CA Reactor Questions

ItsMee · 03/13/2006, 06:27 PM

I want my Alk and Ca maintenance down to a minimum. Do c02 calcium reactors maintain alkalinity as well as calcium? I want a c02 CA reactor for a 75 gallon, with a 50 gallon sump...lets pretend that my tank is full of calcium and alkalinity consuming corals...what c02 Ca reactor would you suggest, and how much money are we talking about for erything I need? (c02, reactor, media, whatever else?)

bertoni · 03/13/2006, 07:05 PM

They are much like lime, and add calcium and alkalinity in pretty much exactly the same ratio as lime. I think a lot of vendors sell kits. If you are into DIY, there are also plans for a calcium reactor that looked pretty good to me.

ItsMee · 03/13/2006, 09:17 PM

So like lime, they maintain alkalinity as well? Do they tend to lower or raise PH? I am dont have the luxury of being a handy DIY person. What is a go0d guess of a price range for a c02 ca reactor setup?

bertoni · 03/13/2006, 11:04 PM

They will tend to lower pH. I'd check myreefcreations.com for a rough idea of prices.

MCary · 03/14/2006, 10:31 AM

The lower pH is due to the CO2. I run mine into my skimmer to blow off the CO2 and never have a pH problem. One thing to think about. If you are not running a heavy SPS tank then your Calcium and ALk maintenance is already probably at a minimum.

haid · 03/14/2006, 11:02 AM

Yea if you off gas the CO2 you will not have an issue with lowered PH. If not the PH difference is not that great if you are not using loads of CO2.

JaMan · 03/14/2006, 11:39 AM

IMO I think of them as ALK reactors beacuse I set mine to the desired dkh not the desired Ca. If I have the Alk where I want it and the Ca is lower than I want (rarely) then I sup Ca.

starting from zero, at complete setup could run as high as $800...depending on options and Brand.

ItsMee · 03/14/2006, 07:09 PM

Cool...I think I am going to get one from myreefcreations.com - they are pretty cheap because they are not name brand. Anyone have one from there? How is it?

Is there a website that can explain to me how a c02 reactor works?

bertoni · 03/14/2006, 08:16 PM

Well, they work because adding CO2 to the water reduces the pH of the water. Once the pH is low enough, it will dissolve the calcium carbonate in the reactor media.

ItsMee · 03/15/2006, 03:19 PM

I dont understand how the PH can be lowered in the reactor and not the tank...

MCary · 03/15/2006, 04:25 PM

Mainly the pH is lowered in the reactor and not the tank because first the volume in the reactor is much lower and that volume is circulated through the media by means of a recirculating pump. The calcium rich effluent is then dripped into the tank. Second the chamber holds the CO2. When it gets into the main tank it disappates like beer going flat.

Calcium reactors are on of those very expensive items that are incredibly easy to make. All you need is a pump that recirculates water through a vessel which contains crushed coral or reactor media. I nipple placed before the intake of the pump is where the co2 goes in. Then you just need a couple of J fittings for an infeed and an outfeed (water from the tank) and bingo. There nothing too fancy about them. If your more sophisticated you can build bubble counters and pH probe holders.

So if its something you just gotta have and you can't afford it, build it.

Mike

ItsMee · 03/15/2006, 06:01 PM

Why is a bubble counter used?

bertoni · 03/16/2006, 06:44 PM

The bubble counter tells you how much CO2 is being dosed so that you can make adjustments.

ItsMee · 03/17/2006, 09:30 AM

about how long would a tank of c02 last on a 75 gallon tank?

MCary · 03/17/2006, 10:10 AM

Depends on the how much CO2 you used and how big of a tank you used. I think a 20 pound bottle could last a year. It costs about $12 to refill. I think thats what I paid last time.

Mike

ItsMee · 03/17/2006, 05:39 PM

How often do you replace the media, and is it expensive?

ItsMee · 03/17/2006, 06:37 PM

does this reactor look good?: http://www.hellolights.com/noname20.html

bertoni · 03/17/2006, 07:43 PM

I think the reactor is fine. The media gets dissolved at a rate depending on the tank's usage, and also might need replacing if it clogs up, etc. The media itself can just be crushed coral. A bunch of places sell various calcium carbonate products, and most any of them should work.

03/13/2006, 06:27 PM	#1
ItsMee Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Los Angeles CA Posts: 1,861	CA Reactor Questions I want my Alk and Ca maintenance down to a minimum. Do c02 calcium reactors maintain alkalinity as well as calcium? I want a c02 CA reactor for a 75 gallon, with a 50 gallon sump...lets pretend that my tank is full of calcium and alkalinity consuming corals...what c02 Ca reactor would you suggest, and how much money are we talking about for erything I need? (c02, reactor, media, whatever else?) __________________ There are 10 kinds of people who understand binary, those who do, and those who don't. Current Tank Info: Cadlight 39G pro system!

