Aquamaxx ctech t2 calcium reactor reviews?

[A_Blind_Reefer]

I’ve searched, with no success, for any information on this reactor. They’ve been around since 2016 as far as I can tell. I found one YouTube on the smaller version, and another on the larger unit. Both were freshly installed. Nothing long term. I know they’re probably not the best as cheap as they are. Although, as cheap as they are I would think there would be a lot out there. Despite not finding anything on them, I ordered one as they were on sale. Worst case, it’s disposable. Second worse case is that one could make a new lid and drill the reactor and have a diy version for roughly the same as say the diy avast mr16 unit. I’m guessing the avast is probably much more robust though. Anyway, if anyone has had one for any length of time and has any issues, tips, tricks, mods, I would love to hear about them. I’m severely visually impaired, and this will be my first calcium reactor. It will be very challenging for me, but since the brs premeasured two part has about tripled in price since Covid started I’m pushing $30 a month in two part with tropic marin a,k and part c. My previous order a few months back, I usually get the five pack of brs gallon packs, It was at about $20 a month. When I started with the premeasured packs it was under $10 a month. When I could see I was buying the seven pound bags and the cost was about $6 a month and that was just three years ago or so. I know pricing increases, but this is ridiculous and being pretty much blind now makes it too difficult to buy in bulk or go with the Randy diy versions. When brs did the calcium reactor vs two part cost video, it was obviously biased to one of the products they were founded on, but the $3 a month for a typical 100 gallon, 1dkh per day, tank using brs pharma is no longer anywhere near accurate. The 5-6 year return on investment they calculated for a calcium reactor is no longer anywhere near accurate either. My total cost of a Aquamaxx t2 reactor, arm media, two co2 bottles, tunze regulator, additional Neptune ph probe, check valve, solenoid, and other misc items, including taxes and all was about $700. At the current cost of two part for me at $350 a year, I break even in two years. I assume that the cost of two part will not decline and probably continue to increase. On top of that my consumption will most definitely increase, so the break even point could be much faster. For reference, I have 200g total, display plus sump, and I’m dosing 185ml per day of each part. I’m thinking more and more people will be switching from brs pharma to Randy’s diy, Kalk, or a calcium reactor as the numbers just don’t make sense anymore. I feel I stayed with brs pharma longer than a lot just for the convenience of having premeasured one gallon packs. These were an absolute life saver for someone that rapidly, and without warning, lost most of thier useable vision. I truly thank brs for having that option, and I’m not bashing brs, it’s just that the numbers don’t work out anymore.

 

[Elmer Nicomedez]

Are you able to complete ph and alkalinity tests? If so, you may save some money by tuning the reactor without the use of controllers. Also what would be the reason for 2 co2 bottles? Depending on where you refill co2, you might be renting the bottles and those places usually do immediate exchanges.

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Are you able to complete ph and alkalinity tests? If so, you may save some money by tuning the reactor without the use of controllers. Also what would be the reason for 2 co2 bottles? Depending on where you refill co2, you might be renting the bottles and those places usually do immediate exchanges.

i can perform Hanna alkalinity testing with a pipette set to 10ml and using seeing ai on my phone to read the result to me. I don’t have a digital ph tester, but I may need to get one in the future. I can calibrate a probe using the Classic dashboard on my iPad with voiceover as it talks to me. I can figure out the ph solutions with seeing ai and my phone. It’s not easy, but I’m getting used to it. The ph will really only be for shutting it down if things go awry. I will attempt to tune it by effluent dkh and trying to manage a pinch valve for the time being. Many have gone without a peristaltic pump and I’m willing to try it out. I will certainly start off very, very slow and slowly taper down my automatic dosing of two part. Im hoping to tune it so that the ph doesn’t get to the point where it shuts down the solenoid under normal operating conditions. Many people don’t use the ph probe at all, but I need all the help I can get. The second bottle is a backup or reserve. As I can’t see well at all, I can no longer drive. If a bottle runs out I can’t just hop in the car and run to the welding supply that’s thirty minutes away. They also do not ship or deliver full co2 to residential areas. I still have an account at air gas from my working days but they are an hour away from here. There is no rent on customer owned cylinders, and this is usually the cheapest route as the monthly cylinder fees can add up. Most places want you to burn through a minimum amount of gas monthly as well when you rent. The cylinders were super cheap on prime day!

