DIY Ca Reactor, Here I come... IT'S FINISHED!

[maxwellwhothunk]

Ok, so I have a CO2 tank, all the CO2 Fitting, solenoids, regulators etc, either already here, or currently in transit. Over the next coupple of days my bedroom and basement will become a construction zone. I will try to take as many pictures as possible through the entire process. But knowing me... usually I get cought up in the fun of DIY and I forget to take more than like one or two pictures.

I will try my best to remember.

This great investment will help stabilize my tank (auto PH meter) and increase the growth of our favorite algae.. that great colorful stuff ;) And finally I will be better suitable for 'hard' corals.

Has anyone on here taken this plunge before? Any tips or hints? If not thats fine too, I am fairly mechanically inclined.

Well check back on this thread often, I will try to post as much as I can over the next 2-3 weeks or so.

(keep in mind however, I am currently in class again for the winter, so this limits the time I am available, between work and school... I will try to squeeze in as much as possible.)

Also for those of you who are interested in DIY Ca reactors, I guess my build will be fairly identical to this link in particular
http://www.melevsreef.com/dj88.html
http://www.mojosreef.com/CaReactor.html

Enjoy, let me know if I have inspired you to build one yourself.

[maxwellwhothunk]

Hmmm I just typed a huge post, and it turns out I signed out while I was typing it, and so I lost the entire thing, hopefully this one will be as good. So I have learned that lesson for the last time... from now on I will copy all long posts before I submit... Just in case...

Ok, so as of today, I have received 3 important pieces of equipment:
1) Milwaukee MA957 - CO2 Regulator w/solenoid valve and bubble counter (CO2 Regulator (http://plant-aquarium.com/index.html?target=p_824.html&lang=en-us))
2) Milwaukee SMS122 - PH Monitor/Controller (PH Controller (http://aquariumplant.com/cgi-bin/cart/pr209.html))
3) 24' CO2-Proof tubing (from the same site as the CO2 Regulator, it's an option at the bottom)

One of the great things about having this combo is the ability to keep PH levels in check, both ways. If the PH level raises too much the CO2 will begin to bubble in, likewise if it goes too low it will shut off, and just let the reactor media do its job. Another advantage of having a solenoid controlled valve is the added security if there is a power failure, this way the chamber wont fill with CO2.

One thing that I am working out right now is what circulation pump to use. I am leaning towards a Mag3, because of their reliability and ability to use out of the water (ie not submerged). However, looking at the price for one (60.99 on petco) I ask for your help. I am looking for a pump, for like $45 with similar characteristics as the Mag3 (~300 gph). Maybe someone would have one used that they would be willing to sell? Let me know if you do or know someone who does. This is off topic, but I am also thinking about replacing my current pumps (2x RIO 1100's and a RIO Hyperflow - 20HF) with something better and smaller, specifically I want to replace my return pump (the hyperflow) with something better/eternal/more reliable. The RIOs will then be sold, traded, given away, or used in a live rock curing tank. If you have any suggestions on what pumps I should consider I am all ears (maybe this might require a different post).

Sadly, I didn't realize today was already Friday, the local plastic shop (PCI Design of Milwaukee PCI Design (http://www.google.com/local?hl=en&lr=&q=pci+plastics&near=Milwaukee,+WI&latlng=43038889,-87906389,6460389613174998181)) takes about a day to process orders, even on small ones like this, and I forgot to make mine on time. I will order the acrylic on wed. so the build will have to wait until next weekend (January 13th-16th) but this will give me Memorial day as a benefit, and besides I would like to have the pump etc, here ready when I have the acrylic. (I suggest you go with PCI if you live anywhere near here, they have very good prices, and they dont charge that much for cuts)

Another reason for not building anything yet is because (like I mentioned) I would rather have all the material (pump specifically) mainly because I want to find a way to make it so the entire design will use up much less space (a smaller footprint, the height might be a bit bigger however). This streamlining will make the Ca Reactor look better under my tank, and besides its already cluttered as it is.

If you have any questions or comments let me know and if you know of any deals on pumps or anything let me know.

Ok after about 3 hours writing this post it is time to post about the new livestock I got, too bad I put off taking pictures until after this post, and now the lights are already off.

[maxwellwhothunk]

Sorry I guess I should mention I got the CO2 tank (15 Lbs) for under $100 from www.beveragefactory.com

[jman785]

Max,

Please post your dimensions that Darren was using and your complete journey thru this process...as Darren's calcium reactor plans are fairly hard to understand for the novice...and you have to find them in bits and pieces throughout the post...if I remember.

[maxwellwhothunk]

You are absolutly correct, it is hard to get through all of his information to find specific information, I have not yet decided on all of the dimensions as of yet. Like I said I am going to wait until I get a better understanding of all of the other equipment, namely the pump, as I would like to incorporate the pump so it doesn't stick out as far as Darren's does. I have also been debating whether or not I should add a third chamber, which wouldn't be a part of the Ca Reactor cycle, but rather completely isolated (separate pump etc), for Phosban media, this way I will not have to buy another piece of equipment. An added plus to this route would be the space I save (cylinders consume space like crazy, I would much prefer square equipment). However this idea is still being tossed around.

Any suggestions?

[segen77]

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=27407;category_id=3855;pcid 1=2181;pcid2=

You can get the mag 3 pump for under $40

I use this site all the time for most of my purchases.

[maxwellwhothunk]

Thanks for letting me know, I also found it for about $40 on www.yourreef.com I will find out who has better shipping prices etc., then make a final decision.
Thanks again for the heads up.

Is there anything against running a Maxi-Jet in line rather than submersed? Because then for the cost, and size I would much rather run a Maxi-Jet. However I am not too familiar with these, the only one I had was with a skimmer, one that I gave away.

Also what --from your experience-- is the best place to get joh guest fittings? There are many retailers of them when I look online.

Your input is appreciated.

[maxwellwhothunk]

As for another off topic post, I finally, after a year and a half of suffering, installed a Duroso Standpipe! Ahhh now I only have the gentle hum of my skimmer/return pump, and the slight cascading water sound from the water returning to the sump... NO MORE SLURPS! At what cost? 6" of 1"PVC (maybe $0.40) and two 90 degree elbows @ $0.34 each. I should have done it sooner!

[maxwellwhothunk]

So I made a preliminary drawing as to what I think I am going to do with this design. Let me know what you think.

http://www.mliptack.com/ca-reactor.jpg

Hopefully it is self explanitory, but if you need any clarification let me know.

I plan on still using a Mini Jet, even though I will be using the actual pump to draw some water in.

Do you think the anti-venturi design will be a worth while approach? My reason for X-ing it is because I want to conserve as much space as possible. Please let me know your experiences/thoughts/educated opinions.

Sometimes when you spend hours on developing something like this you tend to overlook even the most simple of problems. Anybody see something dumb I overlooked?

TIA

[segen77]

Max,

I'm not sure if the maxi jet would work or not. I would think that the only thing really keeping it from working, is how far the water would need to travel to get into the pump. Unfortunately this project is exceeding my level of expertise. I'll keep an eye on it though, and chime in when I can.

[maxwellwhothunk]

Sorry I dont think I understand what you mean. The Maxi-Jet would be used just to circulate the water through the actual chamber holding the media, not actually doing the work of sucking water from my tank (thats what the Mini-Jet will be used for). However the Maxi Jet will be used to suck the recirculated CO2. But I am positive that this method will work, as this is how my overflow is set up so the siphon wont break.

At the right end of my tank I have the overflow, when air bubbles get trapped in the top of it, the hose which is used for evacuating the air out of the overflow to start the siphon, is actually attached to the intake of a powerhead used for circulation. This sucks the air bubbles out of the overflow. Although I hate the placement as I have it now, since the micro bubbles flow into my display :???: needless to say, the system works, its just not favorable in my opinion, at some point I will add the airline into the intake of some filtration pump in my sump, thus keeping micro bubbles out of the display... someday... someday...

[segen77]

I gotcha. I didn't realize how the maxi jet was being used. Sounds like you've got things under control. I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

[maxwellwhothunk]

I really appreciate it, as its always nice to double check my work by explaining it out again. This way I can really dive into a project and expect better results, with less actual build time.

Thanks again.

And yes of course I will make sure I let everyone know the progress.

As a matter of fact I have a few updates to share. I bought some of the John Guest type fittings today. They actually sell them at Home Depot in the plumbing section with the Barcode # (I think same as the SKU):
0 48643 20118 7

There is also another code above the barcode:
PL-3005

They are in a pink and white plastic package, the pink color denotes it being a 1/4" fitting and they were about 2$ a piece. Buying them online is cheaper in multiple quantities, at other stores, but then shipping costs would outweigh those benefits, in small quantities (4 in my case).

I also purchased a 16oz. can of Weld-On #3 and an applicator, for about $20 including shipping (not too happy about this price, but it wont all be used for just this project, so over time, it will even out).

At the end of the project I will try my best to tell you how much I paid for everything, it will also serve as a materials list.

[maxwellwhothunk]

So I do believe that I will be going with the Maxi-Jet 1200, however, I will probably seal the impeller protecting cover with silicone, just because it seems like it would leak easily.

I have made some improvements to the design. Sorry, but my acrylic order will take longer than I thought, I will have it on tuesday. So yet another delay in my build, don't worry I will post pictures when I do build it, I didnt forget.

