any small calcium reactors on the market?

[jennibee13]

when i set my tank up 5 yrs ago, i figured i didnt have room for a calcium reactor so i didnt set one up................needless to say i lost 2k worth of coral due to chronic low ph, had i known..........

my house is always closed with central air or heat, rarely open, so co2 builds and my ph is 7.7 in morn and 7.9 peak........fish and anemones seem unaffected but.............i thought id take some pics and maybe there is something i can do

ive tried the dripping kalk, it just cant keep up


heres what space i have, on the left of my sump, it measures 7.5" by 21"

[jennibee13]

i found this

http://www.lifereef.com/calcium.html

[jtma508]

Jenni... I have a 90gal bowfront. Which means I have very shallow space on the ends of the under-cabinet. I'm running a Korallin 1502 which has a footprint of 6.5" I have to use a pretty small (2.5lb) CO2 tank to fit in there but it all works for me. 21" front to back would be heaven in my setup.

[jennibee13]

is this a calcium or kalk reactor, being my ph is so low im assuming a kalk reactor wouldnt get it done?

i assume all you need to do is plumb an intake and return to sump? can this be done over the top with a 90 for the intake?

[jennibee13]

i see http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...s~vendor~.html

[jimsflies]

A calcium reactor isn't going to help with the pH issue you are having. If anything, it could make your display pH lower due to any excess CO2 from the reactor.

Kalk is your best bet. A kalk reactor will help assure fresh kalkwasser is delivered to your tank. Although, I will say after having chased my tail on this for a couple years, if your corals look happy then I wouldn't worry about it.

[jennibee13]

nope, all my corals died a slow death , took a couple years , from the low ph...................like i said i was dosing esv via kent aquadose, it seems to have a minimal effect.............a reactor would use the same powder and does much better?

[nanojg]

I thought calcium reactors normally lowed ph?

[jennibee13]

not sure how these work, say i were to buy this one

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch..._Code=creactor


the spout on the side is to drain water into container to mix kalk, then pour that into port on top, i assume with a funnel.............my guess is you would plumb out the top into the sump for feed?

how do you put fresh water in? i dont have a dosing or fresh water feed, i add 2 gals a day manually now since i didnt have room for a fresh water feed..............


also, how would you adjust how much its adding? i assume youd need some sort of a ph controller?

[jennibee13]

the rpoblem with the drip method is i would have to add above and beyond what the tank evaporates per day in order to achieve 8.2-8.4.................i would need a steady stream, its just not possible, should i try making the kalk more potent? say 4 tsp per gallon instead of 2?

[snorvich]

What are you measuring your pH with?

[jtma508]

Something's not right here. I think this goes beyond a need for a Ca reactor. Can you give us a run down of your tank parameters (NO3, Ca, Alk, Mg, PO4). Properly setup, a Ca reactor will have little downward effect on a correctly buffered tank's pH. A kalk reactor will most definitely raise the pH (and add Ca) but do nothing for the Alk or Mg.

Let us know what your paramaters are and maybe we can get a better picture of what is going on.

[jennibee13]

Originally posted by snorvich
What are you measuring your pH with?

pinpoint probe , you can see monitor in pic

calibrated every month with 7 and 10 fluid

[jennibee13]

Originally posted by jtma508
Something's not right here. I think this goes beyond a need for a Ca reactor. Can you give us a run down of your tank parameters (NO3, Ca, Alk, Mg, PO4). Properly setup, a Ca reactor will have little downward effect on a correctly buffered tank's pH. A kalk reactor will most definitely raise the pH (and add Ca) but do nothing for the Alk or Mg.

Let us know what your paramaters are and maybe we can get a better picture of what is going on.

checked yest , and once a week

cal-410

alk-7.2 (i try to keep it at 8.0 with bionic)

mag-1320

ill check nitrate now, i dont have a phos test kit


when i let the kalk run to bring water level up the ph def comes up, but drops right back down.............like i said, a drip just cant keep up

and i do 25% changes once a month, i really dont think its my para, i think its just having 2 dogs and 2 birds in a small closed up house makes the co2 skyrocket

[jennibee13]

i should add, im running 50mg ozone as well

i have a fuge with chaeto , and a deep sand bed, which, if i had to do it over again i wouldnt do

[jennibee13]

no3 = 10ppm id bet the dsb is the cause

should i purchase a phos kit at this point? im thinking my chaeto keeps them under control

[jtma508]

Phosphate will definitely impact corals --- especially SPS. Your params look good although you'd like to have your Alk up around 9.0. That's where a good deal of your pH buffering comes from. Have you considered doing more frequent water changes?

[jennibee13]

i have to be honest, ive neglected the tank due to surgery, breakup, etc.........personal life crap..........ive lost all corals, every one...............its become over run with aiptasia (im waiting on burghia)................id be embarrassed to post a pic..........but thru it all my 3 anemones and my fish seem to be doing ok, ive had most since the beginning(6 yrs)

my nitrates are a tad high, i just thru in a filter sock with some carbon(and was reading about vodka but i dont think im that high)....................yes i could start doing bi weekly changes....................but, id really like to address the ph if i can in any way, a kalk drip just doesnt seem to impact the level albeit maybe .05

[jennibee13]

i also have bionic, i was just reading the bottle, it says alk should be kept between 8.4-10.5 dk..................would i be better off shooting for the 10 range ? would that help my ph?

[jtma508]

10ppm isn't a catastrophe as far as NO3 goes and the carbon won't do anything about it anyway. It will suck-up organics if they're in there.

Your Alk being on the low side will contribute to your pH problem. You want to get it up to 9-10. Have you considered raising your pH using Kalk and then adding a pH buffer to stabilize the pH? It seems like the chemical buffers have been depleted from your system. And the frequent water changes will help alot for sure.

BTW, hang in there. Things DO get better. Many of us have been through what you're going through.

[jennibee13]

i just thru the carbon in there cuz i had it, long term use is no good.................im going to get a phos kit, some phosban some socks more bionic......................would you recommend anything for nitrate removal? i was looking at this http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...80&pcatid=4180


and whats your thoughts on phosban?

[jtma508]

Nitrate will come down through water changes. I'd be reluctant to add anything else until you get the sitautaion stabilized. The more stuff you throw in there the more variables you are introducing. You can't just throw phosban in a sock and have it work. You need a reactor for decent results. But first, you should establish that you need phosban before spending your money. Go slowly, one issue at a time.

Remember the reefer's motto: "Only bad things happen quickly"

[jennibee13]

yeah, i know that motto, ok then..............more bionic (i hadnt been dosing this everyday like i was in the beginning, i drifted off track)

phos test kit....................bi weekly changes, ill go from there and probably resurrect this at some point..............maybe with the phos results, ty for your help

[jtma508]

NP. Glad to help. Not to make this more work for you... but how about weekly water changes? At least for awhile until things stabilize. Then you can see if you can go longer.

[jennibee13]

is that right? 25 gals like i was doing once a month?