Is calcium reactor worth the buck?

[Borat]

I was always fine with a standard valve regulator (not electronic).

The point is that you get one that at a minimum holds a constant pressure before the bubble counter - so that your CO2 delivery won't diminish with the CO2 pressure in your tank. The better ones, allow you to adjust this pressure, the cheaper 99 dollar ones just hold it at a factory set psi (like 6 or 8 psi for example).

Some reactors recommend a certain CO2 pressure, so if you don't know, get one that can be adjusted. My last regulator lasted about 12 years.

The also make electronic bubble controllers, which are nice, but, pricey and a little finicky.

I both agree and disagree with the above. Once you have run your CaRx or some time - you will start to get a feel for how to fine-tune it. In which case you don't need a PH controller.

However for a novice reactor user I would recommend to have a PH controller. It's not that expensive - but it eliminates you having to do ANY follow-on adjustments to your reactor: you set bubble rate approximately right and you basically never touch it again (my reactor has now run for 9 months without me doing ANYTHING about it), the PH controller will turn off regulator solenoid if too much CO2 is there..

Also with respect to peristaltic pumps - here's I think money is well spent. Your flow rate will be absolutely controlled and the little maintenance is replacing the santoprene tubing every 6 months. Don't buy dosing pumps - they are not designed for continous use. You need peristalitic pump. The major difference between a good dosing pump and peristaltic pump is in the dosing head design: peristaltic pump has a much more robust dosing head, which means it lasts longer and is quieter than a dosing pump.

 

[X-37B]

The above talks about 2 stage regulator (not 2 stage reactor). 2 stage regulator allows you to better control bubble count (nothing to do with running CO2 tank until empty).

Now speaking of 2 stage reactor: it would have 2 chambers primary and secondary (usually secondary chamber is smaller). Secondary chamber is for de-gassing (higher PH) and to have higher DKH of effluent. People put coarse media in the primary chamber and fine media in the secondary chamber (I have coarse media in both chambers however)...

I run a DIY 2-stage reactor (4L each chamber, total 8 litres volume) but honestly - it's an overkill in most situations. The only reason I would want to have a 2 stage reactor is if you have a massive tank - 2 stage reactor allows you to have more media - and thus top up/fiddle with media less often.

Thanks for the catch. I went back and edited it. It should have been regulator.

 

[jmichaelh7]

I both agree and disagree with the above. Once you have run your CaRx or some time - you will start to get a feel for how to fine-tune it. In which case you don't need a PH controller.

However for a novice reactor user I would recommend to have a PH controller. It's not that expensive - but it eliminates you having to do ANY follow-on adjustments to your reactor: you set bubble rate approximately right and you basically never touch it again (my reactor has now run for 9 months without me doing ANYTHING about it), the PH controller will turn off regulator solenoid if too much CO2 is there..

Also with respect to peristaltic pumps - here's I think money is well spent. Your flow rate will be absolutely controlled and the little maintenance is replacing the santoprene tubing every 6 months. Don't buy dosing pumps - they are not designed for continous use. You need peristalitic pump. The major difference between a good dosing pump and peristaltic pump is in the dosing head design: peristaltic pump has a much more robust dosing head, which means it lasts longer and is quieter than a dosing pump.

thanks for the advice on the peristalitic pump vs dose pump ! Good info

 

[Borat]

The other thing you would want to think about is the type of media you would use. This may dictate whether you would have degassing chamber or not.

I use hard media (very low PH needed to dissolve it), this is basically crushed corals. Most media sold is "synthetic" and will dissolve at much higher PH (7.0-7.3). One thing is dealing with adding effluent at "really low PH" and another is adding "a bit low PH".

Read about people reviews of different media: usually synthetic media does not have trace elements or magnesium, whereas natural media (crushed corals) would have it all in the composition of calcium carbonate. Synthetic media however can deliver much higher effluent DKH: even though I drive mine really hard I get about 40DKH, I heard of other people getting up to 60DKH effluent for synthetic media.

 

[Borat]

This is the regulator I use. Not sure if it's sold in the US.. It's a quality one at a good price (I am sure there are better ones - but definitely not at this price).

Pay attention to "dual gauge" and "dual stage". Dual gauge is what's shown below: it has 2 gauges showing the CO2 cylinder pressure and output pressure. Most (if not all) regulators are dual gauge.

The below is also dual stage (so dual gauge and dual stage).

 

[FishTruck]

I both agree and disagree with the above. Once you have run your CaRx or some time - you will start to get a feel for how to fine-tune it. In which case you don't need a PH controller.

However for a novice reactor user I would recommend to have a PH controller. It's not that expensive - but it eliminates you having to do ANY follow-on adjustments to your reactor: you set bubble rate approximately right and you basically never touch it again (my reactor has now run for 9 months without me doing ANYTHING about it), the PH controller will turn off regulator solenoid if too much CO2 is there..

Also with respect to peristaltic pumps - here's I think money is well spent. Your flow rate will be absolutely controlled and the little maintenance is replacing the santoprene tubing every 6 months. Don't buy dosing pumps - they are not designed for continous use. You need peristalitic pump. The major difference between a good dosing pump and peristaltic pump is in the dosing head design: peristaltic pump has a much more robust dosing head, which means it lasts longer and is quieter than a dosing pump.

Watch out.... and take it from someone who tried to let a pH controller take over as a newbie so I would not have to think.

Do not rely on a pH controller to constantly turn a solenoid on and off to try and keep a tight pH while not taking the time to tune your bubble rate.

The problem with this is that when your effluent changes (and it will... even with a peristaltic pump), your CO2 delivery will be all over the place. You will have a nice graph on your apex of a steady pH, but, your tank ALK will be all over the place.

If you choose to use a pH controller, make sure that your CO2 can be set at a certain bubble rate so that the C02 solenoid rarely needs to to cut off the supply. If it starts shutting the solenoid on and off frequently - you are going to have problems with your ALk.

BRS did a nice video showing that the effluent can go up and down, causing the pH to swing with it... but... so long as the CO2 delivery is steady, the ALK delivery will also be steady.

Also... since the thread started as a "worth the money" question, in that sense I am going to point out that adding a peristaltic pump and pH controller can triple the cost of the reactor project, and in many cases, makes it run worse by creating a false sense of how the thing is working.

 

[Borat]

Watch out.... and take it from someone who tried to let a pH controller take over as a newbie so I would not have to think.

Do not rely on a pH controller to constantly turn a solenoid on and off to try and keep a tight pH while not taking the time to tune your bubble rate.

The problem with this is that when your effluent changes (and it will... even with a peristaltic pump), your CO2 delivery will be all over the place. You will have a nice graph on your apex of a steady pH, but, your tank ALK will be all over the place.

If you choose to use a pH controller, make sure that your CO2 can be set at a certain bubble rate so that the C02 solenoid rarely needs to to cut off the supply. If it starts shutting the solenoid on and off frequently - you are going to have problems with your ALk.

BRS did a nice video showing that the effluent can go up and down, causing the pH to swing with it... but... so long as the CO2 delivery is steady, the ALK delivery will also be steady.

That's a good point you mentioned.. My DIY controller tells me the time since it last turned off the solenoid (email messaging). Indeed the first thing I did in "initial tuning of CaRx" is choosing the bubble rate so that my solenoid only turns on/off a couple of times a day (you would hear it clicking even if you don't have controller messaging - it's not a silent thing). I keep PH range really tight 6.95 - 6.05.

Obviously if my DKH consumption would increase I would have to run more flow through the reactor. Running more flow means your PH will go up faster and so - solenoid would be switched on/off more often. Luckily corals grow slowly and you only need to adjust bubble count rate very infrequently (max once every 3 months).

 

[Opes]

For a long time I used a Calx Reactor with great results on an sps system. I built a new system a few years back and used a doser. What a pain with lackluster results.

Switched my system back to Calx Reactor. Once I got it dialed in parameters have been rock solid and I'm getting excellent growth and colors. Don't think I could be talked back into dosing an sps system.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

For a long time I used a Calx Reactor with great results on an sps system. I built a new system a few years back and used a doser. What a pain with lackluster results.

I can certainly see pros and cons of both ways, but what did you consider a pain for the dosing?

 

[X-37B]

The other thing you would want to think about is the type of media you would use. This may dictate whether you would have degassing chamber or not.

I use hard media (very low PH needed to dissolve it), this is basically crushed corals. Most media sold is "synthetic" and will dissolve at much higher PH (7.0-7.3). One thing is dealing with adding effluent at "really low PH" and another is adding "a bit low PH".

Read about people reviews of different media: usually synthetic media does not have trace elements or magnesium, whereas natural media (crushed corals) would have it all in the composition of calcium carbonate. Synthetic media however can deliver much higher effluent DKH: even though I drive mine really hard I get about 40DKH, I heard of other people getting up to 60DKH effluent for synthetic media.

