Nielson reactor Operation?

[reefphreak]

I finished setting up my Neilson Reactor (Kalwasser) and have it dripping 24 hours a day instead of a on a timer opposite of the lighting cycle. If it only drips slowly will this be a problem?

 

[bowfront]

When you say dripped do you mean dosed? Most Neilson kalk reactors that I am familar with work in conjuction with a doser. I have a Neilson/Litermeter combo that I dose from 24/7. The reactor is on a timer set to come on 4x day for 1/2 hr intervals. The Litermeter is set to compensate for just under evaporation. A float valve connected to a fresh water reserve makes up for the little bit of evaporation that the Litermeter doesn't compensate for. This keeps my sump/tank level constant.

Two important things you don't want to do with kalk dripping or dosing:

1) don't add more kalk solution daily than your daily evaporation rate or you will change your salinity.

2) don't add a kalk solution fast enough that it raises the pH of your tank over about 8.5.

Some people dose/drip kalk only during lights off when pH of the tank is at its lowest. I've tried that in the past but haven't found enough benefit in my case to justify the hassel. HTH

 

[tomheo]

I finished setting up my Neilson Reactor (Kalwasser) and have it dripping 24 hours a day instead of a on a timer opposite of the lighting cycle. If it only drips slowly will this be a problem?

I dose from my Nilsen Reactor 24/7 also, and haven't noticed any problems. In fact, it seems like a lot of my SPS have better polyp extension since doing so -- though I'm sure some of it may have to do with the fact the s.g. is more stable now.

I've got my stirrer set to go off every 1.75 hours for 2 minutes.

Hope this helps.

Thomas

 

[aesop]

I have mine setup so that it drips 24/7; but it only stirs at night time(midnight till about 8am) for half an hour every 1-1.5hrs.

This way it similiar to dripping just at night but the water level is always the same

I finished setting up my Neilson Reactor (Kalwasser) and have it dripping 24 hours a day instead of a on a timer opposite of the lighting cycle. If it only drips slowly will this be a problem?

 

[MiNdErAsR]

Question: How are you dosing 24/7 without adding milky kalk while mixing? I was under the impression this was not a good idea. I'm relatively new to using a Nilsen, so I'm still learning myself.

I run my Ecotech Nilsen (great product by the way) for five-two hour intervals for a total of 10 hours a day. Mixing occurs two hours prior to each dosing session, for 5 minutes. However this is a new setting. Just added the fifth dosing session yesterday as my levels (3.37 meq/l and 400ppm) were a tad lower than I'd hoped for. Now that winter is rolling in and the house is a little drier, I'm getting more evaporation which allows for more kalkwasser to be dosed.

 

[aesop]

My DYI reactor is about 4" tall, when the reactor is on, the water coming out of it is a little milky. I haven't really seen any side effects from dosing this way since I've started (1yr). The water comming out of the reactor also drips into my sump/refugium so it gets diluted before it even hits the display tank.

I thought the idea was to get the milky/watery fluid, just not the chunks.
I'm new to this also; so if I'm doing it wrong tell me

As an aside; I've also "dumped" just kalk mixed in a cup (2tbsp) into the sump without any ill effects (this was when the reactor was down for 2 weeks due to repairs). The corals will close up for a bit but they always open back up; once it dissapates.

Question: How are you dosing 24/7 without adding milky kalk while mixing? I was under the impression this was not a good idea. I'm relatively new to using a Nilsen, so I'm still learning myself.

 

[bowfront]

Question: How are you dosing 24/7 without adding milky kalk while mixing? I was under the impression this was not a good idea. I'm relatively new to using a Nilsen, so I'm still learning myself.

Set the mag stirrer on your Ecotech so that only about the bottom 2/3 of the tower are milky when the unit is turned on. My doser (Litermeter) stays on all the time and doses about every 10 minutes whether or not the mag stirrer in the reactor is going. I never get any milky kalk solution into the sump because the top 1/3 of the reactor tower where the effluent is stays clear all the time regardless of whether the reactor in on or off. BTW, I'm using a Myreef kalk reactor which has a tower similar in size to the Ecotech.

 

[dgasmd]

I also have a myreef and could never understand why people bother with timers and all these complicated schedules of mixing and dripping. I set my stirrer to be on 24/7 and it is on a litermeter too. I tried the timer thing at the begining on someone's advise and I found the stirer would get stucked all the time because the kalk would clump up no matter what I did. Since running it 24/7 it never clumps and the top 1/3 of the column is crystal clean.
Someone had said they were afraid of the stirer going south if left running 24/7, but these stirers are actually made for labs that actually use them to stir stuff for days. No harm in running them 24/7.

