lifereef calcium reactor?

[jonthefb]

anyone on here use either of the calcium reactors made by lifereef? i have the LCR2 on my 135 and still cant manage to keep my ca above 280. im looking for any suggestions, explanations, etc as to why these problems are occuring. my alk is at 12DKH which is pretty high and the use of buffers has since been eliminated, and my pH is at 8.2. i havent had to add any media to the reactor chamebr for about a year now, however the effluent of the liquid coming out of the reactor is 6.9, and i cnahge my 5 lb co2 tank every 4-6 weeks or so.. any ideas?
good luck
jon

 

[jonthefb]

skilos do you have a lifereef reactor? we have been adding kent turbo calcium to get the calcium level to normal 400-450ppm, but any idea as to why the media hasnt ever dissolved? i will test the effluent as far as alk goes, any idea what the ca level o fthe effluent should be?
jon

 

[jarre]

Jon - Have you tried giving Jeff a call and see what he says about the reactor issue? I just ordered a custom sump from him and he seemed to be open to discussing issues like that.

 

[jonthefb]

yeah ive tried calling jeff, and ive emailed him a hundred times, and even offered to stop by the shop cause they are here in colorado, but i can never seem to get a straight answer out of hiim. i guess ill just have to put a little more effort into it.
skilos, the reactor has been running for about a year while ive been away for college. the bubble counter is about 1 bubble per second, however there is a constant stream of effluent pouring into the sump.
skilos, what od you shoot for dkh wise of your tnak/effluent, and what is the pH of your effluent?
jon

 

[jarre]

Sorry to hear he isn't answering you. Leads one to wonder about several things there. Of course, a sump is a bit different the a CA reactor so I shouldn't be in to bad of shape - I hope!!

 

[jonthefb]

ohh jeff makes very nice products. our refigium was made by them, and now the calcium reactor, i jsut wish i could get some answers outta him!
jon

 

[jarre]

Glad to hear it Jon!!! I wouldn't have ordered it if I didn't believe he did good work. This sump will be handling both my 180 and 250 using a Euroreef CS12-1 PS. It's got a 19" x 19" footprint so I decided to have him modify one of his previously build customs to handle 3 intakes and 4 outputs, plus a couple of other extras. Can't wait to get it in!!!
I know - patience, patience, patience, patience, patience, patience!!!

 

[jonthefb]

thanks guys, im gonna work on it!
jon

 

[nm reef]

Jeff was very accessable when I was developing my sump/refugiums....my overflows were purchased from him and I got a few misc plumbing stuff and lots of advice.....my impression was that he'd discuss any idea or problem. I do know that his products are quality and I believe he truely is concerned about customer service.
I have no experience(yet) with a reactor but I'm sure you'll get it figured out. I believe bigmac is a reactor user...maybe somebody will be along to futher solve your problem.......I'd be interested in the issue also....because eventually I plan to add a reactor from an undecided source...

 

[jonthefb]

the statement made by skilos makes sense, if the water from the tank carrying the co2 does not stay in th emedia chamber long enough then it wont dissolve the media, and thus be very low in ca/alk concentration. i am going to test the alk in th eeffluent and se what its at and hopefully thats where the problem will be.
nm, as far a the whole jeff thing, hes a great guy, and i can understand about being busy during th eholidays and all, but i cant seem to ever get ahold of him. oh well things will work out, and ill be sure to let you all know about the results and what happens!
good luck
jon

 

[marinemarty]

Hi Jon, Please let me know how it works out. I also have a LifeReef sump and refugium. I love Jeff's work i have had no problems and he put up with all of my stupid questions
Martin

 

[jonthefb]

ok, tested everything last night. effluent dkh at 34, pH at 6.7 so the thing must be workign properly now. i do use teflon tape at the bottle junction and a 10lb tank might definately be in the future. so bigmac and skilos do you think that once my ca is back up to normal through addition of turbo cal, and that the tank alk is stable, the reactor should do its job and maintain the ca level at 400-500? this is the correct reasoning right?
thansk for all your help guys
good luck
jon