Synthetic? Hard media is typically manmade media that only replaces Alk&Ca.
I ran Tunze manmade for over a year with good results.
I run coral bone now as I got a great deal a year ago on 100lbs.
Coral bones dissolve at a higher ph. Manmade media at a lower ph.
Also I dose trace as their is no real proof that coral bones deliver any useable amount of trace elements, although many say they do.

 

[Borat]

Synthetic? Hard media is typically manmade media that only replaces Alk&Ca.
I ran Tunze manmade for over a year with good results.
I run coral bone now as I got a great deal a year ago on 100lbs.
Coral bones dissolve at a higher ph. Manmade media at a lower ph.
Also I dose trace as their is no real proof that coral bones deliver any useable amount if trace elements, although many say they do.

Synthetic = manmade, just a terminology question..

No - manmade media dissolve at higher PH (7.0), coral skeletons dissolve at lower PH (6.0)...

 

[Opes]

I can certainly see pros and cons of both ways, but what did you consider a pain for the dosing?

Not getting any trace elements out of my two part dosing, I was going through a lot of alk and cal liquid and I got tired of refilling and watching levels, I had more precipitation on pumps and such near where I dosed, Doser heads failing, dosing tubes failing/getting clogged etc.

Really, I just feel like once a Calx reactor is really dialed in properly it is rock solid and I just test Alk a few times a week. I run enough effluent that I don't ever see any clogs in my line. From my observations of my own systems over the years, and other very successful SPS tanks Calx Reactors seem to be where it is at. This is just my belief and not based in anything scientific that a Calx Reactor seems to provide a lot more than dosing two part in terms of elements and other good stuff that hard corals require for good growth.

 

[X-37B]

Synthetic = manmade, just a terminology question..

No - manmade media dissolve at higher PH (7.0), coral skeletons dissolve at lower PH (6.0)...

No. You have it backward my friend.

 

[Opes]

No. You have it backward my friend.

My coral skeleton disolves between a PH 7.05 and 6.95. I run a much higher drip rate running higher PH in the reactor.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Not getting any trace elements out of my two part dosing, I was going through a lot of alk and cal liquid and I got tired of refilling and watching levels, I had more precipitation on pumps and such near where I dosed, Doser heads failing, dosing tubes failing/getting clogged etc.

Really, I just feel like once a Calx reactor is really dialed in properly it is rock solid and I just test Alk a few times a week. I run enough effluent that I don't ever see any clogs in my line. From my observations of my own systems over the years, and other very successful SPS tanks Calx Reactors seem to be where it is at. This is just my belief and not based in anything scientific that a Calx Reactor seems to provide a lot more than dosing two part in terms of elements and other good stuff that hard corals require for good growth.

OK, thx.

 

[jmichaelh7]

California - Dry Good Trade - Apex Trident + Dos + DDR package

I have Apex package includes Trident , Dos, DDR. I will trade for sweet deal on cash, or I’m looking for a Calcium reactor for my other display that I will trade for . PM me

www.reef2reef.com

For a long time I used a Calx Reactor with great results on an sps system. I built a new system a few years back and used a doser. What a pain with lackluster results.

Switched my system back to Calx Reactor. Once I got it dialed in parameters have been rock solid and I'm getting excellent growth and colors. Don't think I could be talked back into dosing an sps system.

is this an carx reactor

 

[Opes]

California - Dry Good Trade - Apex Trident + Dos + DDR package

I have Apex package includes Trident , Dos, DDR. I will trade for sweet deal on cash, or I’m looking for a Calcium reactor for my other display that I will trade for . PM me

www.reef2reef.com

is this an carx reactor

Yep. That is a calcium reactor.

 

[jmichaelh7]

I can certainly see pros and cons of both ways, but what did you consider a pain for the dosing?

My goal is sps dominate my second time round. I notice sps don’t like fluctuations my first round so I want everything in place as far as stability before I make a big sps package purchase . Dosing will work, but when I’m dosing 150ml every other day I don’t want to cause RTN or something when I switch to calcium reactor later

 

[jmichaelh7]

For a long time I used a Calx Reactor with great results on an sps system. I built a new system a few years back and used a doser. What a pain with lackluster results.

Switched my system back to Calx Reactor. Once I got it dialed in parameters have been rock solid and I'm getting excellent growth and colors. Don't think I could be talked back into dosing an sps system.

Lookin good I need to find someone’s sweet deal on here. Or I’ll fork out the big bucks

 

[Opes]

Lookin good I need to find someone’s sweet deal on here. Or I’ll fork out the big bucks

If you watch teh classifieds there are some good deals to be found sometimes but they disapear quick! Shipping is tough with all of the equipment too.