 

[bowfront]

I don't know how much you are actually accomplishing by runniing your reactor all the time. The pH at the line out of my reactor measures 12.48 while the reactor is running and 12.40 5.5 hrs. after the reactor has been shut down (thus my 6 hr. intervals). I just ran this test again today and got the same values as I have in the past. This was with a recently (today) calibrated Pinpoint. It's been almost 3 weeks since I added this batch of kalk so I am nearing my change point and still running at saturation for the duration between 6 hr. off periods. As far as clumping and non starts I've seen a few others complain about that but I have never experienced either. My reactor starts every time and I don't see signs of clumping. I am using Codex a commercial calcium hydroxide used by the food industry.

I personally think you need to run these reactors more than 5 min. at a pop like some are doing in order to really give the kalk a good shake up. I also don't add more than 1.5 cups each time because I have found that this is plenty for a 3 week period. If you are having luck with running your reactor all the time I would say keep doing it but if you advocate that to be the best way I would take issue.

 

[aesop]

Forgot to mention that my stirrer is a maxijet 400; I'm about ready to put in the 3rd impellor now (which is why I stopped stirring 24/7).

Leaving the powerhead on 24/7 (if thats what ur stirrer is) is going to get very costly if I have to replace the impellor every 6months

 

[SPC]

Posted by aesop:

My DYI reactor is about 4" tall, when the reactor is on, the water coming out of it is a little milky.

I'm about ready to put in the 3rd impellor now

-Well if your unit is only 4" tall I would say that this will always be a problem along with dosing milky kalk :wink: .
Steve

 

[danmhippo]

I am on the same boat as dimaggio. Same setup, same equipments, and same experiences with the unit and I have opted to let it run 24/7. I set the speed of the stir bar rotation so I only get the bottom 2/3 of the reactor stirring, leaving the top 1/3 liquid clear.

I guess it may be difficult to let the unit run 24/7 on ecotech's or external pump units. The power of the pump will eventually mix the entire reactor tube. Unless a weaker pump is used, or a oversized reactor tube, otherwise the typical 3-4ft 6" diameter reaction chamber will always be milky when the pump is on.

 

[SPC]

Posted by Dan:

I have opted to let it run 24/7

-Your no fun Dan :roll: :wink: .
Steve

 

[bowfront]

I am on the same boat as dimaggio. Same setup, same equipments, and same experiences with the unit and I have opted to let it run 24/7.

I just don't get why I'm not having any problems and you guys are. Maybe its the kalk itself I don't know. I know the stuff I am using seems pretty pure - much more so than Mrs. Wages. I did buy some ESV kalk recently just to compare but haven't used it yet. At least based on pH the effluent seems to be saturated for a while (hours) after the mag stirrer is shut off. Why run the thing 24/7 if you can get just as much out of it running 2 hrs./day?

Couple of things - I'm using the larger stir bar that was included for the Hanna. I'm also using the new wear plate material (forget name).
The last time I corresponded with Andy he seemed under the impression that those having problems were probably adding too much kalk. I stick with 1.5 cups and that has never interfered with startup. I have the Hanna set on about 3/4 speed it looks like and the top of the tower stays clear after 1/2 hr on.

Think I'll try the ESV kalk next week and see what shakes. If I start having problems I'll let you guys know.

 

[dgasmd]

I use a lot less kalk than most of you and still get lots of clumping. I do use the larger stirr bar as well and the wear plate. No difference. I don't know why.
I will cont. to run things as now. I don't think it is better, but it is no different in results than most. It may also have to do with how much water volume youa re evaporating. I have my litermeter set at 33 liters/day and my water level and salinity is rock steady. That is a lot of water to put through one of those kalk reactors.
I did however started to have problems with my stirer unit, but in retrospect, I think it was because it got wet from water spilling on it and that may have damaged it. I am sending it next week and getting a new one.

 

[MiNdErAsR]

FWIW, the new Ecotech design doesn't employ a speed control on the mixer. It's simply on (full speed) when you plug it in (hence the timer). I just cleaned mine, and added 2 heaping cups of ESV kalk and it mixed up easily. Haven't experienced any clumping as of yet. Time will tell I suppose.

8)

 

[danmhippo]

Or you can put a valve on the unit (not sure if that's possible) to control the flow.