OP
OP
highendofthelow
Active Member
So on a rather foggy morning today I spent a bit of time scrubbing up my reef chemistry and balanced Alk/Cal/Mag; particularly to try and answer my last question above, essentially what ratio does a calcium reactor produce,
Firstly and i think this will probably make alot click into place (and Im a bit embarrassed at myself that i didnt spot this), the correct name for these reactors are Calcium Carbonate / Carbon Dioxide reactors; we as hobbyist have over time shortened this to Calcium reactor until its become common usage, and is therefore slightly misleading.
A Calcium reactor doesn't primarily produce Calcium as the name implies but instead produces Calcium AND Carbonates (Alk) and actually produces them in a balanced ratio of 1:1,
And as normal Randy had us covered:-
Calcium and Alkalinity Demand: Calcium Carbonate Mathematics
Calcium carbonate formation consumes its two components in an exact 1:1 ratio. In the units used by aquarists, this ratio corresponds to one meq/L (2.8 dKH; 50 ppm CaCO3 equivalents) for every 20 ppm of calcium. Not surprisingly, this is also the ratio of alkalinity to calcium that is supplied when calcium carbonate is dissolved, as in a CaCO3/CO2 reactor. Fortuitously for the aquarist, this is also the ratio supplied when calcium hydroxide is dissolved, as with the use of limewater (kalkwasser
(Source and worthwhile reading:- http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-12/rhf/index.php)
A CaX reactor actually for all arguments sake will release Calcium and Carbonates in ratio, along with most of/all the magnesium needs; and any trace elements bound in coral skeleton (not any that would have been bound in soft tissues mind! presumably like trace elements required by chloroplasts/zooxanthallae or for Chromopores and colouration pigments)
So this brings me onto the next common point? why is my my tank parameters falling out of balance? the simple answer is, its generally because of 1 of 2 reasons
1) each coral has slightly different needs and your tank as a net whole simply needs more of X then it does Y
2) water changes aren't balanced.
or if the tank is very new, alk absorption can be influenced whilst things settle down, the Nitrification cycle can also have a minor play on Alk and Cal and as such deviations from ionic balanced ratio can be expected and should be adjusted for accordingly (again the above reefkeeping link by Randy has all of this covered).
So there we have it all,
I've also asked my typical LFS to hold me 3 Monaco shrimp and my sps go to guy and LFS approx 1 hour away to try and quote me for calcium reactors ( I knew that my other LFS could get them but given the size of my very local one i always try and give them first chance to take my money, in this instance Deltec UK just didnt want to know!) admittedly I'm wincing already at the cost outlay!
Firstly and i think this will probably make alot click into place (and Im a bit embarrassed at myself that i didnt spot this), the correct name for these reactors are Calcium Carbonate / Carbon Dioxide reactors; we as hobbyist have over time shortened this to Calcium reactor until its become common usage, and is therefore slightly misleading.
A Calcium reactor doesn't primarily produce Calcium as the name implies but instead produces Calcium AND Carbonates (Alk) and actually produces them in a balanced ratio of 1:1,
And as normal Randy had us covered:-
Calcium and Alkalinity Demand: Calcium Carbonate Mathematics
Calcium carbonate formation consumes its two components in an exact 1:1 ratio. In the units used by aquarists, this ratio corresponds to one meq/L (2.8 dKH; 50 ppm CaCO3 equivalents) for every 20 ppm of calcium. Not surprisingly, this is also the ratio of alkalinity to calcium that is supplied when calcium carbonate is dissolved, as in a CaCO3/CO2 reactor. Fortuitously for the aquarist, this is also the ratio supplied when calcium hydroxide is dissolved, as with the use of limewater (kalkwasser
(Source and worthwhile reading:- http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-12/rhf/index.php)
A CaX reactor actually for all arguments sake will release Calcium and Carbonates in ratio, along with most of/all the magnesium needs; and any trace elements bound in coral skeleton (not any that would have been bound in soft tissues mind! presumably like trace elements required by chloroplasts/zooxanthallae or for Chromopores and colouration pigments)
So this brings me onto the next common point? why is my my tank parameters falling out of balance? the simple answer is, its generally because of 1 of 2 reasons
1) each coral has slightly different needs and your tank as a net whole simply needs more of X then it does Y
2) water changes aren't balanced.
or if the tank is very new, alk absorption can be influenced whilst things settle down, the Nitrification cycle can also have a minor play on Alk and Cal and as such deviations from ionic balanced ratio can be expected and should be adjusted for accordingly (again the above reefkeeping link by Randy has all of this covered).
So there we have it all,
I've also asked my typical LFS to hold me 3 Monaco shrimp and my sps go to guy and LFS approx 1 hour away to try and quote me for calcium reactors ( I knew that my other LFS could get them but given the size of my very local one i always try and give them first chance to take my money, in this instance Deltec UK just didnt want to know!) admittedly I'm wincing already at the cost outlay!
