calcium reactor by itself?

ros_sco · 04/06/2008, 09:23 AM

I have a 75 gallon SPS dominated reef tank which I have been dripping 1 gallon of saturated kalk solution daily along with supplemental calcium and alk and am considering changing to a calcium reactor. I see the majority of reefers who mention they are running a calcium reactor also mention they still have to drip kalk due to ph control. My question is, can I get good results using a calcium reactor alone? I was hoping to leave the constant drip valve adjustments and mixing kalk every 2 days behind.
Thanks

James77 · 04/06/2008, 09:26 AM

Yes a calcium reactor will work fine by itself- however if you have a real high demand, you may depress your pH-hence people dripping kalk. You could use a kalk reactor also, if you cant mix large amounts of limewater.

bergzy · 04/06/2008, 10:16 AM

for my situation...i use a ca reactor only...no kalk supplementation.

while my pH is a little lower than 'ideal' at around 8.0, i found that not having your ca reactor constantly 'on' was what did the trick for me.

what i did was simply unhook the co2 solenoid control from the pH controller and plugged it into my main lights with its own timer.

thus, when the main lights went on, the solenoid would open and co2 would flow.

thus the corals receive ca when the lights are on and additionally, they are raising the pH. when the lights go out, the corals stop using ca and pH has a tendency to drop. thus, i do not need a ca reactor constantly running dripping 6.75 effluent when it is not being used and especially when pH drops. doing this has greatly improved tank stability.

would i use a alk reactor now? nope!

hth's a little!

EpidemicScuzzy · 04/06/2008, 01:13 PM

A second chamber on the calcium reactor really helps to ensure that the pH depression isn't too bad. I would get one with two chambers if I had the opportunity to do it again.

ros_sco · 04/07/2008, 10:36 PM

Thanks for the info. Sounds like I won't be getting out of the kalk thing. I will probably try it at first to see what happens. My RK2 has a ph monitor capability so I can keep an eye on it.

04/06/2008, 09:23 AM	#1
ros_sco Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Redding, CA Posts: 761	calcium reactor by itself? I have a 75 gallon SPS dominated reef tank which I have been dripping 1 gallon of saturated kalk solution daily along with supplemental calcium and alk and am considering changing to a calcium reactor. I see the majority of reefers who mention they are running a calcium reactor also mention they still have to drip kalk due to ph control. My question is, can I get good results using a calcium reactor alone? I was hoping to leave the constant drip valve adjustments and mixing kalk every 2 days behind. Thanks __________________ Scott Current Tank Info: 210 gallon 72"L x 25"H x 27"W custom 3/4" acrylic reef tank with custom sump, 3 x Radion XR30 Pro with 2 80 watt T5, Aqua C EV180 skimmer, Geo 818 CA reactor, 4 x Vortech mp40 & 2 MP60, Apex controller

04/06/2008, 09:26 AM	#2
James77 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 8,158	Yes a calcium reactor will work fine by itself- however if you have a real high demand, you may depress your pH-hence people dripping kalk. You could use a kalk reactor also, if you cant mix large amounts of limewater. __________________ Jim Current Tank Info: 120g Mixed Reef and 75g Freshwater

04/06/2008, 10:16 AM	#3
bergzy Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: OC CA USA Posts: 5,299	for my situation...i use a ca reactor only...no kalk supplementation. while my pH is a little lower than 'ideal' at around 8.0, i found that not having your ca reactor constantly 'on' was what did the trick for me. what i did was simply unhook the co2 solenoid control from the pH controller and plugged it into my main lights with its own timer. thus, when the main lights went on, the solenoid would open and co2 would flow. thus the corals receive ca when the lights are on and additionally, they are raising the pH. when the lights go out, the corals stop using ca and pH has a tendency to drop. thus, i do not need a ca reactor constantly running dripping 6.75 effluent when it is not being used and especially when pH drops. doing this has greatly improved tank stability. would i use a alk reactor now? nope! hth's a little! __________________ The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule it. H.L. Mencken Ben. Current Tank Info: 180g sps, 90g cube clam biotope.

04/07/2008, 10:36 PM	#5
ros_sco Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Redding, CA Posts: 761	Thanks for the info. Sounds like I won't be getting out of the kalk thing. I will probably try it at first to see what happens. My RK2 has a ph monitor capability so I can keep an eye on it. __________________ Scott Current Tank Info: 210 gallon 72"L x 25"H x 27"W custom 3/4" acrylic reef tank with custom sump, 3 x Radion XR30 Pro with 2 80 watt T5, Aqua C EV180 skimmer, Geo 818 CA reactor, 4 x Vortech mp40 & 2 MP60, Apex controller

04/06/2008, 01:13 PM	#4
EpidemicScuzzy Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 66	A second chamber on the calcium reactor really helps to ensure that the pH depression isn't too bad. I would get one with two chambers if I had the opportunity to do it again.