My DIY kalk and calcium reactors

[trido]

So, being a handy man, and having a 95% SPS tank, I will soon need a calcium and kalk reator. I have been using a 15 gallon tank for kalk and am tired of it. The cost for a Calcium reactor and Kalk reactor would have cost me near a thousand dollars so decided to DIY. I took my ideas from a web site listed here..... http://www.thesea.org/reef_aquarium/DIY ... actors.php and went from there. I really like this web site because it simplifies calcium reactor functions and has several designs.So far I have a finished kalk reactor that cost approximately $55 dollars and a phase one dual chamber calcium reactor that cost about $120. I have a mag three on the way for a circulation pump on the calcium reactor. I will post pics this weekend

 

[trido]

I have to give credit to all those reefers that can fit even most of their equipment into a stand. My tank room is getting quite full.

The calcium reactor has two real small pin size leaks. I tested with about 80 PSI. 8O I will fix them and retest when the circulation pump is hooked up. Probablynot with that much pressure though. I dont want to blow the seals on the pump. :lol:

 

[bleedingthought]

Wow, Trido, it looks very nice!! I'm pretty handy with DIY but it would be a little intimidating to go into something like this! Congrats!!!

 

[Anonymous]

8) Very nice. Are those wingnuts SS? If not, I will go with nylon nuts.

 

[trido]

These projuects aren't nearly as tough as one would think. A miter saw, table saw, router, drill and sander are all I used. The table saw and router arent necessary to build them. I would say they are easier than a DIY tank of almost any size because they only hold about 1.5G of water. A little patience, time and creativity is all it takes. And a bit of help at the local hardware store to find weird things like O-rings and Stainless Steel wing nuts. If I couldnt have found SS nuts for the top I would have simply made them with permanent tops which would have been easier. I probably have about two hours of build time and four hours of collecting materials into these so far.

 

[Anonymous]

Nice. I see a Kalk stirer in my future.

 

[blackcloudmedia]

So for the amateurs here could you explain how exactly this works, Im all about saving money. How do you monitor calcium using reactors, like can the calcium get too high?

 

[Anonymous]

For the kalk stirer you run your freshwater make up throught it. IIRC the disolved kalk is calcuim carbonate. It does not do much for raising the calcium level, but is good for keeping things stable. Down side is it can mess with the Ph if overdosed. You addd a couple of cups of kalk at a time and that is good for a while.

For the calicum reactor you bubble CO2 through a media that will disolve and release calcium somthing or other (I'm not sure here). The calcium reactor can raise the cacilum level in your tank. A feed pup is required to feed the reactor and a circulation pump is needed. Also, a CO2 cylinder, a regulaot and a couple of other things I do not recall right now. You need to watch b/c you can add tomuch CO2 and get PH issues.

For both you need to check the CA and alk with a test kit to make sure what you are doing is what you need for your tank. IMO a kalk stirer would be the fiorst one to use. IF it get you where you need to be it would be all the investment you would ned to make.

 

[trido]

I am still fighting with a pinhole leak around the lower pump intake but here is the calcium reactor with the pump installed. It will be a while before I use this unit as It really isnt needed at this time. My Kalk strirrer is holding things steady for now.
In the original build thread posted above, the builder used clear tubing for the pump return. I used hard pipe with a union and bent it with my torch for even more ease of removing the pump in the future.

 

[matt & pam]

Have you experienced any problems using the maxijet in terms of wearing out the propellor? I have a similar kalk reactor and my pump begins chattering after about 4 months of use. I only put about 1 cup of kalk in the chamber.

Matt

 

[trido]

Have you experienced any problems using the maxijet in terms of wearing out the propellor? I have a similar kalk reactor and my pump begins chattering after about 4 months of use. I only put about 1 cup of kalk in the chamber.

Matt

The reactor chewed the impellers right off of a maxijet 600 in about a week when I first set it up. Too much kalk powder. Since then I have built a new design with a 900 and use about only one cup of powder when I refill it. It does chatter a tiny bit when mixing. It has done this since new. I guess a quick check during the next refill is in order. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Anonymous]

Maxijet use cheap stainless steel as the impeller shaft. Get something with a ceramic shift, and you will have one less thing to fail.

 

[trido]

Maxijet use cheap stainless steel as the impeller shaft. Get something with a ceramic shift, and you will have one less thing to fail.

Recommendations for the next go around?

My first pump wasnt a shaft failure. It was missing all of the impellar teeth. The smooth shaft was all that is left.
In my first design the mixed kalk would sit in the impeller chamber between mixings, 2 min. every four hours. I believe that when the kalk was new that it semi-solidified and wore the impellar teeth off within a week.
Im my new design the kalk powder falls away from the pump between mixing and gives the kalk time to thin out and mix before it reaches the pump. My RO top off pump chatters louder than my kalk pump so Im not to worried. Some pumps just chatter sometimes.

 

[matt & pam]

My design has the kalk settling away from the pump, and it is quiet for about the first 3 months or so (new and after I've replaced the impellor). I've tried drilling out the impellor to replace the shaft, but I can't get it perfect.

Any suggestions for a ceramic shaft based powerhead?

 

[bleedingthought]

Duane, have you had any problems with the mag pump being noisy on that Ca reactor?

 

[trido]

Not in the grand scheme of things. Sometimes when I start it back up it will cavitate for a few minutes but thats about it.

 

[shaunw60]

Does anyone know maximum distance calc reator/co2 can be from sump? Prefer not to store in stand.

 

[trido]

IMO it wouldnt matter. As long as you have a pump strong enough to get the water to and from the sump or tank. The Ca./alk level in the effluent shouldnt drop on its journey through the pipe back to the tank.