melev

Now that I have all my new parts in, I took the time this evening to break down and clean the calcium reactor. The old pump was retired, which looked cooked for a lack of a better description. The plastic had discolored and looked like heat damage from within, and it rattled around the clock. The replacement Mag 7 was easily installed. The acrylic body was cleaned out, new Caribsea ARM was poured in, and all flexible tubing was cleaned or replaced. The pH probe got a vinegar bath.



The new regulator from Aquarium Plants is a beast. I've been wanting one for years, but never pulled the trigger. This one is electronic. The red light flashes at the bubble rate you desire. You can run it as fast as 4 bubbles per second, or significantly slower. After I've run this for a while, I plan to write a review. It comes with a 3 year warranty, which speaks a lot for the quality of the product.



I'm still using the pH controller. The Aquarium Plants electronic bubble counter's power supply is plugged into the big black plug from the controller, which turns it off when the pH in the reactor reaches the level I have it set to. These controllers make the calcium reactor set-it-and-forget-it. I've run mine like this since Day One of my 280g reef.



This is the effluent dripping/trickling into the sump's return section.



I'll still have to dial this in a little bit in the days to come, but it won't be much to adjust. The only two things that may need replacing in the future will be the controller and the pH probe, but for now it's nice to know the reactor is something I don't have to worry about. Or my return pump, right?