over again for about 3-5 minutes before adding it to the reactor. It had lots of fine dust and some "floaties". But I'm still on my first bag i bought at Xmas time and this will last me till next Xmas.

Did I mention how much I hate changing Ca reactor?

Delphinus
06-13-2007, 07:54 PM
Hey Chin - not worried about the substrate leaching phosphate? I'd be interested to see what kind of PO4 the reactor is emitting.

Having said that, I haven't tested my reactor output though because ignorance is bliss!!

Chin_Lee
06-14-2007, 01:49 AM
Hey Chin - not worried about the substrate leaching phosphate? I'd be interested to see what kind of PO4 the reactor is emitting.

Having said that, I haven't tested my reactor output though because ignorance is bliss!!

Currently does any CA media guarantee no leaching of phosphate? Last I read is that ALL calcium media leaches phosphates. If there is "no phosphate" media, I'll switch to that media.
But otherwise, I can't personally see the difference between crushed coral brand A and crushed coral brand B or crushed coral brand C.

I am actually in the planning phase of making a closed loop phoshate remover out of a Phosban reactor for the efluent of a calcium reactor.

Delphinus
06-14-2007, 03:12 AM
No but I thought we're using reactor media over just any old coral gravel because that "reactor media" is intended to have fewer phosphates. I dunno if that's just a marketing gimmick though. But that's why I thought you shouldn't throw things like snail shells in your reactor media and so on.

Maybe that's a valid test for comparing various reactor media brands - see what kind of PO4 they emit.

Doesn't Marc basically have a recirc stage for the effluent going through some phosban? Sounds like a decent idea to me anyhow.