Calcium Reactor Media

[ScottB]

Back when no Reborn was available, I was buying a little bit of everything I could find and just mixing it in with whatever skeleton I could scrounge up in my systems and from LFS. If your LFS has a lot of service clients, you might get lucky with a tear down or crash cleanup. Plus, they kill stuff all the time. I keep a bucket of bleach there for this very purpose.

 

[KrisReef]

What is the pH of your calcium reactor?

6.7-6.8

 

[Deezill]

ok, I am still waiting on my pH to drop in my reactor it's still close to what my DT is.

 

[CivicS14]

Am I the only one that switched to ARM?

 

[ScottB]

Am I the only one that switched to ARM?

It is a part of my mix -- maybe 10-20% or so. There was nothing else available for a long while. Also some Tunze is in there. But for now mostly skeleton and Reborn skeleton. My thinking is that with most of it skeleton, I don't have to worry about replacing trace elements. Aside from I and K, this theory seems to hold true.

 

[alfpiccolo]

I am planning to start a reactor this month and purchased all the necessary items. Took advantage of the Thanksgiving sale and bought the Reborn. I am so surprised that of the size of the media when I received the package. As I am pondering if I should file a complain and return the media, I found this thread. Since I am new to the "Reactor" world, I like to following this too see what other will do.....or which media I should use to start my reactor.

 

[alfpiccolo]

What does everybody have against ARM? :) It is calcite, which is a natural media. I doubt that many could tell much of a difference between it and reborn once you got your reactor tuned.

Are you recommending ARM as an alternative?

 

[FMF0331]

I used ARM when i was having a tough time finding Reborn. Used ARM for approximately 4 months, when Reborn finally became available i switched back. Didn't like the results ARM was producing, plus i couldn't get the media to dissolve and i was run a bunch of C02 through the reactor. Colors in my SPS wasn't at full potential.
Although the "NEW" large Reborn aren't as large as before, they are doing a better job and my SPS seems a lot happier.

 

[jda]

I do use ARM. It is fine. I run my reactor 24/7 and without the trouble of a pH probe or controller, so it melts plenty fine. I see no difference between ARM and the Reborn except for what it looks like in the reactor.

I have a reactor that needs refilled soon and I only have about 1/5 of a bag of reborn left, so I will use another 20 pounds of ARM in there. No problem.

 

[jda]

You can also use a bag of crushed coral from your LFS. This is all that anybody used until ARM started to make larger media and then TLF jumped on board later. Best if your reactor is reverse flow since the stuff can get compacted and slow flow down (which is why you see older reactors with PanWorld pressure pumps, if you were wondering).

 

[Deezill]

6.7-6.8

I am using the stuff below but can't get it to melt if the pH is not 6.3. The bad part about it is that because the is so acidic its throwing off my DT pH and I am blowing the Co2 scrubber media. I am moving on gotta find something else at this point.

Aragonite Reactor Calcium Reactor Media

From one of the most trusted names in reef additives comes the perfect pairing for calcium reactor users! KZ's Aragonite Reactor CaRx Media is a coarse grain aragonite media designed for use in calcium carbonate reactors. Aragonite Reactor media is a very pure source of calcium and carbonate...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[brahm]

Typically hate to bring an old thread back, but any update from folks? I just got a box of the "new" large reborn and it's the same as others are describing. For those that are using it, how was it working?

 

[Dennis Cartier]

I was at a coral supplier on the weekend and he mentioned the ReBorn issue. He pulled out his bag of 'large' ReBorn and I was shocked to see a bag of dirty, grimey, coarse sand almost. Basically what you get if you bought Florida Crushed Coral, only dirtier.

I bought 5 cases of the old ReBorn a few years back for a project and did not use them. Now I am so happy they went unused, as I have been using them in my CaRx. My reactor runs at saturation, so ARM just turns to mush at that PH.

I bought the ReBorn as a second choice. Back then a local LFS had a skid of basically the same as noname ReBorn that was being sold for next to nothing. I went to buy a couple of 100lb sacks, but another LFS swooped in and bought the lot. Doh. If only I had know that ReBorn was going to be the next Bitcoin! :)

Dennis

 

[Deezill]

I was at a coral supplier on the weekend and he mentioned the ReBorn issue. He pulled out his bag of 'large' ReBorn and I was shocked to see a bag of dirty, grimey, coarse sand almost. Basically what you get if you bought Florida Crushed Coral, only dirtier.

I bought 5 cases of the old ReBorn a few years back for a project and did not use them. Now I am so happy they went unused, as I have been using them in my CaRx. My reactor runs at saturation, so ARM just turns to mush at that PH.

I bought the ReBorn as a second choice. Back then a local LFS had a skid of basically the same as noname ReBorn that was being sold for next to nothing. I went to buy a couple of 100lb sacks, but another LFS swooped in and bought the lot. Doh. If only I had know that ReBorn was going to be the next Bitcoin! :)

Dennis

What is the ph of your reactor?

 

[Dennis Cartier]

What is the ph of your reactor?

No idea, it does not use a PH probe. It is an A.C.R that uses a float switch to create a gas pocket at the top of the reactor and then uses a venturi to inject the CO2 into the flow, stripping it back out on the way up, etc. When enough of the CO2 is absorbed, the water level triggers the float switch which replenishes the CO2. So it always runs at the saturation point of CO2. The manufacturer of a different reactor, that uses the same principle, lists the PH at 5.2. So I guess mine runs somewhere around there.

The DKH in the effluent measures between 90 and 110 DKH.

Dennis

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Ya got me curious, so I went and looked up Dastaco and Deltec to see what PH they say their saturation reactors run at.

• Dastaco 6.0
• Deltec 5.8 - 6.0

So it looks like 6.0 is the upper range.

Dennis

 

[Deezill]

Ya got me curious, so I went and looked up Dastaco and Deltec to see what PH they say their saturation reactors run at.

• Dastaco 6.0
• Deltec 5.8 - 6.0

So it looks like 6.0 is the upper range.

Dennis

wow, My Calc Rx runs between 6.4 and 6.45 I am also using the media below.

Aragonite Reactor Calcium Reactor Media

From one of the most trusted names in reef additives comes the perfect pairing for calcium reactor users! KZ's Aragonite Reactor CaRx Media is a coarse grain aragonite media designed for use in calcium carbonate reactors. Aragonite Reactor media is a very pure source of calcium and carbonate...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[jda]

We all used to use crushed coral sized media and it was totally fine. It can clog up a needle valve as it nears end of cycle and starts to get small and it can get compacted which is why reactors started to be reverse flow. If you ever see an old reactor with a Iwaki or PanWorld pump, it is because of the compaction issues. If we have to go back to using crushed coral, it will all be OK. Everybody who was around before ARM started with larger sizes is laughing at all of the hysteria about smaller media.

ARM works well too. It is calcite. I prefer aragonite media, but calcite is plenty fine. I find it hard to believe that natural media holds together after ARM melts. Calcite has always required more co2 for me, but I just have mine tuned to optimum efficiency and neither will melt when doing this.

I have really had to turn up the co2 to get the man-made media to melt. I used some of the German stuff and stopped and used the rest as fuge substrate. Also, it only has carbonate and calcium and no other elements that are in aragonite or calcite.

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Also, it only has carbonate and calcium and no other elements that are in aragonite or calcite.

Exactly. that is why I prefer running a natural coral media as it is expected to have trace elements in it. Well, all the traces that get incorporated into the skeleton as opposed to the tissue.

Dennis

 

[jda]

You can most of the same things in Calcite too. It is a natural media, just not aragonite. The larger sized ARM is Calcite. The only thing that I have seen that is not in there is potassium that Carib Sea says in in the old ARM in small quantities, but Dr. RHF once doubted that there was ever any K in the aragonite either.