Does the calcium reactor flow rate REALLY matter? | BRStv Investigates

We believe that the easiest way to adjust a calcium reactor is by changing the flow rate, but what does that actually do inside the reactor? Today, we find out the effect of different flow rates on calcium reactor potency for alkalinity and calcium!
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Today on BRStv, we have a brand new episode of our series, BRStv Investigates. In this series, we explore popular reefing theories, products, methods, and what the manuals are missing, with a focus on putting them to the test!
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[@MrHCMSS]

The problem arises when people want the solenoid not to be switched on/off frequently (noise and wear/durability reasons) and have the co2 rate dialled in exactly for a particular pH point. Changing the flow rate in that case will mean the effluent will be weaker because not enough co2 will be added to maintain that pH.

[@jitheshak1]

. Could you add a graph for total dKH/min(output of the reactor per minute ute) vs rate as this would be a more realistic point of view

[@undergroundreefs6523]

the effluent was continually dropping 6-18 percent in one day. so what if i dosed at a higher flow rate for a continued amount of time? my effluent can be one DKH then a significantly lower DKH a week later. I say the rating of a 3 is not justified here.

[@jim28fl]

I absolutely love my carbon doser electronic timer. But I have to admit I upgraded my regular to a high quality two stage type unit and its makes things way more stable as the supply tank PSI lowers over time which tends to let the C02 run away towards the end of the tank fill and can cause issues with stability. I'm very interested in your regulator settings and the bubble rate indicator and even the amount of excess co2 gas in the reactor while running. Please add more observations your making as you go along. Thanks BRS!

[@sethwilliamson]

A little breakeven analysis: Since 1 dKH is 17.848 mg/L (ppm) calcium carbonate, if you're dosing 5 mL/min of a 40.4 dKH solution, you're dosing 3.605 mg of calcium carbonate per minute. Even though you drop to 39.9 dKH at 20 mL/min, you're dosing 4x as much solution. In total, you're dosing 14.24 mg of calcium carbonate per minute. Likewise, 36.0 dKH @ 100 mL/min = 64.25 mg of calcium carbonate per minute. At the end of the day, provided you have enough evaporation to take the slightly more diluted solution, there's a net gain in the higher flow rate. IMO, based on the analysis presented in the video and a little arithmetic, I'd start with a moderate pH and increase the flow until my tank couldn't handle it (within reason) before I started trying to push the pH further.

[@sethwilliamson]

CA Reactor related question... I've seen probe manufacturers call for replacing various sensor probes as frequently as quarterly to annually (pH, dissolved oxygen, ORP, temperature, conductivity/salinity...) Naturally, this can have an impact on the total cost of ownership and operation. Have you guys looked into how much the accuracy might drift over time or the standard deviation of readings might widen? A replacement schedule that might be necessary for something like pharmaceutical manufacturing might be overkill for aquaria. Like the "Do I really need to replace my T5 bulbs annually" video, I think there would be some value for the reefing community in exploring this. The answer to this question could change the value proposition for buyers.

[@willd5377]

Can you guys please do a short video on how much par you lose when you have a glass top? That would really help me out.

[@willd5377]

BulkReefSupplyCom oh yeah I didn’t think about that

[@malla1ml]

Were the numbers normalized? Meaning, did you test the DKH of the tank water as it entered the reactor? In a normal reef, the incoming levels in the water would be somewhere between 6.5 - 12. However, if you're just running the tank water and calcium reactor on a closed system, the DKH of the tank water would continue to rise. This would contribute to a higher DKH as it left the reactor.

[@jameselijahowens8679]

You touched on the secondary chamber in the end of the video but in my opinion didn't go far enough in depth on it for the sake of this videos argument. Wouldn't the secondary chamber be a huge confounding variable in terms of the concentration of the effluent? Total efficiency of the secondary chamber regarding off gassing would have an effect on the results of effluent dkh proportionate to effluent PH out of the second chamber. The faster you run the effluent, the less efficient the secondary chamber would be at off gassing the co2 due to decreased dwell time. This would be less apparent with a larger secondary chamber, but it is definitely something I see as potentially being a huge flaw with this experiment. Adding a secondary ph probe to the final effluent or to the secondary chamber would allow one to see the change in efficiency of the secondary chamber. I'm very curious to see how this would actually effect the results in practice vs in theory. One could do this exact experiment over with both a large secondary chamber and a small one to see the difference

[@DiepBlueC]

Respectfully, I think that all you have shown is that the vertex unit is capable satisfying of VERY high demand tanks since it can put out a TON of effluent at high alkalinity concentrations. I would expect that if you tried a smaller CARX like a little korallin or something, you would find its ability to maintain high effluent concentration with such high effluent rates to be less so and more variable over that effluent range. Still a cool test, thanks for the video! The Vertex is a beast. I want to win that Kamoer dosing pump!

[@DiepBlueC]

@@BRStv oop, haha I missed the very end! Just rewatched, thanks for that note! I'd be interested in what you guys think about the new pH Probeless reactors like the aquarium engineering unit or I think maybe the dastaco?

[@rickgrigsby5848]

Is there a DIY on how to stop the outlet from plugging . And this might be stupid but would carbon dosing dissolve that maybe routing carbon dosing through the outlet like I said I could be totally stupid

[@Reefahholic]

So increasing the flow rate decreases the effluent dKH. I thought you guys said in another video that if you need more Alkalinity you just turn up the Kamora flow rate? So is this not accurate now.? This is confusing. LOL.

[@BRStv]

You're right, the effluent potency does go down with more flow, but the decrease is only a few dKH. We still recommend pegging the pH to a certain level within the reactor, then using the dosing pump to control flow and thus the total alkalinity output of the calcium reactor

[@Wise7771]

How can I drop my alk if it’s gotten to high from starting off at a low ph in the reactor it went from 9to 11.7 I tried turning off co2 but it’ only dropped .3 after 48hrs

[@Wise7771]

BulkReefSupplyCom thank you so much 😊

[@Mike__B]

Yanno if you pick me for that free prize I totally would buy the Vertex Calcium reactor the next day... just sayin' :D

[@Keepingitreal123]

Yesssssss but I needed this video like 5 years ago lol