calrx vs dosing advice.

[Saltysav96]

hey reef nerds...
i have a calrx in storage with a carbon doser regulator.

i am currently dosing ESV 2 Part on a ghl doser.

my question is... should i go ahead and get the reactor online and get it dialed in or just continue dosing until it becomes to much?

i am only dosing about 8ml right now but that will be going up because we have added ALOT of coral over the past 2 months. this tank is over a year old and sat with just a few corals and fish the first year while i battled algae. now that its under control and doing well.

what is a good inexpensive feed pump? last time i used this reactor i tapped into my return line and used it to feed the reactor with a valve.

 

[SPR1968]

Its just a balancing act until the reactor takes over

You could just stop and test alkalinity daily/every other day and adjust the reactor as you go. This is what I would do.

Start of with a lower output and then keep increasing until its were you want it and then monitor and adjust

I cant help on the pump, I use a Deltec Twin Tech so its automated

 

[Saltysav96]

Its just a balancing act until the reactor takes over

You could just stop and test alkalinity daily/every other day and adjust the reactor as you go. This is what I would do.

Start of with a lower output and then keep increasing until its were you want it and then monitor and adjust

I cant help on the pump, I use a Deltec Twin Tech so its automated

what do you suggest would be the best way to transition from the 2 part over to the reactor? slowly decrease 2 part while slowly upping the effluent rate of the reactor ?or just stop the dosing altogether and put reactor on and go from there on testing/adjusting. i want to avoid crashing my tank if at all cost . but feel if i could get the reactor on now and let it do its thing that ill see better results. its been a couple years since i used a reactor so ill have to refresh my knowledge on them.

 

[SPR1968]

You can do it either way, but personally I would stop dosing and turn on the reactor, start at a low dose (because it’s easier to add more) and then do daily tests until it gets to were you want it. Then adjust as necessary.

I would play around with the reactor first so you know what your doing before adding it to the tank to avoid and mistakes etc in the tank

Just make sure you don’t add to much because it will be a pain to try and reduce if you overdose.

Also remember to put the reactor hose were the effluent can mix with water because it lowers pH in the immediate area

I can tell the reactors working from the Apex pH graph as the probe is in a chamber downstream of the effluent hose and it drops every time it’s added

Also don’t forget to test for magnesium levels as this is a vital part of the reef chemistry and may not be contained within the reactor media depending on what your using. I use Rowalith w (chunky version) which is dead coral and contains everything needed including magnesium. I mainly only test for alkalinity, as the other elements are maintained inline. I do random tests for the other parameters

 

[TX_Punisher]

You asked about feed pumps.

I like the kamoer. I’ve used several and have found the tubing lasts longer between changes compared to the versa being used to feed the reactor. The versa tubing wears flat in a matter of a few months.