Calcium Reactor for 150gal system

[Mikeltee]

I just got my stimulus check and figured I would do my part in blowing money and I am considering replacing my Kalk Stirrer with a CArX. All my sps are tiny frags at the moment, but I plan to go pretty heavy with SPS once these frags get big. I have an Apex with an extra pH probe and PM1 so the controller is good to go I think. What else do I need for a 150gal total system? I want the best for my money, but dead nuts accurate. I am happy with my Bubble Magus skimmer and I see their CArXs are moderately priced vs the Reef Octopus'. I watched a BRS video and it said a peristaltic pump is the latest breakthrough. I dont know when the video was made but the pump they spoke so highly about is now discontinued. Do I need this pump for dead nuts accuracy and ease of tuning? So I think this is what I need. Please recommend brands to suit my needs and let me know what else I may need:

Controller- Apex with PM1 and second pH probe (got it)
CO2 tank and solenoid-
Affluent Pump-
Reactor w/pump for 150gal-
Media-
Anything else????-

 

[jblasi]

I
I run a GEO CR618 with a Kamoer, carbon doser, TLF Reborn. Works fantastic! Zero complaints from this guy.

 

[NY_Sea]

Go with a geo calcium reactor. I like the dual chamber 612 model.

 

[Cherub]

IDK, you already have one. Buy SPS

 

[Mikeltee]

I
I run a GEO CR618 with a Kamoer, carbon doser, TLF Reborn. Works fantastic! Zero complaints from this guy.

Whats in the gatorade bottle and what dosing pump is that? Thats a nice clean setup! Was it easy to tune?

 

[jblasi]

Whats in the gatorade bottle and what dosing pump is that? Thats a nice clean setup! Was it easy to tune?

The Gatorade bottle is the waste bottle for my trident. It’s a Kamoer FX-STP. A new option that a lot of people using is the Ecotech Versa. It is also rated for continuous duty. As far as tuning goes it was a learning experience for me, mostly because it was my first time. Once I got the hang of it it was simple to dial in.

 

[jda]

Most reactors are all pretty similar - they recirculate water, let in tank water, let in co2 and let out effluent. They are simple beats. Built quality matters. That being said, there are literally a dozen brands that are totally fine - I use Korallin, but I would also use GEO, LifeReef, AquaMaxx, Knopp and many others. I like reverse flow, but with larger media not clogging as much, it is not as big of a deal as it used to be.

You can spend a fortune on regulators and stuff, but if I were starting over, I would just buy a Tunze and call it a day. I have a very expensive dual stage stainless Victor with oil filled gauges and a custom needle valve - the dude that I got it from spent like $750 on it and while it is nice, it does not do any better of a job than the Tunze that I am using, or a m3 regulator. The expensive ones are easier to fine tune, but you can fine tune a cheaper one just as well. You can always add a super-precision needle valve to a "normal" regulator.

I would skip the ph probes and learn how to tune this thing by hand - it is easy, more reliable and will save you trouble down the road. Take the time and learn... it seems like a lot at first, but with just a bit of effort, you will "get it" all of a sudden. Once you learn, if you want to monitor with a pH probe, then cool, but you will be better at this if you know how to do it yourself.

The only media that you can get right now is calcite or dolomite - if you have a LFS that has some Reborn or Natural ARM (old stock), then grab it, but it is hard to come by. The current incarnation of ARM is crushed calcite - get the medium size.

I feed with a cheap pump like a Quietone 1200 or Maxijet - they seem to last 3-4 years, but they are like $20 to replace so no big deal. I also use a mainline T on one system. You can get an expensive dosing pump (Kaomer, for example), but make sure it is continuous duty. Some reactors will feed themselves, so check this out first. They all work plenty well. DO NOT run a calcium reactor off of a manifold.

If you tune your reactor well, a second chamber will do nothing. If you plan on learning how to tune, then no need in buying one, but if you are sure that you want to use a pH monitor and probes, then get one for.

If it were me, I would try and find a used high quality reactor - Geo, Korallin, etc. Buy a new Tunze Regulator. Get a Mainline T to feed. Get a flow control pinch to control the output. Find a 20lb bottle locally - 5 or 10lb are fine, just need refilled more. Get some co2 safe tubing. Order some ARM. Get a Salifert Alk test kit - cheapest and easiest to check effluent. You should be able to do all of this for a few hundred bucks... or you could max out, and go over, that whole stimulus check if you really wanted to.

 

[Mikeltee]

IDK, you already have one. Buy SPS

I am all for KISS and highly respect your comment! I have gotten about 20 frags in the last month so I am good on the frag department. These weely live sales are killing me!!!!! I know the kalk stirrer will be fine for a year or two until these frags get big, but I will eventually need more so I now have the chance to get it without cutting into the family budget. I would also like to raise my pH as it averages around 7.8 which is the lowest you want on the scale. If I buy a CO2 scrubber and media, thats a pretty good percentage of the CaRx. I like to get the most for my money. Buy it cheap buy it twice as they always say...

 

[Mikeltee]

Go with a geo calcium reactor. I like the dual chamber 612 model.

This is in my price range for sure. About the options... What is the precision needle valve for? Check valves are an option. Is there a possibility of back flow? I think id like to roll with the new Versa peristaltic pump. For $150, that ain't bad and my Ecotech MP40s are 11 years old. I only replaced a couple wetsides recently to see how much quieter they were... and they are! I will buy Ecotech anytime its an option and makes sense. They have a customer for life.

 

[X-37B]

You want the kiss method try a
Tunze. I run a 3171 on my 120.
I would do a 3172 for your 150. I will upgrade to the 3172 when I put the 3171 on my 45 frag system.
I have an ADA dual stage I got on ebay for a little over 300.
I run Tunze media and no ph controller.
You need a check valve and
Tunze comes with one.
Also you dont need a feed pump.
Mine has been running for 4 months and setup the way JDA explaines.
So simple. At least give it a look.
Here is mine first pic is how much media I have used since startup.

 

[X-37B]

This is in my price range for sure. About the options... What is the precision needle valve for? Check valves are an option. Is there a possibility of back flow? I think id like to roll with the new Versa peristaltic pump. For $150, that ain't bad and my Ecotech MP40s are 11 years old. I only replaced a couple wetsides recently to see how much quieter they were... and they are! I will buy Ecotech anytime its an option and makes sense. They have a customer for life.

Needle valve adjusts your co2 bubble rate.

 

[Mikeltee]

Well it appears with all these options that i got a lot of research ahead of me. If the KISS method works just as well as a digital setup and just takes more legwork to setup I am all for it. I like to tinker.

What is turning me off of this idea is the fact that a good media is no longer available and might not become available in the future. What are y'alls thoughts on this?

Are these reverse flow reactors needed for smaller media say just in case only small media is able to be purchased?

 

[Rick.45cal]

Well it appears with all these options that i got a lot of research ahead of me. If the KISS method works just as well as a digital setup and just takes more legwork to setup I am all for it. I like to tinker.

What is turning me off of this idea is the fact that a good media is no longer available and might not become available in the future. What are y'alls thoughts on this?

Are these reverse flow reactors needed for smaller media say just in case only small media is able to be purchased?

Yes it’s preferrable to have the water flowing through the media from the bottom up It prevents it from compacting and blocking the flow, it’s especially important with finer medias. I wouldn‘t let the fact that reborn isn’t available at the moment disuade you from taking the leap into a CaRx, plenty of other options available. Back in the day everyone ran them with crushed coral or aragonite sand.

I run a GEO 818 and tune it by hand, my apex pH probe doesn’t control it at all. If you tune it properly by hand it will be more stable than allowing your controller to turn the solenoid off and on, because the pH inside the reactor will be constant instead of fluctuating. Plus having a pH probe control the reactor is just another point of failure.

 

[X-37B]

Well it appears with all these options that i got a lot of research ahead of me. If the KISS method works just as well as a digital setup and just takes more legwork to setup I am all for it. I like to tinker.

What is turning me off of this idea is the fact that a good media is no longer available and might not become available in the future. What are y'alls thoughts on this?

Are these reverse flow reactors needed for smaller media say just in case only small media is able to be purchased?

Tunze media is rather small which means more surface area so you can use a smaller reactor in theory. My 3171 only holds 1.85 liters or .4 gallons.
The 3172 holds 5 times that. The tunze manmade media works well for me and is an option for any make carx.
It only adds cal and alk.
So you need to add mag.
I dose trace elements ans it works well.
It does not require legwork. You just use your brain instead of a controller to setup your tank.
This way you know exactly whats going on in your tank imo.

 

[Mikeltee]

You want the kiss method try a
Tunze. I run a 3171 on my 120.
I would do a 3172 for your 150. I will upgrade to the 3172 when I put the 3171 on my 45 frag system.
I have an ADA dual stage I got on ebay for a little over 300.
I run Tunze media and no ph controller.
You need a check valve and
Tunze comes with one.
Also you dont need a feed pump.
Mine has been running for 4 months and setup the way JDA explaines.
So simple. At least give it a look.
Here is mine first pic is how much media I have used since startup.

The Tunze looks like a great unique setup to where a pump is eliminated and also clogging is not a problem. Why are you upgrading to the 3272 when the 3171 is rated for a 300gal tank? Do you feel its inadequate? We are talking $400 for the 3171 compared to $700 in the 3272. Not to mention the much larger size under my cabinet as well as that much more media to fill.

 

[Mikeltee]

Yes it’s preferrable to have the water flowing through the media from the bottom up It prevents it from compacting and blocking the flow, it’s especially important with finer medias. I wouldn‘t let the fact that reborn isn’t available at the moment disuade you from taking the leap into a CaRx, plenty of other options available. Back in the day everyone ran them with crushed coral or aragonite sand.

I run a GEO 818 and tune it by hand, my apex pH probe doesn’t control it at all. If you tune it properly by hand it will be more stable than allowing your controller to turn the solenoid off and on, because the pH inside the reactor will be constant instead of fluctuating. Plus having a pH probe control the reactor is just another point of failure.

