Tank Plumbing and Ca Reactor Q's

[mal]

Ok, for those of you who have drilled tanks and such....I am ready to start drilling the bottom of my new tank and plumb in two spray bars to be run by 2 separate pumps. The tank has a built in overflow and return, but the return doesn't produce the flow I want, and I do not want to put ph's in the main tank. So, if I drill the bottom, and put in the spray bars, how do I account for a power outage? Will the water from the main tank drain back through the spray bars? I am assuming it will. Is there some sort of one way valve I can put in-line that will close with a reverse flow? Anyone here have this sort of set up? How did you do it?
Now the reactor question. For those that use them, this is my first experience with them, I am trying to cut maint. time and additives. I know the effluent ph is lower than you want the tank ph, how do you boost this up so it doesn't lower the tank ph? Is the effluent ph low enough to make a difference, is it something you just live with or what. Jeff at life reef is building a skimmer and reactor for me so they will fit in the sump, except some of the Ca reactor components. Can I run the effluent into the refugium, or just into the sump. They are plumbed together. The overflow comes into the sump then the skimmer, and it exits into the refugium. The return pumps are after the refugium. Sorry this is so long, I've spent a few bucks on this set up and want to get it right. Thanks.

 

[mal]

The Nilsen reactor is a kalk mixer outfitted with a ph and timer to turn it on right? I like the closed loop idea, I didn't think of that. Cool.

 

[ironreef]

yup closed loop is the best way for a spraybar= no antisiphen or check valves. You need to plumb it in the overflow like a n= the pipe must go up to the top of the tank then back down. with an antisiphen under the n pipe. But that can fail and leak all your water. I use a spraybar for 10year NEVER had a leak but one day my tank did overflow my sump @3 gal. I dismantled it. But a closed loop it won't drain but if you pump leaks or any plumbing fails you can loose all you water. So The best way IMo to have a spray bar is to use a powerful pump and keep the spraybar low but also plumb a 1/2 flex nozzel at the top of your tank= flow on the bottom flow on the top. 1/2 flex so it doesn't use so much water flow but if something did happen it will always act a an antisiphen. Calcium reactor ph6.5 effluient. I don't worry about ph . If you keep you alk high it will stable at 8+ IME