Aquarium Engineering ACR
- Thread starter ochriso
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ochriso
Active Member
got ya. I have messaged with Bill a little and like the idea but was hoping to hear some feed back on them before pulling the trigger.
Had my mind made up on a Dastaco but this seems like less moving parts.
Had my mind made up on a Dastaco but this seems like less moving parts.
Dennis Cartier
Valuable Member
I am curious why you think the ACR has less moving parts than a Dastaco? I have an ACR on order and one of the things I am looking forward to learning is how it controls the CO2 saturation. I am expecting some level sensor to still be used, only in the lid instead of in a separate reaction chamber like the Dastaco. Once I receive my unit, I will know if it is mechanical (Dastaco), optical (Pac Sun) or perhaps capacitive?
Dennis
Breadman03
Valuable Member
Someone on my local FB group just got one a few days ago. I suspect that it functions similar to how @jda tunes his CARX, by running so many bubbles per drop.
Dennis Cartier
Valuable Member
Hmm, interesting. While I was mulling over ordering one I wondered if it operated by using the duty cycle of the feed solenoid compared to the CO2 solenoid. I asked Bill if this was the case, and did the ACR threfore require a stable PSI for the CO2 (like a dual stage regulator). He laughed and said I was over complicating it.
I can't wait to get mine to see how it works.
Dennis
Rick.45cal
2500 Club Member
I’m interested to see what you guys find out. I’ve been eyeballing Bill’s work for sometime now. The ACR looks really sweet, I like the venturi and the concept. I’m curious to see if it requires purging of the chamber since I’m pretty sure it runs at the CO2 saturation point.
Dennis Cartier
Valuable Member
I asked Bill about the need to purge when I was thinking about buying one. Bill said is was not required with his unit.
I started out talking to Bill out of curiosity about the ACR, but after looking at the effort they put in to the manufacture of their equipment, I opted for the ACR.
Dennis
Rick.45cal
2500 Club Member
Oh there’s no doubt that what Bill makes is far higher quality than anyone else in this industry. The fact that it comes with a lifetime warranty speaks volumes to it’s quality. He’s got me sold on it, I just set up a big Geo reactor so I don’t really NEED a new calcium reactor, but having an ACR would make life even easier! I’m anxious to see what y’all have to say when you get yours. His new lid design is pretty brilliant.
Rick.45cal
2500 Club Member
I’ll be watching this thread 
I have an old K2R reactor I used on a reef tank many moons ago, back about the time they invented the wheel I think. Been dosing my current reef but it's expensive and constantly having to re-up on solution. I started researching what's currently out there, as far as calcium reactors, and ended up at Aquarium Engineering myself. Shot them an email and ended up on the phone with Bill earlier today. I won't try to repeat the details of our discussion (not sure I'd get it all right and don't want to confuse the issue) but by time I hung I I was sold on this unit. The lifetime warranty and the accessibility to first hand/designer/fabricator support is a huge issue for me. Also per our conversation I'll be incorporating a KH Guardian to control the unit. There's a fair amount of discussion about the Alkatronic but they're considerably more expensive, hard to come by and still a bit buggy from what I gather. I haven't placed an order yet but will probably within the next couple of weeks. Feeling pretty comfortable with my decision to go this route.
Rick.45cal
2500 Club Member
Hey Rick.45cal. Started reading your thread on you experience with the KH Guardian....loooonnnnggggg thread lol. I haven't gotten too far into it but want to read it front to back to get the full affect. Great source of information for me with my upcoming install. I also saw that you've posted in this thread. I'll do my best to relay my experiences with combining the two pieces of equipment once I make that move. Hopefully in the near future.
Rick.45cal
2500 Club Member
My KHG was very reliable and consistent. I took it down and sent it in to have the board replaced with the updated one they offered since I was an early adopter and I never set it back up when it got returned too me. (Laziness). It was a good tool and taught me a lot about my alkalinity uptake, I’m sure it will be very useful tool for running a CaRx. I’ve been testing the oldschool way for awhile now.
My intent as stated above is to purchase the Aquarium Engineering ACR and control it with a KH Guardian. I spoke to Bill Wann again today for some clarification as to what other components would be required for a complete operating system.
Q-Is a dedicated/precision feed pump required?
A-There is no need for a dedicated feed pump, teeing off of a return line is all that's necessary. The control panel on the ACR modulates the effluent, all that's required is to keep water pressure to the unit.
Q-Are there specific needs as far as the CO2 supply is concerned (i.e. high end regulator)?
A-No, there is no need for a needle valve or bubble counter on the regulator. All that's required is the ability to regulate the pressure from the CO2 tank to the unit down to 8-10 lbs pressure. The controller on the unit does the rest. CO2 is also recycled in the reactor chamber to reduce the amount of CO2 used.
Q-Are there any special requirements for connecting the KH Guardian to the ACR?
A-There is an adapter cable that needs to be purchased along with the KH Guardian, that's it.
These 2 pieces of equipment aren't inexpensive. But when you factor in that the need for other components has been eliminated (that could easily add up to $500.00-$600.00), the cost isn't as much as at first glance. Also consider the benefits of a system that can modulate the KH effluent to mimic the demands of the tank and provide for increased stability, priceless. I have some experience with calcium reactors but am by no means an expert, but instead rely on the experts. Really anxious to get this implemented. Should be able to place my order in the next couple of weeks.
Q-Is a dedicated/precision feed pump required?
A-There is no need for a dedicated feed pump, teeing off of a return line is all that's necessary. The control panel on the ACR modulates the effluent, all that's required is to keep water pressure to the unit.
Q-Are there specific needs as far as the CO2 supply is concerned (i.e. high end regulator)?
A-No, there is no need for a needle valve or bubble counter on the regulator. All that's required is the ability to regulate the pressure from the CO2 tank to the unit down to 8-10 lbs pressure. The controller on the unit does the rest. CO2 is also recycled in the reactor chamber to reduce the amount of CO2 used.
Q-Are there any special requirements for connecting the KH Guardian to the ACR?
A-There is an adapter cable that needs to be purchased along with the KH Guardian, that's it.
These 2 pieces of equipment aren't inexpensive. But when you factor in that the need for other components has been eliminated (that could easily add up to $500.00-$600.00), the cost isn't as much as at first glance. Also consider the benefits of a system that can modulate the KH effluent to mimic the demands of the tank and provide for increased stability, priceless. I have some experience with calcium reactors but am by no means an expert, but instead rely on the experts. Really anxious to get this implemented. Should be able to place my order in the next couple of weeks.
Rick.45cal
2500 Club Member
Sorry I missed this, I haven’t looked to see if there is an updated user manual honestly.
camelcruiser
Active Member
Any chance anyone can take a picture of the internals of the controller? I just set mine up and have a couple wires that aren’t connected. Looks like they come off of the effluent solenoid....makes sense since I have no effluent.
Crashjack
Well-Known Member
Wanted to bring this back up. I'm looking into "automatic" reactors (DaStaCo and Aquarium Engineering), but my searches don't find any bona fide AE users... at least none willing to give any details or talk about their experience so far.
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