Kalk Reactor

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script type="text/javascript" src="http://hb.lycos.com/hb.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ratings.lycos.com/ratings/lycosRating.js.php"></script> <script type="text/javascript"><![CDATA[//><!]]></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://scripts.lycos.com/catman/init.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-start.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-middle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-end.js"></script> <noscript> <img src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/img/common/ot_noscript.gif?rand=196091" alt="" width="1" height="1" />  <iframe frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" width="728" height="90" src="http://ad.yieldmanager.com/st?ad_type=iframe&ad_size=728x90&section=209094"></iframe>  </noscript> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=18.75% BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="040a11c3.gif"> <bR> <bR> <div> <B><U><Main 100g tank></U></b></div> <div> <B>     </b><A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Setup"><U>Setup</U></A></div> <div> <B> Pictures</b></div> <div> <B>     </b><A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Couple of Pictures from Side A"><U>Side A</U></A></div> <div>      <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Overall View of Side B"><U>Side B</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B><U><Nano-reef tank></U></b></div> <div>      <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Setup"><U>Setup</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B><U><DIY></U></b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" >    </FONT> <A HREF="id67.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Power Center"><U>Power Center</U></A></div> <div>      <A HREF="id71.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Surge Box"><U>Surge Box</U></A></div> <div>      <A HREF="id73.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Canopy"><U>Canopy</U></A></div> <div>      <A HREF="id75.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Backup power"><U>Power backup</U></A></div> <div>      <A HREF="id77.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wavemaker"><U>Wavemaker</U></A></div> <div>      <A HREF="id78.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Temp Controller"><U>Temp controller</U></A></div> <div>      Kalk Reactor</div> <div>      <A HREF="id83.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Water Topoff"><U>Water Topoff</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Perisaltic pump"><U>Doser</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Anthias"><U>Anthias</U></A></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Page 1:"><U><B>Frags to trade</b></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <B>Kalk Reactor</b></div> <div> <IMG SRC="03ff4010.gif" border=0 width="500" height="1" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFBF0" FACE="Arial" ><B>Reef Tank </b></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC99" FACE="Arial" >     </FONT>|   <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Reef Tank "><U><B>home</b></U></A></div> <div> <IMG SRC="03ff4010.gif" border=0 width="500" height="1" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <U>Kalk Reactor</U></div> <div>    </div> <div> I read several articles online regarding kalk reactor designs.  Most hobbyists used PVC cylinder and a Maxijet 1200 to stir the kalk.  With these designs, if the seal on the Maxijet wears out, water will leak out of the reactor.  As a result, I went with a more expensive route and decide to use a magnetic stirrer to mix the kalk.</div> <bR> <div> Around June 2003, I made two kalk reactor with 4" diameter extruded acrylic cylinder at 24" length.  Water is fed using peristaltic pumps and the kalk is stirred for 5 minutes every 6 hours.  Each reactor's chamber is closed with 1 1/2" capped union.  After closed to a month's usuage both reactor developed stress cracks at the botttom of the acrylic cylinder.  Even after multiple sealing attempts, the cracks continued.  The extruded cylinder couldn't handle the pressure developed from a sealed chamber.  Using casted acrylic is a lot stronger and may have solved the cracks.  However, casted acylic cylinder is 5 times more expensive....making this a bad DIY project in terms of cost.</div> <bR> <div> Then I made the reactor using my method........instead of a cylinder, I just make a rectangular enclosure.  from previous glue-up experience, I know that will not crack.  The new reactor has been in use to supply calcium to my nano reef tank for about five months.  I feed the reactor with about 15 ml/ hour of fresh water.  Since the nano tank water volume is so small, dripping too much kalk too quickly can raise the pH to deadly levels.  On the other hand, without dripping enough kalk, the calcium levels will not raise very much.  To compensate, I stir the kalk at closer intervals (every six hours) hoping to raise the pH of the kalk without needing to drip a large volume.  Every month I increase the drip rate by 5 ml/hr and keep a close look on the reaction of the corals to make sure parameters are in balance.</div> </td> </tr></table></body>