Calcium reactor ...do I really need one???

[mssvp]

So I have been purchasing some equipment for my new tank. Do I really need a calcium reactor for a 150gal ?
I plan on stocking with small fish and mixed corals.

[Ron Reefman]

No. But even with simple mixed corals you will need to watch the calcium use and dose to keep cal, mag and alk levels in line. I don't have a calcium reactor on my system...yet. And I have mostly sps and lps corals.

[Sk8r]

A kalk drip from your ATO will probably do everything you need: only your stonies are going to need much calcium, and a kalk drip can probably keep up with it for quite a while, at very least and probably forever. A kalk drip is nothing but getting your readings proper by hand-dosing, then lidding your ATO reservoir, dumping in 2 tsp kalk powder per gallon of ro/di, stirring it once, then letting it alone. Until your mg sinks too far, the alk and cal will stay wherever you set them. It's magical. Best of all a month's worth of kalk for your situation is probably about 5.00. How long this suffices is determined by the number of stonies in your tank.

[zigzag1]

A tank with considerable stony coral growth and Coraline algae growth can easily out pace kalkwasser, mine did. Also, kalk is highly dependent on evaporation rate which can vary from system to system and per season, local conditions, etc. IIRC, 100 gallons or more is the size where a Ca reactor becomes much more affordable, and more so long term ROI. Dosing is doable on any size system and can be much more affordable with DIY type solutions. If doing dosing, I would invest in the proper pumps and controller hardware. JMTC & GL!

[mssvp]

I purchased a two pump ghl doser thinking it would be the way to go, but was told that a reactor would be more cost efficient in the long run. I guess it all comes down to what type of corals I will be keeping. If I were to choose sps corals mainly, would a calc reactor be something that I should invest in as opposed to a doser alone? Would a calc reactor make the doser obsolete, or would I still need to dose to maintain parameters for successful growth of sps?

My apologies if I sound like a reefnoob , I just want to be sure that im making the right purchases the first time around before having to replace and upgrade. All the while, spending double than what I should have initially.

[mtlreeffreak]

i as well was going to go with a doser.. not to sure how to go about it myself

[Palting]

I'm still relatively new to the dosing practice, so someone correct me if I'm wrong, but here are several things I've learned over several months of research and several months of playing with dosing. Seems particularly relevant, since the OP has a 150 gal tank, like mine. I have an SPS dominated reef tank.

1. You do not need any reactor, calcium, alk, and mag dosing early on in the life of the tank. Water changes with quality salt is more than enough during that period. It took me more than a year and a lot of stony coral and coraline growth before the alk and calcium started to drop.
2. Once you notice alk and calcium drop, act quickly, because the consumption seems to take off rapidly when you get to that point.
3. Kalkwasser and reactors are old school. They work, but are more labor intensive than 2 part dosing. There are also side effects, like excess CO2 and pH shifts with kalkwasser and reactors. 2 part dosing, and the occasional mag dosing, is easier with less equipment and can even be done manually daily, can easily be titrated to your needs, and easy to follow and monitor.

Like I said, I'm still relatively new to this dosing, and I'm just passing on a summary of what I've learned and what I now practice. If I'm wrong, I apologize, and feel free to point out where I'm wrong and why. I, and anyone I've misled, will appreciate the knowledge.

[porthoslohnes]

Palting, could you elaborate a bit about 2 part dosing please? Thanks!

[thegrun]

Originally Posted by Palting

I'm still relatively new to the dosing practice, so someone correct me if I'm wrong, but here are several things I've learned over several months of research and several months of playing with dosing. Seems particularly relevant, since the OP has a 150 gal tank, like mine. I have an SPS dominated reef tank.

1. You do not need any reactor, calcium, alk, and mag dosing early on in the life of the tank. Water changes with quality salt is more than enough during that period. It took me more than a year and a lot of stony coral and coraline growth before the alk and calcium started to drop.
2. Once you notice alk and calcium drop, act quickly, because the consumption seems to take off rapidly when you get to that point.
3. Kalkwasser and reactors are old school. They work, but are more labor intensive than 2 part dosing. There are also side effects, like excess CO2 and pH shifts with kalkwasser and reactors. 2 part dosing, and the occasional mag dosing, is easier with less equipment and can even be done manually daily, can easily be titrated to your needs, and easy to follow and monitor.

Like I said, I'm still relatively new to this dosing, and I'm just passing on a summary of what I've learned and what I now practice. If I'm wrong, I apologize, and feel free to point out where I'm wrong and why. I, and anyone I've misled, will appreciate the knowledge.

Good synopsis except the #3 reference to Kalk dosing being more labor intensive. What could be easier than dumping picking lime into your top off water reservoir? Kalk may be "old school", but it’s easy, safe and reliable. You may reach a point where Kalk alone will no longer keep up with the calcium and alkalinity demands of your tank, but till then it is a great alternative to dosing or a calcium reactor. If your calcium demand is very high, a reactor will be more economical to run in the long run.

[Palting]

Originally Posted by porthoslohnes

Palting, could you elaborate a bit about 2 part dosing please? Thanks!

Sure. Here is what I used as a bible, written by the great RHF: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

It gives not only recipes, but great insight into the why's and wherefore's of dosing. I've had a little difficulty locating and obtaining the Dowflake, so I've switched to the pre-made 2 parts available at the LFS or on-line. You can use the 2 part by Bi-Ionic, Seachem, BRS, or what I use, Brightwell Aquatics. I am still doing it manually, dosing 15cc's each of the 2 part every evening, and that, together with 10% weekly WC's with ReefCrystals, seems to maintain my parameters for me. You can also buy automated dosers that slowly dose over time, but I don't find the need for them, yet.

Originally Posted by thegrun

Good synopsis except the #3 reference to Kalk dosing being more labor intensive. What could be easier than dumping picking lime into your top off water reservoir? Kalk may be "old school", but it’s easy, safe and reliable. You may reach a point where Kalk alone will no longer keep up with the calcium and alkalinity demands of your tank, but till then it is a great alternative to dosing or a calcium reactor. If your calcium demand is very high, a reactor will be more economical to run in the long run.

Thanks. My impression of kalkwasser is that you dissolve it, but not all of it dissolves. You then decant the supernatant, and that's what you use to dose. The kalkwasser supernatant loses potency over time, so it is recommended to use up each batch within 24 hours. Am I wrong?

[mssvp]

Thanks for the great advice, I look forward to seeing how it goes with the doser. I'll upgrade in the future if needed. I don't see this being a problem for a newly established tank.