Stay tuned.

[maxwellwhothunk]

Updated Design...

It is fairly self explanitory, however I will be around if you have any questions, I will be getting the acrylic today (its 1am now, so around 10am or so) it is about 80% precut, assembly should begin around 4pm or a bit later. Hopefully I will have preliminary pictures posted by tomorrow night.

Whole Page

http://www.coralforum.com/album_pic.php?pic_id=265
http://www.coralforum.com/album_pic.php?pic_id=265

Side View

http://www.coralforum.com/album_pic.php?pic_id=266
http://www.coralforum.com/album_pic.php?pic_id=266

Top View

http://www.coralforum.com/album_pic.php?pic_id=267
http://www.coralforum.com/album_pic.php?pic_id=267

"Other Side View???" aka Front view

http://www.coralforum.com/album_pic.php?pic_id=268
http://www.coralforum.com/album_pic.php?pic_id=268

Notes

http://www.coralforum.com/album_pic.php?pic_id=269
http://www.coralforum.com/album_pic.php?pic_id=269

The notes are just to explain why I changed things, and what it is that I changed, if you look the notes are numbered and correspond to a number in the pictures. If you would like a larger photo or just a close up of a certain spot please ask, I can get one for you.

Hopefully it is fairly self explanitory, it should all begin to make more sense once I start posting photos of the actual build.

Thats all for now,

[maxwellwhothunk]

hmmm strange, the image tags dont work... if you just copy and paste those urls --minus the and tags-- into your browser it will take you to the image. Or just look in my album (there is a link to it under my signature).

EDIT: I tried to get those tags to work, but they were being stubborn, I left them there in case they do decide to work, however, I also added a link beneath each one, if you click it, it will just bring you to the URL.

[maxwellwhothunk]

LOL great news everyone, I just called PCI Group and my Acrylic is ready to pick up. I will get it around 4, then start the build soon after.

If anyone else decides to go through them to buy pieces, then call ex.112 for the sales man "John" hes a great guy. He just said than instead of charging me for scraps he will decide if its "worth a 6-pack or a 12-pack."

Ahh Wisconsin, bartering with beer :chuggin: now to ask my 22 year old brother to do me a favor.... :roflmao:

[maxwellwhothunk]

Ok, so I got quite a bit of work done, but I am stalled in the process again now... its 1:30am and I really wish there was a 24 hour Home Depot around here...

I am the type of person who likes to finish something right when its started... but... I am going to head off to bed.

I will try to post the pictures tomorrow. Sorry for yet another delay! :roll:

[FishinInTheDark]

Ahh Wisconsin, bartering with beer :chuggin: now to ask my 22 year old brother to do me a favor.... :roflmao:

Too funny! Sounds like you're off to a great start too.

[Sugar Magnolia]

<---waits patiently to see the finished product. 8)

[maxwellwhothunk]

Sorry, but one thing I overlooked was the size of the inputs and outputs on the Maxi-Jet series, if they are made for inline use then there must be an adaptor kit out there somewhere, I might put a RIO 1100 in instead, this will solve my size issues. I will deal with all of this once I get back from class. I need a bit of time to step away from all of the madness and take a breath... ;)

I am uploading a few pictures that I took from building it last night, I will post and add subtitles later.

In the mean time you can check my album for the pictures.

[maxwellwhothunk]

I got the majority of the Acrylic welded together, just had to leave a piece off so I can drill in a tight spot tomorrow. I will start and hopefully finish all the plumbing tomorrow. If its not complete and running tomorrow, I am sure it will be on friday.

Here are some Weld-On tips:
1) Place the pieces together and let them rest together, then apply a bead of Weld-On to the surface, it should quickly be pulled into the crack. Do NOT squeeze the acrylic together, unless you plan on holding it for the next 2-3 minutes. If you do squeeze it, you will end up with a bad seam, that is full of bubbles and will likely leak.
2) Make sure all of the acrylic is cut with a nice even cut. Let the pro's do it! It's worth the few extra $
3) Go with the thickest suitable Weld-On product for the job. I went with Weld-On 3, which is very thin.
4) If the majority of the job requires a thin Weld-On, but you have a few wide seams that need to be joined, you can do a variety of things. First you can get acrylic shavings and put them into a mixture with Weld-On and let it dissolve. Or you can use styrofoam packing peanuts dissolved in a small ammount of Weld-On.
5) Tack down one corner, then move to another corner, then go to the center. Once all of that is dried and in the correct placement, finish up the entire seam.

Thats about it for now... Ahhhhhhh.... this project is taking a toll on me... :) its bed time.

