I'm ready for a calcium reactor... Need advice. ... Please

[BrentH]

I currently have a 200 gal packed with growing sps ... I'm currently using a bm doser and dosing 400 ml a day of alk and cal and. 40 ml of mag a day .... I've always been afraid of calcium reactors for some reason ... I love the being able to fine tune my parimeters easily with the doser but anyway I need suggestions for a good realiable calcium reactor and parts I really have no idea were to start and are they really that hard to deal with I'm upgrading to 500 gallon already have the tank and most equipment was planning on doser but realizing its not going to work

[BrentH]

Anyone? Just a realiable model and regulator supple pump?

[jda]

I like top mounted pump reactors with Eheim pumps. This way, if you have too much CO2, the pump fills with CO2 and won't let any more stream into your tank... and Eheim pumps can run dry. Reverse flow. Coarse media. Maybe some dolomite to help with the mag (if you need it).

Don't skim on the regulator or good check valve. Cheap regulators are not worth the money and won't be consistent.

Currently, I have Korallin 3002 with pinpoint regulator on one tank and a ASD reactor with pinpoint regulator on another.

FWIW - if you are cramped for room, you can keep the CO2 tanks in the basement, or whatever, and you can just run the CO2 line to the tank.

You will love it.

[BrentH]

Thanks for the reply ill look into both of those reactors and pick .... We're a the easiest way to get co2?

[Uncle Luke]

Grab yourself a Geo or a MTC Pro Cal with and Aquarium Plants regulator. Set it and forget it.

[ArmanS]

I got a reef octo dual calcium reactor, good quality reactor haven't got it setup just yet.

I also got an aquarium plants co2 regulator, make sure to get that it will help you a lot!

[bernie lyons]

Originally Posted by uncle luke

grab yourself a geo or a mtc pro cal with and aquarium plants regulator. Set it and forget it.

+1

[ct_vol]

I have a Geo with a Reef Fanatic regulator. If I had it to do over again, I would buy an Aquarium Plants Regulator. The RF regulator served me well the past 5 years. I had to replace the solenoid last week and that was the first maintenance I've ever had to do.

[BrentH]

I like the geo 818 looks like it will work

[BrentH]

I just don't understand them yet ..I mean I get how they work just alot of peps act like there not very user friendly ?. I'm sure I can handle it I think I'm going for the geo 818 and the aqairium plants regulator and a 10lb c02 I have 2 bubble Magnus dosing pumps ill fine tune with I just had to bump my dosing amount up to 410ml a day

[jda]

The regulator is key. I have been happy with the pinpoints, but I will be getting an aquarium plants next just from the reputation.

You can get CO2 and at welding shop.

[jda]

They are really easy once you dig in. They basically recirculate tank water in the chamber while lowering the PH so that the media that you put in melts.

Start off with 40 drips per minute and 10 bubbles. That is a good ratio to start with. You can fine tune it from there. I have escalated to about 4x that, but the ratio is still the same.

GET A CHECK VALVE or that nice regulator will be toast if it gets saltwater in it.

[BrentH]

Awesome thanks jda I appreciate everyone's help

[BrentH]

So all that u basically adjust is the amount of co2 going into the reactor?

[ArmanS]

Brent, youtube the BulkReefSupply vid on CR, they have a easy to understand vid that explains how calcium reactors work and how to adjust them.

[biecacka]

+1 on GEO

Corey

[brianfarkas]

check out the diy kit from avast marine easy to set up

[sirreal63]

Read the Calcium Reactor sections here... http://reef.diesyst.com/index.html it will help a lot.

[mc-cro]

I have been using a Geo reactor, with Milwaukee controller, and Reef fanactic solenoid and needle valve for about 10yrs. I love it. I have had to replace the solenoid once in that time frame.

I am now running it with an adjustable cole parmer peristalic pump.

If I had to do it all over again, I would do it exactly the same. However these are all bullet proof components in my experience, so there wont ever be a do over

[mc-cro]

adjusting it is simple once you understand it.

basically you either want to adjust how much or how potent the effluent is. you can do that by internal ph or by volume of water output. If you want more alk you can either push more water through the reactor, or keep the same amount of water, but run it at a lower PH. This is ofcourse within reason, if you turn the ph too low you will run into complications.


people get too confused by trying to adjust both variables.

