Calcium Reactor Setup Help

Calcium Reactor Setup Help Version 1.05.© Best Viewed at 1024 x 768 resolution

Home	Chemistry Calculator

This page will help to estimate the required Effluent Flow and Alkalinity for a Calcium Reactor
to match the aquarium Alkalinity consumption when under either of the following scenarios:

1. Installing a new reactor to replace a previous method of Alkalinity supplementation.
2. Adjusting an existing reactor without any other method of supplementation.
3. Adjusting an existing reactor when an additional method of supplementation is in use.

WARNING:
You should be very careful about the kinds of products or chemicals put into your aquarium.
Many of these chemicals require keen knowledge of how they interact with your aquarium and saltwater.
All of the products presented should be used with full knowledge of their capabilities and limitations.
If you don't know what a product does, don't use it.
Although every effort has been made to obtain accurate results we can not assume responsibility for any problem related to the use of this calculator.

1. Replace a Supplement	2. Adjust the Reactor
Usage Notes: This part of the calculator will help to adjust a new Calcium reactor to match the addition of alkalinity provided by the supplement being used previous to the installation of the reactor. When installing your new reactor, the amount of alkalinity added is dependent on the effluent flow and the effluent alkalinity, you can increase the amount of alkalinity being added by: a) Increasing the effluent alkalinity maintaining the effluent flow constant. b) Increase the effluent flow maintaining the effluent alkalinity constant. c) Increase Both Effluent Flow and Effluent Alkalinity Because there are physical limits to either selection it is recommended to make adjustments alternating between the (a) and (b) methods until either the tank's alkalinity consumption is matched or one of the methods has achieved it's maximum limit. Increasing the Effluent Alkalinity: For a given flow, the effluent alkalinity can be increased by increasing the amount of CO2 added thus lowering the effluent's PH. The limit will be achieved when the PH has reached it's minimum (about 6.3 to 6.5). The maximum alkalinity achievable seems to have a limit of about 34 to 35 dKH. Note that if the required Alkalinity needed to match the consumption is above 35 dKh, the calculator will indicate an "Over the Limit" condition. Increasing the Flow: When increasing the effluent flow, the effluent alkalinity will tend to drop and this will be reflected by a drop in the effluent's PH. To return alkalinity to the level previous to the flow adjustment, you will need to also increase the amount of CO2 being added until the PH (and as a result the effluent Alkalinity) has reached it's previous level. Flow reductions will require reduction in CO2 addition to keep the effluent Alkalinity constant. The maximum possible flow will be achieved at the point were there is not enough water residency time inside the reactor to properly dissolve the media. At this point the effluent alkalinity will drop with any added increase in flow despite maintaining the minimum effluent PH (est. at 6.5). This flow limit is very dependant on the size of the reactor. Most commercial reactors for home aquariums seem to reach this limit between 100 to 150 ml/min. The calculator will indicate "Over the Limit" if more than 150 ml/min of effluent flow is required. To use the calculator properly you need to know the average amount of the supplement being used on a daily basis to maintain constant alkalinity in your tank previous to the installation of the reactor. Set up your reactor as per the manufacturer instructions and adjust it to obtain an stable flow and effluent alkalinity. Give enough time for the reactor to stabilize. In new setups you may notice that flow tends to drop after a couple of hours of being set up, keep adjusting the flow until it does not have significant fluctuations. The tank alkalinity level is not important at this point and also Calcium level shall be disregarded although it is a good idea to start with proper levels of both. Once the Reactor matches the consumption you can adjust the alkalinity and calcium to the proper levels using supplements. Once there, if the reactor was adjusted properly the levels will be maintained with minimum adjustments to the reactor settings. Last but not least; be patient, this is a trial and error process that may take a week or two as you need to wait enough time for the reactor to stabilize between adjustments. Once the reactor is stable, note the effluent flow and alkalinity and use them as the data of the initial setup in the calculation sheet. Note that the total water volume is also required. The actual water volume is the tanks capacity plus any volume in sumps nad refugiums less the volume displaced by the rock and sand. Typically the Rock and sand displaces 15% to 25% of the total tank capacity. Enjoy!	Usage Notes: This section of the calculator will help to adjust your Calcium reactor to match the aquarium's alkalinity consumption without using any other supplements. There are Three ways to adjust the amount of total alkalinity added by a reactor. a) Adjust the effluent alkalinity maintaining the effluent flow constant. b) Adjust the effluent flow maintaining the effluent alkalinity constant. c) Use a combination of both For additional information on either or both of these methods and their limitations please read the notes on the section to replace a supplement (the one to the left). The calculator will indicate "Over the limit" for alkalinity if the alkalinity required is above 35 dKh and for effluent flow if the one required is over 150 ml/min. This section calculates the amount of alkalinity added by the present settings of the reactor as well as the amount of change in the tank's alkalinity over a 48 hour period. Using this data, it calculates the actual alkalinity consumed by the tank and then calculates new parameters for the reactor to match the calculated consumption. To use this section, enter the reactor's effluent flow and alkalinity as well as the aquarium's alkalinity at the beginning of the 48 hour period. After 48 hours measure the Tank's alkalinity again and enter the value. It is important that the reactor parameters are kept as stable as possible during these 48 hours. If during these 48 hours you add any other supplement for Alkalinity then use the Third Section of the Calculator instead of this one. When entering data it is very important to also select the units of measure you are using for your data. For the Alkalinity I would recommend using either PPM or dKh as the number is larger than meq/lt and will help improve the accuracy of the calculations. It is important to remember that you shall set the reactor to keep the tank's alkalinity stable an NOT to try to increase alkalinity. Note that the total water volume is also required. The actual water volume is the tanks capacity plus any volume in sumps and refugiums less the volume displaced by the rock and sand. You can try the Volume calculator linked below to estimate your system water volume. Tips for measuring flow and alkalinity: To measure the flow you will need a graduated measuring cup and a stop watch. Measure the amount of effluent accumulated by the cup over a one or two minute period, then calculate the flow. I recommend using milliliters per minute (ml/min) whenever possible. To measure alkalinity you will need a kit that provides actual measurement of Carbonate Alkalinity and not just low, medium or high level. Select a kit with reputation for accuracy. Consult the reef forums for which brands are the most favored by experienced aquarists. TIP: Measuring effluent alkalinity will consume a lot of reagent given the high alkalinity. To reduce this consumption, dilute the sample by half using 50% aquarium water and 50% distilled water; At the end Multiply your measurement by two. Conversion Factors: Flow.- Multiply ml/min by 1.44 to get lt/day ml/min by 0.38 to get gal/day Volume.- Multiply Liters by 1000 to get milliliters Gallons by 3.785 to get liters Teaspoons by 5 to get milliliters Tablespoons by 15 to get milliliters Alkalinity.- Multiply meq/lt by 50 to get PPM dKh by 17.86 to get PPM meq/lt by 2.8 to get dKh Enjoy!
Net Actual Aquarium Water Volume: Volume Calculator
Alkalinity Supplement to be Replaced: Select Product Used Before Setting Up the Reactor Enter Av. Daily Product Addition:	Initial Tank Alk:
	Initial Effluent Alk:
	Initial Effluent Flow:
Effluent Alk. Upon Setup:	Tank Alk. After 48 Hrs:
Effluent Flow Upon Setup:
Tank Alkalinity:	Alkalinity Added:
	Alk. Should Have Been:
Daily Alk. Consumed	Daily Alk. Consumed
If keeping the same Effluent Alkalinity, the Effluent Flow should be:	If keeping the same Effluent Alkalinity, the Effluent Flow should be:
Or: If keeping the same Effluent Flow, the Effluent Alkalinity should be:	Or: If keeping the same Effluent Flow, the Effluent Alkalinity should be:

Other Alternatives for Setup		Other Alternatives for Adjustment
Effluent Alkalinity	Effluent Flow	Effluent Alkalinity	Effluent Flow

3. Adjusting the Ca Reactor While Using Additional Supplementation
Usage Notes: There are some situations were you may want to use the Calcium Reactor and some other type of supplementation. Some examples as follows: a) Adding a Kalk mix via dripping or a Nielsen (Kalk) reactor to maintain higher Calcium and Alkalinity. b) Use a PH increasing supplement (Like Kalk Mix above) to counteract part of the PH dropping effect of the Ca Reactor c) The Calcium Reactor alone can't provide the total supplementation or vice versa, a Nielsen Reactor can not provide full supplementation. d) During the test period the alkalinity dropped substantially and it was necessary to add some supplement that has to be taken into account in the calculation of the consumption and reactor settings. In general calculations using two different supplementation methods are a bit more complicated but if you can fix the amount of addition of one then the other can be calculated. There are in my opinion two different ways to approach these situations. 1) Fix the Calcium reactor addition then add the supplement. Most useful when the Calcium Reactor is already at Max capacity and there is need for more supplementation. 2) Fix the supplement addition and adjust the Calcium Reactor to supply the additional capacity. Most useful when using a Nielsen reactor that is already limited by the amount of evaporation, or useful when adding a supplement during the Calcium Reactor set up and test period. Note that for the Case 1 above this calculator IS NOT USEFUL. The only think you need to do in this case is to set up your Calcium Reactor addition at whatever capacity you wish (Usually Maximum Capacity) and then evaluate the alkalinity drop during say 48 hours and use the Chemistry Calculator to determine the amount of supplement needed to match up the consumption. For the case 2 above, this section of the Calcium Reactor setup help is useful. One of the options will allow you to decide if you want the additional alkalinity provided by the supplement to be replaced by alkalinity provided by the reactor. If you select to do so the calculator will assume that the alkalinity added by the supplement will have to be added in the same amount by either increasing the efflunet flow rate or it's alkalinity. Also note that if the Calcium Reactor is near it's maximum capacity chances are when selecting to replace the supplement, that the answer will be that the capacity of the reactor is exceeded. To use this section you enter the actual water volume, select the supplement used, enter the amount of supplement added in the 48 hour test period, enter your initial tank and reactor parameters, enter the alkalinity level after the 48 hour period and calculate. That's all there is to it. Enjoy and Happy Reefing!
Net Actual Aquarium Water Volume: Volume Calculator	Do you want to replace the Supplement?
Alkalinity Supplement to be Replaced: Select Product Used Before Setting Up the Reactor Enter Product Added in the 48 Hr Test Period:	Alk. From Supplement:
	Alk. Added by Reactor:
	Alk. Should Have Been:
Initial Tank Alk:	Daily Alk. Consumed
Initial Effluent Alk:	If keeping the same Effluent Alkalinity, the Effluent Flow should be:
Initial Effluent Flow:
Tank Alk. After 48 Hrs:	If keeping the same Effluent Flow, the Effluent Alkalinity should be:


Effluent Alkalinity	Effluent Flow

I want to thank Dr. Randy Holmes-Farley for his
continued support with marine aquarium chemistry

If you have any comments or questions, please drop me an email jdieck

All products and their brand name are copyright of their respective owners.

UPDATES:
11/26/04 v 1.00 ---- First version of the document.
12/12/04 V 1.01 ---- Added option to adjust the reactor when also adding other supplement.
03/11/05 V 1.02 ---- Added links to Volume Calculator.
03/25/05 v 1.03 ---- Added Randy's Recipes and Ocean Blend Part 2
12/18/07 v 1.04 ---- Transferred to diesyst.com
12/20/15 v 1.05 ---- Updated e-mail Link