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Thread: DOS with calcium reactor feed. Can they be used?

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    Frequent Visitor vinnie's Avatar
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    DOS with calcium reactor feed. Can they be used?

    Can a DOS be used for constent use? Does anyone have one connected to a calcium reactor?

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    Doesn't seem like a good idea....

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    Frequent Visitor vinnie's Avatar
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    I was thinking this maybe too much of an ask but was trying to kill two birds with one stone as using the second pump for an ATU

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    Terence (from Neptune) is trying it out.
    I will be following very closely as I'm pretty much right where he's at WRT setting things up.
    His build can be found here: http://www.reef2reef.com/threads/gil...e-time.198797/
    Page 17 for the start of DOS/CR discussion.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by vinnie View Post
    Can a DOS be used for constent use? Does anyone have one connected to a calcium reactor?
    The answer is No & Yes

    No the DOS can not be used constantly it has to have an on/off schedule, but Terrence is hooking his DOS to his calcium reactor on his build thread on Reef2Reef and is explaining on how he is planning on controlling it.

    Here is Terence's Build thread where he talks about the DOS and a Calcium reactor and get more in depth on post 333+
    Jon

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    Frequent Visitor vinnie's Avatar
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    Thanks people I'm going to keep an eye on this one to see how it pan's out.

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    Frequent Contributor Alain B's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jonmos75 View Post
    The answer is No & Yes

    No the DOS can not be used constantly it has to have an on/off schedule, but Terrence is hooking his DOS to his calcium reactor on his build thread on Reef2Reef and is explaining on how he is planning on controlling it.

    Here is Terence's Build thread where he talks about the DOS and a Calcium reactor and get more in depth on post 333+
    The DOS still has a MTBF of 5000 hres , i still stick to the way we are doing things Jon .
    Alain

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    Frequent Visitor vinnie's Avatar
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    What pumps are people using if not the DOS?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Alain B View Post
    The DOS still has a MTBF of 5000 hres , i still stick to the way we are doing things Jon .
    I am not changing my methods just answering the question....lol

    Quote Originally Posted by vinnie View Post
    What pumps are people using if not the DOS?
    I use and APT Peristaltic adjustable pump
    Jon

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    I have an Eheim 1250, that has been running non stop for about 12 years minus maintenance. On a MTC mini cal.

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    Master Control Freak RussM's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Delmo View Post
    I have an Eheim 1250, that has been running non stop for about 12 years minus maintenance. On a MTC mini cal.

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    That would be your recirc pump, not the effluent pump, right? I'm pretty sure the OP is asking about effluent.
    Please do not send me PMs with technical questions or requesting assistance - use the forums for Apex help. PM me ONLY if the matter is of a private or personal nature. Thanks.

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    Honestly, I didn't know anyone bothered to have multiple pumps for the 2 jobs instead of having 1 to do both jobs....

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    The issue that people are trying to overcome is unreliable effluent delivery. For example, most skimmers use a needle valve and this is always getting plugged over time and changing its flow rate, less so if the flow is faster, but it still happens. So the ideal solution is to use a peristaltic or dosing pump to meter out the effluent in a constant fashion to remove the variability.

    I wanted to try to use a DOS, I'll check out Terence's thread. If not Ill have to get a peristaltic pump, unless there have been other good ideas lately?

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    I get it, someone wants to reinvent the wheel,(with Apex at the wheel) and you don't know until you try... That being said, the maintenance/duty cycle/life cycle of the DOS is it's limitation, (unless you happen to work for Neptune).
    I'd love to see a no Brainer solution, but I'm skeptical with this one. Even a Liter meter is a better choice per duty cycle and longevity, -minus Apex compatibility. A Stenner pump would even be an even better choice. (100% duty)

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    Not to revive an old thread, but it is relevant to me now. I finally jumped in and am trying a Ca reactor which I picked from a friend for a good deal. Until I understood how it worked as my exposure was limited I failed to pickup a pump for effluent and I didn't really want to spend any more cash. A friend suggested I use a DOS so here I am.

    I took a look through Terence's thread and saw that he was going to do it, but haven't heard one way or another if this is working well or not for folks. I am on day #3 of using the DOS and my ALK seems to be stable and so far all seems ok. Here's what I did.

