Neilsen Reactor owners w/ mag stirrers

[reefer_wannabe]

I just got my DIY Neilsen Reactor done and set up. I currently have my stirrer set up to cycle every 3 hours for 1 minute. Does this sound right? Too much? Not enough? Does it really matter? Please help me out!

TIA

 

[ReefLady]

I don't have a magnetic stirrer, ours is mixed via a Mag pump. In any case, ours mixes for 15 minutes every 4 hours.

I'm not sure how much it matters, but keep an eye on the pH of the effluent -- if you have a pH monitor, it should be at about 16.0

HTH,

 

[reefer_wannabe]

Thanks, Teri. I pulled out my handheld Ph meter to check, and that sucker is broke! Time for a new one.......

 

[StoneyReef]

The following info should help everyone mag stir or powerhead stir.


You use your reactor to replace evaoprated water. Thus you should know
1) The volume your nilsen holds
2) How much evaporated water you have to replace
3) How high the kalk cloud rises in your mixing cylce


All the CLEAR saturated kalk effluent rises to the top of the reactor leaving the undissolved kalk in the bottom of the reactor.

So thus if your kalk cloud rises 1/3 of the way up your reactor during the mixing cycle, once you dose 1/3 of your reactor volume you need to mix. Thus if your reactor holds three gallons, and your cloud rises 1/3 the way, for every gallon you dose, you need to do a mix.

You really have to figure out how long your going to run the mag stirrer to figure out how high the kalk cloud goes.

In the powerhead models, the intake on the power head is set at a specific height so that you always know how high the cloud goes.

 

[reefer_wannabe]

Great information, Stoney! Any help on figuring the volume of an acrylic tube that is 18" long and 4" ID? I think I slept through that day in math class:sleeping:

Thanks!

 

[StoneyReef]

pi times radius squared times height = volume

thus 3.9 gallons

 

[reefer_wannabe]

You so RAWK! Karma to ya (if I can figger that one out, also!).

Tanks a million!

 

[Pro_builder]

(2 times 3.14) squared times 18=709.89 Cubic Inches

Or, as a final answer, 709.8 cubic inch(es) is 3.072727 gallon(s)

 

[StoneyReef]

YEP! your right!!! I took the diameter! Dang it all, someone shoot me!

 

[StoneyReef]

I must be beyond exhausted so I am going to bed. Anyhow lets break it down.


3.14 * (2^2) * 18=226.08 Cubic Inches

226.08 cubic inches = 0.9787127678571429 Liquid Gallons

 

[wooddood]

great info all,your the best.

 

[Pro_builder]

ooops, Stoney, I messed up too.

 

[dgasmd]

I have one these reactors. I can telly ou for sure if I was to do it all over again, I would go with a powerhead as a stirrer instead.

The magnetic stirrers have a lot of inherent problems with them. One of them being the kalk would cake up over the stirrer and would not mix. Another being that the stirrers are not designed to be in intensely humid conditions, so if you ahve them in a fish/equipment room or inside the stand, they will go kaka in a few months.

No question in my mind the better deisgn is the pump driven ones.

 

[MAPA]

Hi, everybody
I just finished my new calc-mixer as we call them here in Europe
I just want to make sure that we are talking about the same stuff:
It's made for mixing the limewater and to gradually pump it into the sump (or tank). Right?

 

[Pro_builder]

yes