Well that's reassuring that the availability of good media is not an issue. A quick read shows the available stuff doesnt contain trace elements and people have resorted to dosing them. If I gotta dose trace I may as well dose ca and all.

I do plan to tune this in by hand. I am a software engineer and like to code and already run an apex so I will it least run a fail safe with it for the carx but I am glad to know it's not a necessity. I thought it was because all the all in one kits include one.

 

[Mal11224]

Most reactors are all pretty similar - they recirculate water, let in tank water, let in co2 and let out effluent. They are simple beats. Built quality matters. That being said, there are literally a dozen brands that are totally fine - I use Korallin, but I would also use GEO, LifeReef, AquaMaxx, Knopp and many others. I like reverse flow, but with larger media not clogging as much, it is not as big of a deal as it used to be.

You can spend a fortune on regulators and stuff, but if I were starting over, I would just buy a Tunze and call it a day. I have a very expensive dual stage stainless Victor with oil filled gauges and a custom needle valve - the dude that I got it from spent like $750 on it and while it is nice, it does not do any better of a job than the Tunze that I am using, or a m3 regulator. The expensive ones are easier to fine tune, but you can fine tune a cheaper one just as well. You can always add a super-precision needle valve to a "normal" regulator.

I would skip the ph probes and learn how to tune this thing by hand - it is easy, more reliable and will save you trouble down the road. Take the time and learn... it seems like a lot at first, but with just a bit of effort, you will "get it" all of a sudden. Once you learn, if you want to monitor with a pH probe, then cool, but you will be better at this if you know how to do it yourself.

The only media that you can get right now is calcite or dolomite - if you have a LFS that has some Reborn or Natural ARM (old stock), then grab it, but it is hard to come by. The current incarnation of ARM is crushed calcite - get the medium size.

I feed with a cheap pump like a Quietone 1200 or Maxijet - they seem to last 3-4 years, but they are like $20 to replace so no big deal. I also use a mainline T on one system. You can get an expensive dosing pump (Kaomer, for example), but make sure it is continuous duty. Some reactors will feed themselves, so check this out first. They all work plenty well. DO NOT run a calcium reactor off of a manifold.

If you tune your reactor well, a second chamber will do nothing. If you plan on learning how to tune, then no need in buying one, but if you are sure that you want to use a pH monitor and probes, then get one for.

If it were me, I would try and find a used high quality reactor - Geo, Korallin, etc. Buy a new Tunze Regulator. Get a Mainline T to feed. Get a flow control pinch to control the output. Find a 20lb bottle locally - 5 or 10lb are fine, just need refilled more. Get some co2 safe tubing. Order some ARM. Get a Salifert Alk test kit - cheapest and easiest to check effluent. You should be able to do all of this for a few hundred bucks... or you could max out, and go over, that whole stimulus check if you really wanted to.

Just curious. Why not use a manifold?

 

[X-37B]

The Tunze looks like a great unique setup to where a pump is eliminated and also clogging is not a problem. Why are you upgrading to the 3272 when the 3171 is rated for a 300gal tank? Do you feel its inadequate? We are talking $400 for the 3171 compared to $700 in the 3272. Not to mention the much larger size under my cabinet as well as that much more media to fill.

Only reason is size. That way I dont have to change the media as much when the demand increases.
My tank is young, 10 months, 4 with the carx, and is already
eating media quite fast.
Plus my stand is 36" tall.
My frag system is where the 3171 is going so might as well go big.
Whats another $300 in this hobby anyway lol.
Plus when I upgrade to a 300+ system in the future I wont need to upgrade my carx.

 

[Rick.45cal]

Well that's reassuring that the availability of good media is not an issue. A quick read shows the available stuff doesnt contain trace elements and people have resorted to dosing them. If I gotta dose trace I may as well dose ca and all.

I do plan to tune this in by hand. I am a software engineer and like to code and already run an apex so I will it least run a fail safe with it for the carx but I am glad to know it's not a necessity. I thought it was because all the all in one kits include one.

Nothing wrong with dosing Ca and Alk but at a certain point that will become cost prohibitive in a large system that’s soaking up Alkalinity at 2+ dKh a day. I had to switch to a CaRx because my tank was consuming huge quantities of Alk everyday and it was WAY more work and money for me to keep up with it. After I switched over I barely do anything anymore, and the tank is far more stable Alkalinity and Calcium wise.

CaOH (kalkwasser) is cheap and effective but you’ll be limited by volume of evaporation eventually, and will likely still have to dose trace elements.

I wouldn’t worry too much about having to dose trace elements there are lots of great available options in those regards and once your reef really takes off, you will likely be doing that anyway no matter what method you choose. (It’s all kind of a wash in those regards).

 

[Atomicus]

Also if you are replacing a kalk stirrer and have or plan a refugium - it may work better to have the calcium reactor before the refugium instead of after as you do with the kalk reactor. I run both a calcium reactor korallin off of a mj1200 before the fuge and a kalk reactor afterward by my return pumps. This works really well. Have set up many ways past now settled with a tunze regulator tuned manually to 40-60 bubbles minute for effluent 60-120 drops a minute for my 166 gallon system - thus keeps effluent ph at 6.6-6.8 range