Here is the pic Lan sent me.
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WTB/WTT for Doser(s) or Calcium Reactor
- Thread starter MuralReef
- Start date
Have you ever even used a calcium reactor? When you joined this forum in March you said you had been in this hobby for about a year and a half. That puts you at about 2 years now IF I give you the benefit of the doubt. In that time you have stated you have had two tanks which by the way even if you were somewhat successful out of the gate, two tanks in two years is not enough time for either tank to reach any kind of status worth bragging about and certainly dosnt qualify you as any kind of expert. Also I have only ever seen you mention dosing or using Kalk in an ATO on your own tanks. Where is all your calcium reactor experience? So far what have we really seen from you? I have seen a few very under whelming photos with virtually no thriving stony corals and you giving all kinds of advice on EVERYTHING under the sun and arguing with another person who has been in this hobby since before calcium reactors even existed.
I'd like to know what makes you think you are such an expert with calcium reactors. Do you think just because you have read about them online that qaulifies to give advise to those who have been in the hobby much much longer than you? Anyone can use google. Maybe you should spend a little more time learning to walk the walk and do a little less talking!
its easy to set up a tank with lots of gadgets. It is entirely something else to maintain and grow that tank into an amazing reef which lasts more than 3-5 years.
I'd like to know what makes you think you are such an expert with calcium reactors. Do you think just because you have read about them online that qaulifies to give advise to those who have been in the hobby much much longer than you? Anyone can use google. Maybe you should spend a little more time learning to walk the walk and do a little less talking!
its easy to set up a tank with lots of gadgets. It is entirely something else to maintain and grow that tank into an amazing reef which lasts more than 3-5 years.
Seriously, get your panties out of a bunch. If you want to talk smack, do it through PM and not someone elses thread. I may only have had a saltwater tank for 2 years, but being an engineer for a living, I pick things up a lot faster than most people. While my growth can always be improved, my zoa colonies triple in size every 6 months, my frogspawn has gone from the size of a golf ball to bigger than a baseball in a year and a half, and I have seen between 1/2" to 1" of growth on sps colonies I have had for less than 6 months. Still being new to the hobby, there is still a lot to learn, but that is exactly why I am so active on the forums. I have had no long term experience with calcium reactors, but I have had a lot of experience with significantly more complex automation of industrial and utility control systems.
Back to the original issue of me recommending a solenoid. Regulators can fail open and CO2 can literally kill everything in your tank if that happens and you dont have something like a solenoid to act as a backup. If the OP doesn't want one, it is his decision not to get one.
Back to the original issue of me recommending a solenoid. Regulators can fail open and CO2 can literally kill everything in your tank if that happens and you dont have something like a solenoid to act as a backup. If the OP doesn't want one, it is his decision not to get one.
No one is talking smack I'm just calling it as I see it and I think you would be wise to show some of the members here a lot more respect than you have been. I get that at face value it would appear that you are trying to be helpful but the more I read the more I feel like you just want to toot your own horn and try to convince people you are smarter than you really are.
What im saying is you remind me of the fat guy at 24hr fitness whose trying to convince me that he can get me in the best shape of my life just because hes spent some time reading about it. I get where your coming from I'm an engineer as well, and probably been one since you were just starting puberty. That dosnt qualify me to give a bunch on advise on things I have no actual real world experience with.
Its obvious you are an intelligent person but if you you were really smart and mature enough you'd already know that you have a lot more to learn before you should start handing out some of the advice you do. Just food for thought man! I can see how someday you can and probably will be a wealth of knowledge but I can also tell you first hand you are not making a lot of friends here the way you have gone about it. Some of the people you choose to start *********** contests with are the same people you should be looking to learn from.
What im saying is you remind me of the fat guy at 24hr fitness whose trying to convince me that he can get me in the best shape of my life just because hes spent some time reading about it. I get where your coming from I'm an engineer as well, and probably been one since you were just starting puberty. That dosnt qualify me to give a bunch on advise on things I have no actual real world experience with.