 

[seant2h]

FYI I found that is cheap and easy to find used 20# co2 tanks on Craigslist or marketplace and use that as a trade in instead of laying out $100+ for your first tank. I also have two tanks because it’s great to not worry when it runs out since the Praxair place that I get my CO2 closes at 5pm.

***edit*** also no place near me refills tanks so trading in a nice new aluminum tank for a marked up steel one is not a good deal.

 

[PeterC99]

Great move on getting the calcium reactor. I use a Reef Octo one.

Highly recommend using TLF media. Uses significantly less CO2 and thus doesnt lower your aquarium pH with the calcium reactor’s effluent as much as aragonite media.

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

FYI I found that is cheap and easy to find used 20# co2 tanks on Craigslist or marketplace and use that as a trade in instead of laying out $100+ for your first tank. I also have two tanks because it’s great to not worry when it runs out since the Praxair place that I get my CO2 closes at 5pm.

For most, yes this is great. Not being able to drive or navigate Craigslist due to vision rules this out for me, but I’m a rarity. Primeday cylinders were about $55 delivered empty, and I know I’ll never see those again. I have several large welding cylinders in the garage which I considered using. Getting someone to help me load a 300cf argon co2 mix bottle and take me an hour away to exchange it I think is a big ask. Also, not sure that having 300cf of co2 plumbed into the house is a great idea. A leaking regulator on a 5lb cylinder probably wouldn’t do much other than give me headache. Although, it would last a lifetime and never need to be refilled! And praxair closes at five Monday through Friday. Most branches are not open weekends, and all are closed for holidays so exactly why a second cylinder is necessary in my opinion

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

FYI I found that is cheap and easy to find used 20# co2 tanks on Craigslist or marketplace and use that as a trade in instead of laying out $100+ for your first tank. I also have two tanks because it’s great to not worry when it runs out since the Praxair place that I get my CO2 closes at 5pm.

***edit*** also no place near me refills tanks so trading in a nice new aluminum tank for a marked up steel one is not a good deal.

On the edit, exactly. Hardly anyone will refill a cylinder, especially while you wait. Most only have one maybe two people working if you’re lucky, and they usually don’t have the time to bother. I don’t care what my cylinder looks like, it won’t be sitting in the living room on a spinning table with led backlighting or anything.

edit. Although I do have an old nitrous bottle in the garage…..and some purge valves. I could do a fast and furious themed calcium reactor. Ha

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

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[A_Blind_Reefer]

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[jmichaelh7]

Great move on getting the calcium reactor. I use a Reef Octo one.

Highly recommend using TLF media. Uses significantly less CO2 and thus doesnt lower your aquarium pH with the calcium reactor’s effluent as much as aragonite media.

Whats tlf

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Whats tlf

Two little fishies media

 

[jmichaelh7]

Two little fishies media

Thanks

yeah back to the post I think it works. Of course you can buy a different one. The 1 issue I noticed is that with crushed media, and this carx reactor isn’t reverse flow, it would clog up due to media . I run the big media so it isn’t a issue

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Thanks

yeah back to the post I think it works. Of course you can buy a different one. The 1 issue I noticed is that with crushed media, and this carx reactor isn’t reverse flow, it would clog up due to media . I run the big media so it isn’t a issue

Yeah I went with the coarse arm media as I won’t be able to tell when it’s clogging with the smaller media. I won’t be able to tell on the large either but I hear it really never does. I thought the reactor was reverse flow and recirculating? It sounds like there’s tube going down the middle and it flows up from the bottom and recirculates? That was a selling point for me, I’ll be disappointed if that’s the case.

 

[jmichaelh7]

Yeah I went with the coarse arm media as I won’t be able to tell when it’s clogging with the smaller media. I won’t be able to tell on the large either but I hear it really never does. I thought the reactor was reverse flow and recirculating? It sounds like there’s tube going down the middle and it flows up from the bottom and recirculates? That was a selling point for me, I’ll be disappointed if that’s the case.

Oh you know what maybe your right ?

I thought the pump had to be on the bottom for reverse flow but the pipe would explain