03/13/2006, 07:05 PM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	They are much like lime, and add calcium and alkalinity in pretty much exactly the same ratio as lime. I think a lot of vendors sell kits. If you are into DIY, there are also plans for a calcium reactor that looked pretty good to me. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

03/13/2006, 09:17 PM	#3
ItsMee Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Los Angeles CA Posts: 1,861	So like lime, they maintain alkalinity as well? Do they tend to lower or raise PH? I am dont have the luxury of being a handy DIY person. What is a go0d guess of a price range for a c02 ca reactor setup? __________________ There are 10 kinds of people who understand binary, those who do, and those who don't. Current Tank Info: Cadlight 39G pro system!

03/13/2006, 11:04 PM	#4
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	They will tend to lower pH. I'd check myreefcreations.com for a rough idea of prices. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

03/14/2006, 07:09 PM	#8
ItsMee Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Los Angeles CA Posts: 1,861	Cool...I think I am going to get one from myreefcreations.com - they are pretty cheap because they are not name brand. Anyone have one from there? How is it? Is there a website that can explain to me how a c02 reactor works? __________________ There are 10 kinds of people who understand binary, those who do, and those who don't. Current Tank Info: Cadlight 39G pro system!

03/14/2006, 10:31 AM	#5
MCary Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hardin, Montana Posts: 3,142	The lower pH is due to the CO2. I run mine into my skimmer to blow off the CO2 and never have a pH problem. One thing to think about. If you are not running a heavy SPS tank then your Calcium and ALk maintenance is already probably at a minimum.

03/14/2006, 11:02 AM	#6
haid Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: IN Posts: 518	Yea if you off gas the CO2 you will not have an issue with lowered PH. If not the PH difference is not that great if you are not using loads of CO2.

03/14/2006, 11:39 AM	#7
JaMan Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 147	IMO I think of them as ALK reactors beacuse I set mine to the desired dkh not the desired Ca. If I have the Alk where I want it and the Ca is lower than I want (rarely) then I sup Ca. starting from zero, at complete setup could run as high as $800...depending on options and Brand.

03/14/2006, 08:16 PM	#9
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Well, they work because adding CO2 to the water reduces the pH of the water. Once the pH is low enough, it will dissolve the calcium carbonate in the reactor media. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

03/15/2006, 03:19 PM	#10
ItsMee Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Los Angeles CA Posts: 1,861	I dont understand how the PH can be lowered in the reactor and not the tank... __________________ There are 10 kinds of people who understand binary, those who do, and those who don't. Current Tank Info: Cadlight 39G pro system!

03/15/2006, 04:25 PM	#11
MCary Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hardin, Montana Posts: 3,142	Mainly the pH is lowered in the reactor and not the tank because first the volume in the reactor is much lower and that volume is circulated through the media by means of a recirculating pump. The calcium rich effluent is then dripped into the tank. Second the chamber holds the CO2. When it gets into the main tank it disappates like beer going flat. Calcium reactors are on of those very expensive items that are incredibly easy to make. All you need is a pump that recirculates water through a vessel which contains crushed coral or reactor media. I nipple placed before the intake of the pump is where the co2 goes in. Then you just need a couple of J fittings for an infeed and an outfeed (water from the tank) and bingo. There nothing too fancy about them. If your more sophisticated you can build bubble counters and pH probe holders. So if its something you just gotta have and you can't afford it, build it. Mike

03/15/2006, 06:01 PM	#12
ItsMee Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Los Angeles CA Posts: 1,861	Why is a bubble counter used? __________________ There are 10 kinds of people who understand binary, those who do, and those who don't. Current Tank Info: Cadlight 39G pro system!

03/16/2006, 06:44 PM	#13
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	The bubble counter tells you how much CO2 is being dosed so that you can make adjustments. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

03/17/2006, 09:30 AM	#14
ItsMee Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Los Angeles CA Posts: 1,861	about how long would a tank of c02 last on a 75 gallon tank? __________________ There are 10 kinds of people who understand binary, those who do, and those who don't. Current Tank Info: Cadlight 39G pro system!

03/17/2006, 10:10 AM	#15
MCary Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hardin, Montana Posts: 3,142	Depends on the how much CO2 you used and how big of a tank you used. I think a 20 pound bottle could last a year. It costs about $12 to refill. I think thats what I paid last time. Mike

03/17/2006, 05:39 PM	#16
ItsMee Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Los Angeles CA Posts: 1,861	How often do you replace the media, and is it expensive? __________________ There are 10 kinds of people who understand binary, those who do, and those who don't. Current Tank Info: Cadlight 39G pro system!

03/17/2006, 06:37 PM	#17
ItsMee Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Los Angeles CA Posts: 1,861	does this reactor look good?: http://www.hellolights.com/noname20.html __________________ There are 10 kinds of people who understand binary, those who do, and those who don't. Current Tank Info: Cadlight 39G pro system!

03/17/2006, 07:43 PM	#18
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I think the reactor is fine. The media gets dissolved at a rate depending on the tank's usage, and also might need replacing if it clogs up, etc. The media itself can just be crushed coral. A bunch of places sell various calcium carbonate products, and most any of them should work. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni