Is calcium reactor worth the buck?

[jmichaelh7]

I'm looking at Calcium reactors for stability of dkh . I currently run trident / dos.

What do you guys recommend ?

 

[vetteguy53081]

For me- yes , until it gets away on you and you get a spike
Now under control and great handling of parameters as I also use ReMag

 

[X-37B]

I run one on my 120. Very stable with little to no maintenence.
Also, I run no ph probe or controller.
They are worth the $'s and will last a lifetime if you get a quality 2 stage regulator, imo.

 

[Spare time]

I think an auto doser is simpler and you can get a pH boost depending on what you use. The calcium reactor is cool from a sciencey view point.

 

[jmichaelh7]

I run one on my 120. Very stable with little to no maintenence.
Also, I run no ph probe or controller.
They are worth the $'s and will last a lifetime if you get a quality 2 stage regulator, imo.

2 stage?

I think an auto doser is simpler and you can get a pH boost depending on what you use. The calcium reactor is cool from a sciencey view point.

I read a little is that Kalwasser

 

[cocoReefer]

The new ones are too fancy and expensive for my tastes. I have an old workhorse i got over 10 years ago. One external pump, no dosing pump or ph monitors, and its gravity fed.
So for me well worth the stability. I use one outlet and set the drip rate and co2 bubble count.
Im even so cheap that other than magnesium media, i just use crushed course carib sea aragonite substrate for media. Been working great for years.
But i dont know i would do it again with current prices and all the pumps and monitors and gear. Too much

 

[X-37B]

A 2 stage regulator allows you to run your co2 tank until empty. It maintains a constant pressure and is preffered over a single stage.
Research them as their is much info on them.
This is my 2 stage regulator and contrary to what many think they are simple to setup and run.

 

[Borat]

I used to run a doser but switched to a DIY 2-chamber reactor.. The build thread is here:

Project CaRx: DIY Calcium Reactor + DIY Controller + DIY Peristaltic Pump + DIY ALK Monitor

Hey folkes, 2 large DIY projects completed this year and now I am sitting idle.. What should I do next? The target for my tank is to slowly grow into an SPS dominant system. I already have 3 palm sized plating easy-going monties and have to dose about 100ml of alkainity solution daily (100mg...

www.ultimatereef.net

I would not ever go back to dosing - however I think where most beginner calcium reactor users may fail is these 2 components:
- PH probe and controller switching on/off the solenoid valve. Without this you are a bit in the dark as to whether your CO2 bubble rate is adequate
- peristaltic pump, without it you don't have a good control over how much effluent you are dosing

Things you can sacrifice without too much (if any) impact:
- dual chamber (\my DIY build is a dual chamber/ dual PH probe reactor - but it's an overkill)

Things to think about - you will be dosing effluent with low PH (my stage-2 effluent has PH 6.2) so generally you PH will go down when the reactor is on.

 

[X-37B]

The new ones are too fancy and expensive for my tastes. I have an old workhorse i got over 10 years ago. One external pump, no dosing pump or ph monitors, and its gravity fed.
So for me well worth the stability. I use one outlet and set the drip rate and co2 bubble count.
Im even so cheap that other than magnesium media, i just use crushed course carib sea aragonite substrate for media. Been working great for years.
But i dont know i would do it again with current prices and all the pumps and monitors and gear. Too much

I modified a 6" skims media reactor and run it reverse flow with no feed pump like the Tunze reactors. I just count bubbles and measure effluent.
Also if your carx is setup correctly the ph of your tank is not affected.

 

[cocoReefer]

I modified a 6" skims media reactor and run it reverse flow with no feed pump like the Tumze reactors. I just count bubbles and measure effluent.
Also if your carx is setup correctly the ph of your tank is not affected.

Thats what i would do if mine sh*** the bed....
Awesome workaround. Thats basically the exact design as my old unit.
Some technology is just more stuff for the same result. A “more is more” situation.

 

[Borat]

I modified a 6" skims media reactor and run it reverse flow with no feed pump like the Tumze reactors. I just count bubbles and measure effluent.
Also if your carx is setup correctly the ph of your tank is not affected.

Sorry - how is it adding 7L of effluent a day with PH of 6.2 to the tank with 400L does not affect the PH?