    I created a DOS profile that runs at 7 mL/min as the DOS is in my stand and I prefer the most quiet speed possible. I then played around with the OSC function a bit based on some rough math of an average of the drips per minute that the manufacturer of the Calc reactor recommended. So far I am using OSC 000:00/001:00/004:00, basically pumping 12 times per hour at 7 mL per minute and it all seems to be ok.

    In theory I could have calculated a total amount in 24 hours and just thrown it in the scheduler but I wanted more specificity with how often the effluent turned on, the rate, etc..

    It seemed like a waste of using such a smart pump, but in actuality if I was dosing separate calc and alk solution previously I was having to use 2 heads to dose those and now I just have to use one head and have freed up the other for whatever I like. Seems like a winner.

    Thoughts or comments welcome.
    Chad

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    Well, it's been almost a full year now that I've had 2 CR on 2 different set-ups work under APEX/DOS control and I have to say it has been painless and easy. No more fiddling with effluent rates changing, clogs and such. Just a rock solid set up IMHO.
    I set mine up differently by just using the wizard and letting it do it's thing. I don't have issues with noise control and I wanted to show that this way works if you want to keep it super simple programming wise.
    Right now I have both CR running at 25000ml/24h and a rock solid 6.6 reactor PH. My alk is is usually around 8.8-9.0. Using the DOS has made consistency a breeze.
    I've heard people complain about wear and tear on the unit but I feel that this isn't any harder on the DOS as the massive and repetitive water changes some people set these up for. Besides, as far a high volume peristaltic pumps go, the DOS isn't that bad price wise so replacing one isn't that big of a deal. Go see what a good Cole Parmer pump will cost you and tell me how the noise compares to a DOS. And the Cole Parmer will not interact with your APEX anytime soon...
    Just my 2 cents.
    Simon

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    Hi Simon,
    Quick question. Do you have the Dos pulling (after the CR) or pushing as a feed pump. I read Terence's setup and he has his feeding the CR.
    Thanks

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    Quote Originally Posted by m3lacoste View Post
    Hi Simon,
    Quick question. Do you have the Dos pulling (after the CR) or pushing as a feed pump. I read Terence's setup and he has his feeding the CR.
    Thanks
    I have mine pushing water through the reactor.
    Never tried it the other way.

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    Frequent Contributor iamchadster's Avatar
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    I have mine pulling water and it's been working extremely well.
    Chad

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    I am setting up a DOS for my calcium reactor tonight. Planning to pull water through. Read on another thread that this is preferable in the case that anything gets clogged on the output side and the pump is continuing to build pressure in the reactor which could cause and o-ring failure which would create a mess.

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    Frequent Contributor iamchadster's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dcochems View Post
    I am setting up a DOS for my calcium reactor tonight. Planning to pull water through. Read on another thread that this is preferable in the case that anything gets clogged on the output side and the pump is continuing to build pressure in the reactor which could cause and o-ring failure which would create a mess.
    Agree! For the last 3 weeks I've been running it this way and I've been extremely happy. I am running 4000 mL right now per 24hr period and have had rock solid alk/ca levels.
    Chad

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    1 year, pushing through the reactor, 25000ml/24h. Never had an issue with clogs or other.
    I believe most reactors can handle a few psi of pressure before leaking through the O rings. Again, never happened to me with a DOS.

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    Thanks Simon P and iamchadster. I've been thinking about this and I'm going to give it a try based on your experience.

    Will actually use the DOS to feed a calcium reactor and sulfur denitrador.

  24. #24
    New User ChangNoiRoy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Simon P View Post
    1 year, pushing through the reactor, 25000ml/24h. Never had an issue with clogs or other.
    I believe most reactors can handle a few psi of pressure before leaking through the O rings. Again, never happened to me with a DOS.
    Simpon P, how big is your tank? Any photos you care to share? 25000ml/24h is a lot!

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    Quote Originally Posted by ChangNoiRoy View Post
    Simpon P, how big is your tank? Any photos you care to share? 25000ml/24h is a lot!
    Surprisingly not that large, about 200gl total, mostly SPS. But I'm using a very inefficient 20yr old K2R unit and the only way to get the effluent DKH I need to keep my tank in the 8-9 Alk range is to run lots of water and CO2 through it.
    On my second system (130gl) I use a more efficient Korallin reactor and run about 5500ml/24hr.

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