Its obvious you are an intelligent person but if you you were really smart and mature enough you'd already know that you have a lot more to learn before you should start handing out some of the advice you do. Just food for thought man! I can see how someday you can and probably will be a wealth of knowledge but I can also tell you first hand you are not making a lot of friends here the way you have gone about it. Some of the people you choose to start *********** contests with are the same people you should be looking to learn from.
I got my first Korallin reactor in 1998. Never once used a PH probe for anything. The needle valves on good (or better) regulators are more reliable than a PH probe. Solenoid is absolutely necessary for power outages - you will ruin them pretty quickly if you turn them off/on with PH. If you drip the effluent into the tank, then there is immediate no risk to your tank by using a reactor (don't submerge the line). The biggest risk that you can face is turning your media to mush.
If you want help setting it up, then just hollar. Most who have had them for years can typically tune them by hand in about 30 minutes. Good choice - you will never look back.
I am engineer at a company that most people respect. I have an engineering degree from a really good school. We hire a lot of engineers, most (anymore) with REALLY high pedigrees. Most of our folks that actually think that engineers are somehow smarter than anybody else either 1). don't get it yet or 2). will never get it. Not good. The good ones learn pretty quickly the old adage that "the more that I learn the more that I know that i don't know." Only then can they truly be effective.
If you want help setting it up, then just hollar. Most who have had them for years can typically tune them by hand in about 30 minutes. Good choice - you will never look back.
I am engineer at a company that most people respect. I have an engineering degree from a really good school. We hire a lot of engineers, most (anymore) with REALLY high pedigrees. Most of our folks that actually think that engineers are somehow smarter than anybody else either 1). don't get it yet or 2). will never get it. Not good. The good ones learn pretty quickly the old adage that "the more that I learn the more that I know that i don't know." Only then can they truly be effective.
Here is the reactor it's a Reeftek dual chamber 6" x 18" chambers.
View attachment 20464
This is the current CO2 valve. View attachment 20465
pH probe holder and effluent. View attachment 20466
This is the current CO2 valve. View attachment 20465
pH probe holder and effluent. View attachment 20466
CO2 in.
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H2O in.
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Now I have heard you suggest a solenoid. I need a bubble counter. What else do I need. I don't need a feed pump since I will be running this off of my manifold. Do I need any valves? What would be your next steps?
H2O in.
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Now I have heard you suggest a solenoid. I need a bubble counter. What else do I need. I don't need a feed pump since I will be running this off of my manifold. Do I need any valves? What would be your next steps?
I think that's it. I do use my reefkeeper to run mine as my regulator was super touchy. But as Doug has stated this is not needed and has it's own pitfalls. Hopefully your regulator is a but higher quality than mine. I'll definitely invest in a better one as soon as mine dies. I love the reactor overall! You have made a good decision. Much cheeper to run on a tank your size.
Not sure on the model of the needle valve that you have on that regulator, any chance it's marked? IMHO, a quality needle valve makes a huge difference in controlling your bubble count...and not having to fiddle with it and readjust because of poor reliability on a cheaper needle valve is a huge benefit.
A Fabco NV-55 will run you about $21...I had one and it was "set and forget" vs the no-name brand I had previously. An Ideal 52-1-12 is priced at like $70, and will probably offer more control than you need...but I only mention it to say that there is a wide price-range when it comes to needle valves, and for $21 you get a great amount of adjustment and reliability.
And no...I have not run a calcium reactor, lol. But I did run CO2 on planted tanks and have built a few DIY regulators for dosing in that hobby...accuracy is critical either way. Just food for thought, but if you are adding a bubble counter and solenoid, it may be worthwhile looking into a new needle valve. I should also mention...looking at that picture, I honestly don't see that the needle valve you have would allow you to hook up the bubble counter and solenoid...but I could be wrong. It's hard to tell from the pic: I don't know if the end that the CO2 tubing is connected to is a standard 1/8" male thread that you would be able to add a bubble counter and solenoid to inline...or if that is only threaded for the compression fitting.
