pros and cons of a calcium reactor

ihavtats29 · 01/29/2009, 11:02 PM

ive been keeping reef tanks for a little over 6 years now ive allways dosed for calcium , im thinking about a getting a reactor but before i jump in head first , i want to know as much about them as i can before getting one. what i need the be carefull of , i know th concept of it using C02 to strip the calcium from the media, all info on these is very much apreciated

old salty · 01/30/2009, 07:18 AM

Get a good regulator!! I have been recommending this one for years:

http://www.aquariumplants.com/AQUARI...ST_p/co2-1.htm

The key to setting it up is to go slow. Don't try to dial the reactor in the first week; spread it out over three or four. Run it for three days with no CO2, then SLOWLY start to dial in the CO2. Once you make a change, let it run for a week or so. The idea is to slowly increase the CO2 until it dissolves what the tank can use.

I personally do not use pH probes to control calcium reactors. A good regulator negates their use and is WAY less prone to failure than a hobby grade probe.

01/29/2009, 11:02 PM	#1
ihavtats29 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: cordova , TN Posts: 2,882	pros and cons of a calcium reactor ive been keeping reef tanks for a little over 6 years now ive allways dosed for calcium , im thinking about a getting a reactor but before i jump in head first , i want to know as much about them as i can before getting one. what i need the be carefull of , i know th concept of it using C02 to strip the calcium from the media, all info on these is very much apreciated __________________ got reef? Current Tank Info: 29 biocube HQI

01/30/2009, 07:18 AM	#2
old salty Genius Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: The Island of Misfit Toys Posts: 3,131	Get a good regulator!! I have been recommending this one for years: http://www.aquariumplants.com/AQUARI...ST_p/co2-1.htm The key to setting it up is to go slow. Don't try to dial the reactor in the first week; spread it out over three or four. Run it for three days with no CO2, then SLOWLY start to dial in the CO2. Once you make a change, let it run for a week or so. The idea is to slowly increase the CO2 until it dissolves what the tank can use. I personally do not use pH probes to control calcium reactors. A good regulator negates their use and is WAY less prone to failure than a hobby grade probe. __________________ "The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers." Thomas Jefferson Current Tank Info: Out of the marine aquarium hobby