[LouH]

Do not get a needle valve and selenoid setup. I personally experienced 4 selenoid failures over a 6 year period. They just wear out and start to stick, and your reactor pH climbs until it is equal to your tank's. If you travel for work, you may come home to find that you haven't dosed your tank in days. That can be fatal for a high demand tank.

Get a carbon doser from Aquarium Plants. You can get it here:

http://www.aquariumplants.com/Carbon...ator_p/co2.htm

I have one that is controlled by an Apex controller, and it holds reactor pH between 6.48 and 6.5 all day, every day. I drilled and tapped the top of my Corraline reactor and inserted a pH probe holder, so I can measure the pH in the reactor directly. It is a pretty slick set-up. However, you don't have to use a controller like an Apex or Pinpoint, the Carbon Doser is very easily tuned to maintain your target pH. A controller just makes it easier.

On the drip rate side of things, I purchased LiterMeter III and control dosing rates with it. After having it for six months or so, I will never go back to dripping reactor effluent into a sump. It is pricey, but money well spent IMHO.

Lou

[mc-cro]

Thats a nice regulator there Lou, although my experiences have been different than yours. I travel for work as well, I have been a road warrior since the late '90s.

I set my needle valve so that my bubble count is as close as possible to the consumption rate, so that the solenoid almost never opens or closes. that way, if the solenoid ever sticks on, it wont overdose the C02. In your case, it failed close. I only ever had that happen one time, and it was because I forgot to put the check valve in, and salt water crept into the solenoid. after a thorough cleaning and replacing check valve it never happened again. My theory is that if the solenoid isnt clicking away all the time, the wear and tear is minimal. I would guess my solenoid only clicks 2 or 3 times a day.

[jda]

I have been using reactors for 14-15 years and never used them with a regulator or controller. I just set the bubble count with the needle and call it a quarter. My solenoid, as well as above, only goes off when the power goes off. I have a mini gate valve off of a manifold on my main pump that controls the effluent that has also never given me any issues - I have had issues with pinch or mini ball valves after the reactor, but never before.

[LouH]

Originally Posted by mc-cro

Thats a nice regulator there Lou, although my experiences have been different than yours. I travel for work as well, I have been a road warrior since the late '90s.

I set my needle valve so that my bubble count is as close as possible to the consumption rate, so that the solenoid almost never opens or closes. that way, if the solenoid ever sticks on, it wont overdose the C02. In your case, it failed close. I only ever had that happen one time, and it was because I forgot to put the check valve in, and salt water crept into the solenoid. after a thorough cleaning and replacing check valve it never happened again. My theory is that if the solenoid isnt clicking away all the time, the wear and tear is minimal. I would guess my solenoid only clicks 2 or 3 times a day.

I believe that your ability to hit and maintain pH and drip rate targets unquestionably helped you out with regard to solenoid longevity. For whatever reason, I was constantly chasing both pH and drip rate. If pH was in range, I would get a head space of CO2 over the media. I would cut back bubble rate slightly, and pH would be out of range.

Regarding the check valve, mine was discovered in a failed state after the last solenoid plunger failure, and it may in fact have been nonfunctional for a long period of time. That was actually the final straw that pushed me to the Carbon Doser. A replacement check valve was ridiculously priced, so I decided to get out of the needle valve/solenoid game.

[BrentH]

So u drip into a container from your reactor then use a dosing pump to add to aquarium? Interesting I've always loved the fine tuning that can be done with a dosing pump

Originally Posted by LouH

Do not get a needle valve and selenoid setup. I personally experienced 4 selenoid failures over a 6 year period. They just wear out and start to stick, and your reactor pH climbs until it is equal to your tank's. If you travel for work, you may come home to find that you haven't dosed your tank in days. That can be fatal for a high demand tank.

Get a carbon doser from Aquarium Plants. You can get it here:

http://www.aquariumplants.com/Carbon...ator_p/co2.htm

I have one that is controlled by an Apex controller, and it holds reactor pH between 6.48 and 6.5 all day, every day. I drilled and tapped the top of my Corraline reactor and inserted a pH probe holder, so I can measure the pH in the reactor directly. It is a pretty slick set-up. However, you don't have to use a controller like an Apex or Pinpoint, the Carbon Doser is very easily tuned to maintain your target pH. A controller just makes it easier.

On the drip rate side of things, I purchased LiterMeter III and control dosing rates with it. After having it for six months or so, I will never go back to dripping reactor effluent into a sump. It is pricey, but money well spent IMHO.

Lou