Ordered my first calcium reactor

Williamson’s Reef

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So I took the plunge and ordered a Deltec CRTT3000. My system is 405 gallons total and I have over 60 sticks. I’m currently dosing 70 mil of soda ash a day. My PH is now running 8.3-8.5. As most of my sticks are small but growing fast I know it’s just a matter of time before I can’t use soda ash. I’ll probably get a bigger tank one day or even add another tank onto my system. So I went with the CRTT 3000. Anyway I cant find reborn in stock...whats the next best choice? And should I have a spare full co2 tank on hand? I’m ordering the recommended tunze regulator. Am I forgetting anything?
 

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Congrats on a baller Calicum Reactor, I believe that Reborn is now available again, so it may take patience or luck to find some, or maybe a hoarder will cut you a break.
 

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If you can’t find reborn look into middle keys marine life LLC that’s what I went to when reborn wasn’t available. It works very well and Is available. I think it’s better than the new reborn. I have a unopened bag of new Reborn. It doesn’t look much like old reborn. And yes get a second C02 tank because they Seem to run out all at once. For your size tank I’d get a 20 gallon bottle or bigger.The gas is cheaper per pound the bigger the bottle.
 
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Williamson’s Reef

Williamson’s Reef

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Congrats on a baller Calicum Reactor, I believe that Reborn is now available again, so it may take patience or luck to find some, or maybe a hoarder will cut you a break.
Thanks ..lol. I’ve learned you get what you pay for in this hobby. Hopefully I get a lot of years out of it. I’ve checked everywhere today for reborn. Maybe I’ll get lucky before it gets here and find some.
 
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Williamson’s Reef

Williamson’s Reef

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If you can’t find reborn look into middle keys marine life LLC that’s what I went to when reborn wasn’t available. It works very well and Is available. I think it’s better than the new reborn. I have a unopened bag of new Reborn. It doesn’t look much like old reborn. And yes get a second C02 tank because they Seem to run out all at once. For your size tank I’d get a 20 gallon bottle or bigger.The gas is cheaper per pound the bigger the bottle.

Thank you.. I’ll check it out. Ok that’s what I was thinking. Like my gas grill I always have a spare tank. BRS only has the 5lb tanks. I’ll call some local home brewery places and see what they have for tanks.
 

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Reborn shows up here and there - keep looking and you might get lucky. If you sign up for an in-story alert, be prepared to buy in a minute or two. Carib Sea is calcite which works fine, but is harder to melt and needs more co2, IMO. That stuff from Middle Keys looks just like Reborn with some shells in it too.

I use 20lb tanks, but I have a 5lb on hand just in case. You can lift up the bottles and tell when they get low, so you should be able to see this coming. One of my friends will replace his when they get really low and you can swirl the liquid co2 around in the bottom - I let mine usually get to where the psi on the regulator goes down, which is about a two day process usually (this means that there is no more liquid in the tank since even a drop of liquid co2 will have the 800ish PSI on the guage).
 
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Williamson’s Reef

Williamson’s Reef

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Reborn shows up here and there - keep looking and you might get lucky. If you sign up for an in-story alert, be prepared to buy in a minute or two. Carib Sea is calcite which works fine, but is harder to melt and needs more co2, IMO. That stuff from Middle Keys looks just like Reborn with some shells in it too.

I use 20lb tanks, but I have a 5lb on hand just in case. You can lift up the bottles and tell when they get low, so you should be able to see this coming. One of my friends will replace his when they get really low and you can swirl the liquid co2 around in the bottom - I let mine usually get to where the psi on the regulator goes down, which is about a two day process usually (this means that there is no more liquid in the tank since even a drop of liquid co2 will have the 800ish PSI on the guage).

Thats what I just did..signed up for in stock alerts. I may just have to go with one of the other options though.

Ok good to know. Appreciate that info as I have no clue. The last thing I want to do is crash a thriving tank.

Just seen and read your link on calcium reactors..good stuff. I will reread it when I set it up.
 
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I just picked up 4 bags of Reborn for my Reactor. The new Reborn is not like it used to be, it used to have big chunks of dead coral now it's a lot of little pieces.
 

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I just picked up 4 bags of Reborn for my Reactor. The new Reborn is not like it used to be, it used to have big chunks of dead coral now it's a lot of little pieces.