 

[X-37B]

I used to run a doser but switched to a DIY 2-chamber reactor.. The build thread is here:

Project CaRx: DIY Calcium Reactor + DIY Controller + DIY Peristaltic Pump + DIY ALK Monitor

Hey folkes, 2 large DIY projects completed this year and now I am sitting idle.. What should I do next? The target for my tank is to slowly grow into an SPS dominant system. I already have 3 palm sized plating easy-going monties and have to dose about 100ml of alkainity solution daily (100mg...

www.ultimatereef.net

I would not ever go back to dosing - however I think where most beginner calcium reactor users may fail is these 2 components:
- PH probe and controller switching on/off the solenoid valve. Without this you are a bit in the dark as to whether your CO2 bubble rate is adequate
- peristaltic pump, without it you don't have a good control over how much effluent you are dosing

Things you can sacrifice without too much (if any) impact:
- dual chamber (I built a dual chamber/ dual PH probe reactor - but it's an overkill)

Things to think about - you will be dosing effluent with low PH (my stage-2 effluent has PH 6.2) so generally you PH will go down when the reactor is on.

On my system once bubble rate is set it never changes unless I change it.
Same with effluent although it will vary slightly when the tubing gets covered in junk. But thats an indicator to clean it maybe every 6 months.
Never had an issue with tank ph running this way.
Most friends run your way and they have had more issues than me.
Both work but setting your first one up manually helps you understand whats happening in your system, imo.

 

[cocoReefer]

I modified a 6" skims media reactor and run it reverse flow with no feed pump like the Tumze reactors. I just count bubbles and measure effluent.
Also if your carx is setup correctly the ph of your tank is not affected.

the ph is always high in my tank. If there is extra co2 its gobbled up by my enormous mass of chaeto

 

[Borat]

On my system once bubble rate is set it never changes unless I change it.
Same with effluent although it will vary slightly when the tubing gets covered in junk. But thats an indicator to clean it maybe every 6 months.
Never had an issue with tank ph running this way.
Most friends run your way and they have had more issues than me.
Both work but setting your first one up manually helps you understand whats happening in your system, imo.

The fact that you don't have PH issue is not indicative that adding CaRx effluent does not impact PH. I don't have PH isssue because I counter CaRx PH drop with Kalk. But that does not mean that CarX does not affect PH. It just means I have to take extra care to elevate PH back to where it should be.. Simple maths..

 

[X-37B]

Sorry - how is it adding 7L of effluent a day with PH of 6.2 to the tank with 400L does not affect the PH?

In my sytem ph in my tank is the same as it was when I dosed 2 part.
My system runs 24/7 and when tuned correctly very little co2 enters the system.

 

[Borat]

On my system once bubble rate is set it never changes unless I change it.
Same with effluent although it will vary slightly when the tubing gets covered in junk. But thats an indicator to clean it maybe every 6 months.
Never had an issue with tank ph running this way.
Most friends run your way and they have had more issues than me.
Both work but setting your first one up manually helps you understand whats happening in your system, imo.

The other thing you may have never understood is the media you are using, Some media will melt at PH 7.3 and some will need to be driven hard at PH 6.0. I use Rowalith and therefore have to drive it really hard. There is a big difference between adding effluent of PH 7.3 versus PH 6.0.

 

[cocoReefer]

The fact that you don't have PH issue is not indicative that adding CaRx effluent does not impact PH. I don't have PH isssue because I counter CaRx PH drop with Kalk. But that does not mean that CarX does not affect PH. It just means I have to take extra care to elevate PH back to where it should be.. Simple maths..

I dont dose anything to counter the ph. I always have high ph. My tank is also in a basement without open windows. Been like that for about a decade
Carx effluent is how i keep ph stable.

 

[X-37B]

The fact that you don't have PH issue is not indicative that adding CaRx effluent does not impact PH. I don't have PH isssue because I counter CaRx PH drop with Kalk. But that does not mean that CarX does not affect PH. It just means I have to take extra care to elevate PH back to where it should be.. Simple maths..

Not going to argue but I do disagree as many do that run no ph probe or controller have no issues with tank ph.
My effluent dkh is 22 and I do drip it into a small cylinder of manmade media.

 

[cocoReefer]

I dont dose anything to counter the ph. I always have high ph. My tank is also in a basement without open windows. Been like that for about a decade
Carx effluent is how i keep ph stable.

I run carx 24/7 and also refugium is lit 24/7. Stable as granite.

 

[X-37B]

The other thing you may have never understood is the media you are using, Some media will melt at PH 7.3 and some will need to be driven hard at PH 6.0. I use Rowalith and therefore have to drive it really hard. There is a big difference between adding effluent of PH 7.3 versus PH 6.0.

I understand as a chemical engineer for 20 years I have a pretty good grasp of my system.
Before bones I ran manmade media the sameway with no change to my systems ph.