[maxwellwhothunk]

Sorry I lied, I just realized that I have to work from 4pm-10ish pm today... so my guess is that I will have to do a majority of the work friday, and hopefully this weekend have an up and running Ca Reactor!

Goodnight everyone!

[maxwellwhothunk]

Well GREAT news gang... its about 99% complete!

And I have a ton of pictures!

[maxwellwhothunk]

This was my first failed attempt at posting pictures.... its been deleted now... Look down.

[maxwellwhothunk]

Hmmm still doesn't work. Well check my Album for those pictures, I dont want to go through and add them all as attachments... that takes forever...

[maxwellwhothunk]

[web:e15fd62918]http://mliptack.com/careact.htm[/web:e15fd62918]

[maxwellwhothunk]

Ok everyone, I have the Ca Reactor up and running on my tank now, I am about to start testing for everything, I have taken samples of the water right before I added the reactor, so I will see what it was before and what it is now. I have tons of pictures of the ca reactor, and also of my tank, I will post quite a few sometime soon!

I will also get more detailed instructions on building one written up soon. If you are interested in building one, let me know, I will try to get the instructions out earlier if someone specific wants to know how I built mine.

[maxwellwhothunk]

Oh, also to celebrate I bought a Pink Acropora colony from my LFS, its a very beautiful coral, I purchased it already, and it is currenly still in the LFS's display tank. I got it for 79.99, pretty good deal considering the fact that most colonies are much more expensive.

[maxwellwhothunk]

Ok so here are the stats.

Tank Stats:
pH 8.1 going steady
79-80 farenheit
Alk before Ca Reactor 6-7 dkh
Alk after its been running for about 5 hours 7-8dkh

Effluent
~80 Drips per minute (higher than I want it to be, but its touchy)
CO2 8bpm
ph 7.4 (trying to bring it down just a little bit)
Alk ~9dkh

I haven't tested the Ca levels yet... because I cant find my instructions for my test kit :roll: If anybody has the Sera Ca test instructions and could give me the run down... it would be much appreciated. :)

I'l try to update you tommorrow around noonish, I start classes tomorrow, so I cant be around the tank 24/7

[maxwellwhothunk]

BTW I have found that with the regulator that I bought (see link at the begining of the thread) it is better to maintain a PSI between 10 and 20. Otherwise when you try to go lower than 10psi (which is suggested by some) the rate stays steady for about 10 minutes or so, but will slowly begin to decline to very few bpm. Since I upped the PSI to about 15, I have had a much more steady rate.

Oh yeah I forgot to mention before I added the Ca Reactor, the lowest my pH would go is to about 8 and that is right before the display lights came on. I have seen the meter go to 7.9 but this was on one occasion.

I have set my pH monitor to about 7.7-7.8ish so if the tanks ph drops to this level or below it, my CO2 tanks solenoid will shut off, until a higher pH level is reached.

Let me know if you have any questions. I will post some pictures in my album in a few minutes if you want to take a look over there. I will post them on here accordingly when I get some free time.

[maxwellwhothunk]

Starting Sunday night I began turning my Metal Halides on again, I stopped due to the higher energy costs, the large quantity of heat they produce, and also because none of the corals in my tank really needed them. Well if you have read the posts above you know that I bought a pink acropora from my LFS. So I started to use the Metal halides to acustom the other fish/corals to the more intense light.

Well I turned the MH on about 1.5 hours after the PCs turned on (I dont have a timer on them yet, but I will soon). After about 2-3 hours I noticed the pH levels rise to 8.2 then about an hour and a half later to 8.3, I had figured that the algae in the tank, with the extra light, had been converting more CO2 into oxygen, therefore boosting the pH level. The main reason why I started to check the pH is because my colt coral began to close up.

I unplugged the MHs about 2 hours before the PCs turned off, to stop any further pH swings.

In response to this I raised the bubble rate in my Reactor, and decreased the effluent flow. This would give a more acidic effluent helping to bring down the pH in those times. Keep in mind that my CO2 is metered, and if the pH of the tank drops below about 7.7-7.8 the CO2 shuts off in the reactor.

I will keep a close eye on the parameters today and I will keep you updated.

[maxwellwhothunk]

Sorry for all the delays everyone... you must all think I am full of false promises. If you don't know already, school has resumed for me, and my work load is more intense than it was last semester. I will try my best to get some drawings out when I have the time.

My ph Still has some swings from when lights are on and then off... which is what is really making me want to build an auto reverse lighting system for the refuge, which would simply consist of a normally open relay. Of course when I build this I will post the how to do's in the DIY forum.

I also have a few other DIY projects I want to get out of the way... of course these will be posted too. If you are building a Ca Reactor and need any advice, or tips etc. contact me, through PM or AIM or something I will help you out as much as I can.