A Fabco NV-55 will run you about $21...I had one and it was "set and forget" vs the no-name brand I had previously. An Ideal 52-1-12 is priced at like $70, and will probably offer more control than you need...but I only mention it to say that there is a wide price-range when it comes to needle valves, and for $21 you get a great amount of adjustment and reliability.
And no...I have not run a calcium reactor, lol. But I did run CO2 on planted tanks and have built a few DIY regulators for dosing in that hobby...accuracy is critical either way. Just food for thought, but if you are adding a bubble counter and solenoid, it may be worthwhile looking into a new needle valve. I should also mention...looking at that picture, I honestly don't see that the needle valve you have would allow you to hook up the bubble counter and solenoid...but I could be wrong. It's hard to tell from the pic: I don't know if the end that the CO2 tubing is connected to is a standard 1/8" male thread that you would be able to add a bubble counter and solenoid to inline...or if that is only threaded for the compression fitting.
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If you're looking for regulators...keep an eye on ebay and grab a nice dual-stage regulator. Single stage is OK...but dual stage is much more reliable when it comes to controlling the output pressure of the regulator. FWIW, you should never use the control on the regulator to control the flow...it should ALWAYS be fully open, and the needle valve is used to control the flow.
Brands to look for if you're going to build your own system: Matheson, Victor, Concao, "Air Products" (often rebranded with a dozen other names), Harris, Fisher Scientific...there are probably others I'm not thinking of at the moment. A lot of them are medical/lab grade and will last decades and not fall apart on you. Just make sure the one you buy (if used) was only used for inert gases since you may be looking at replacing the diaphragm (not cheap) if it was used for anything else. Keep in mind you can get regulators with a different fitting that was used for an inert gas other than CO2, then just get a CGA 320 fitting to use it for your CO2 tank. I picked up a Concoa lab grade regulator with a barstock body that was used for Nitrogen (CGA-580) for 40 bucks, then swapped on a CGA-320 fitting for 10 dollars. Total cost of 50 bucks for a $350+ dollar regulator
Brands to look for if you're going to build your own system: Matheson, Victor, Concao, "Air Products" (often rebranded with a dozen other names), Harris, Fisher Scientific...there are probably others I'm not thinking of at the moment. A lot of them are medical/lab grade and will last decades and not fall apart on you. Just make sure the one you buy (if used) was only used for inert gases since you may be looking at replacing the diaphragm (not cheap) if it was used for anything else. Keep in mind you can get regulators with a different fitting that was used for an inert gas other than CO2, then just get a CGA 320 fitting to use it for your CO2 tank. I picked up a Concoa lab grade regulator with a barstock body that was used for Nitrogen (CGA-580) for 40 bucks, then swapped on a CGA-320 fitting for 10 dollars. Total cost of 50 bucks for a $350+ dollar regulator
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You could be correct about this, but I have always been told that you use the regulator to reduce the pressure down to about 15-20 psi and then use the needle valve to fine tune from there since most needle valves cant handle full pressure from the tank for extended periods. Someone let me know if I am completely off base here.
The Carbon Doser from Aquarium Plants is the best on the market. It has an electronic bubble counter and solenoid - you turn the dial to how many seconds per bubble that you want and that is exactly what you get. They are about $250 as stated above. The digital readout is top notch. I HIGHLY recommend this to anybody who needs to replace one - just spend the extra hundy and buy this one for life. I have Carbon Dosers on both of my tanks and love them.
Also, get some CO2 safe tubing. Regular tubing will work OK, but it gets brittle and you come home one day and find a pin hole spraying tankwater all over the place.
Also, get some CO2 safe tubing. Regular tubing will work OK, but it gets brittle and you come home one day and find a pin hole spraying tankwater all over the place.