Calcium Reactor question

Hello! I've recently got a calcium reactor for my tank. It is my first one so I don't know everything about them. For me it seems like the injection of CO2 here is not very good. It just goes directly through bubble counter to the main chamber through the hole in the top of this chamber. So CO2 is actually accumulating under the cover and when it is too much of it, gas goes to the second chamber and to the effluent. I was thinking that I can get better CO2 saturation if the gas will go to the bottom of the main chamber with some kind of diffuser so it can actually recirculate through the pump. Or direct feed of the gas to the pump like air to the skimmer pump. Or It will work fine like that?

















Edited by Flashlin - September 09 2010 at 12:19am

That is kind of weird that it is injecting co2 into the lid. It should be injected into the T on the inlet of the pump. You can modify it easily. Do you have a 1/4" tap? If you don't I could help you out and tap it for you if you are ever up this way. Also it looks like it is missing a few parts. Both chambers should have a plate at the bottom of the chamber, you don't want media down by the elbow where the pumps intake is. Also you need a needle valve on the top of the main chamber. Looks like a nice reactor though.

Edited by tcfab - September 09 2010 at 7:50am

Thank you for responses. I think I am actually going to try to connect co2 to the intake. I was wondering if I can just drill the hole in the pipe and seal a fitting for 1/4 tubing with silicone? Or I should use 1/4 tap?

Thank you sir.
I think i am going to buy this frag rack from you today. I was wondering if you can grab this tap and i'll take the reactor with me. So we can make a hole over there.

FIRE SHRIMP

Actually in mine bubbles are just accumulating under the cover. And when it is too much of gas there it jumps to the second chamber. So basically gas doesn't circulate in main chamber. Anyway I don't think that it will harm in any way injecting gas to the intake. On most calcium reactors I've seen CO2 goes to the intake.
By the way you can see it on the second picture from bottom. At that time pump was circulating water in main reactor but gas just stuck under the cover.

yes that is weird,

You have to have a needle valve to adjust co2 level. Do you understand how a calcium reactor works?

Where do you get these valves usually? Locally or web? Can those valves be the same model for water and CO2? Or they are specific?

I use an electronic regulator so I can't answer that. Sorry

No, don't use brass. Use RO line.