can't maintain alkalinity

[marie]

Originally Posted by SuperFudge

Daryll,

Im gonna head out on a limb and disagree with some here.
There is definatly something else wrong, The reactor the size of the one you have will have no problem maintaining alk in a 300g system packed with SPS. Let alone a 120.
Your Reactor is actually an Alkalinity reactor...i dont even know why they call it a ca reactor.

It is much easier to raise alk with the reactor than it is calcium, they both come out of it in certain ratio`s. Alk being the major portion.

Most systems will see their alk top out long before they reach the calcium they wish to see, using a reactor..as is the case with my system.

My alk gets so high, i have temorarily shut the reactor down.
I will hit an alk of high 4`s meq/l long before a Ca of 400 is hit.
This is why many will also use a calcium additive to try and boost Ca without the added alk, this is why i have to run Kalkwasser aswell.
The reverse is true for Kalk, though it adds both aswell.

-What is the Ph Coming out of the reactor ?
- what is the Ca coming out of the reactor ?
- what is the alk coming out of the reactor ?
- what is your current effluent rate ?
- what is your current bubble count ?
-is the recirc pump on the reactor running ?

If we determine a few of these answers, we will find were the problem lies.

Marc.

That's why I think there is some precipitation happening. he could be bumping both levels up so high by adding so much that he is knocking alk out of the solution.
Sometimes it's good to get back to basics, stop running the reactor, bring both calcium and alk back to where they should be and start over slowly with the reactor