Yeah, bought a couple of the smaller bags and it does look different. I've seem some exorcised people online over that LOL. Doesn't mean it works less well of course .... I guess time will tell.
 

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Try a local fire extinguisher store near you. Mine is called interstate fire and safety. They have used bottles in 20 lb size for $150 with a full charge. The charge is about $60 for the 20 lb and the 10lb is only a little less about $45. So the bigger is much cheaper per lb for the gas. I found my 10 lb off eBay brand new for less than $100 and have a 5 lb in case I let the 10lb run low.
 
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Williamson’s Reef

Williamson’s Reef

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Try a local fire extinguisher store near you. Mine is called interstate fire and safety. They have used bottles in 20 lb size for $150 with a full charge. The charge is about $60 for the 20 lb and the 10lb is only a little less about $45. So the bigger is much cheaper per lb for the gas. I found my 10 lb off eBay brand new for less than $100 and have a 5 lb in case I let the 10lb run low.
Great idea.. I’ll see if I have one around me. Thank you !
 

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I get bottles from failed hobbyist beer brewers. The welding shop near me will fill them for about $17... 5 to 20 lb all the same price. Check out your craigslist or other marketplace.

You can also use large crushed coral substrate for media - probably a good idea to make sure that you have a reverse flow reactor or change it often since the stuff used to get compacted over the months. This is what we all used for a long time.
 
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Williamson’s Reef

Williamson’s Reef

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I get bottles from failed hobbyist beer brewers. The welding shop near me will fill them for about $17... 5 to 20 lb all the same price. Check out your craigslist or other marketplace.

You can also use large crushed coral substrate for media - probably a good idea to make sure that you have a reverse flow reactor or change it often since the stuff used to get compacted over the months. This is what we all used for a long time.

I just read the bottles have to be certified every so often. Something to check on if I buy used.

I’ll probably give it a week or two before I give up on reborn. I’m not sure if mine is reverse flow or not. I’ll have to watch the YouTube videos again. Thanks
 

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You can always go with manmade media. It only replaces Ca and Alk though.
I run the Tunze manmade media and it has worked well for 9 months now.
I do not run a ph probe or controller but have checked my effluent and it runs at a ph of 6.5 at 20-25 dkh.
Just another option for you.
 
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Williamson’s Reef

Williamson’s Reef

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You can always go with manmade media. It only replaces Ca and Alk though.
I run the Tunze manmade media and it has worked well for 9 months now.
I do not run a ph probe or controller but have checked my effluent and it runs at a ph of 6.5 at 20-25 dkh.
Just another option for you.

I’d like to get the benefits of trace elements added back in if possible. My
last ICP test showed them all low. Dosing them seems like such a guessing game. I was doing biweekly 55 gal water changes but have stepped it up to weekly now. It’s expensive with tropic marine pro salt.
 

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I dose dsr ez trace once a day at 6ml.
Strontium once a week.
Tank has been very stable.
I also do not do scheduled water changes. I have done 2 in 15 months. 1-9 gal at 12 months just because, and 1-12 gal at 14 months because I used fluconazol to eliminate hair algae in my 120.
Any way their are certainly more than one way to reef!
Pick the one that works for you and stay with it.
 
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Williamson’s Reef

Williamson’s Reef

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I dose dsr ez trace once a day at 6ml.
Strontium once a week.
Tank has been very stable.
I also do not do scheduled water changes. I have done 2 in 15 months. 1-9 gal at 12 months just because, and 1-12 gal at 14 months because I used fluconazol to eliminate hair algae in my 120.
Any way their are certainly more than one way to reef!
Pick the one that works for you and stay with it.

I just started the full KZ line about two months ago. I love It...corals have never looked better. I have dosed brightwell trace products.. still have some. I’ll have to pick up some of the KZ ez trace.
 

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I just read the bottles have to be certified every so often. Something to check on if I buy used.

Every place that I have ever gone to just swaps bottles. The check and all of that is part of the fee. This can really suck when you take a nice new bottle into a shop and get an old one back. :)
 

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I’d like to get the benefits of trace elements added back in if possible. My
last ICP test showed them all low. Dosing them seems like such a guessing game. I was doing biweekly 55 gal water changes but have stepped it up to weekly now. It’s expensive with tropic marine pro salt.
Check out reef moonshiners, it will get your traces back on target and then some. Paletta and others are doing the same.
 

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