Basics of a CArx

[Mekaeel]

hey there crew.what are the basics of a calcium reactor in order for it to function.ok obviously the actuall reactor,co2 bottle the media what else?

 

[irie ivan]

a recirc pump, co2 regulator (needle valve) and of course the media. Thats the basics.

 

[Alan]

Always wise to run on a PH controllor although not an absolute must. You will then need a bubble counter.

 

[Mekaeel]

Always wise to run on a PH controllor although not an absolute must. You will then need a bubble counter.

can this be added on at a later stage alan?and without this will my PH and ALK be stable?

 

[Mashrie]

All depends for alkalinity that is.
Ph a definite no no. It will drop gradually.
Cant you keep up with your current dosing of buffer and calcium additives?

 

[Mekaeel]

yeah think i'll just continue as i am and then when i get some cash on hand i'll get the complete system at once

 

[leslie hempel]

a calcuim reactor is best used with all the gadgets that allow you to make sure its working....

• reaction chamber (AM or REEFOCTOPUS or WHATEVER)
• ph probe (can be added later)
• ph controller (can be added later)
• bubble counter (easily made)
• solenoid switch
• timer (for the solenoid if you choose to run cal reactor in the day and kalk at night)
• co2 bottle 2 or 5kg
• regulator

i am even going to be running a second ph display unit for the tank ph.....just to check that ph is stable with all these gadgets causing a rise fall effect in buffering however little the spike may be....

 

[Mekaeel]

thanks for all the info on the items required to ensure that a calcium reactor works in the fashion it should les

 

[leslie hempel]

thanks for all the info on the items required to ensure that a calcium reactor works in the fashion it should les

cool dude..... have you considered using the macro aqua cal reactor looks quite nice and quite cheap but not sure what the quality is like...... they sell around here for about R1400... i think the biggest disadvantage is that they dont hold alot of media.... +-5lt capacity for the large one.... our LFS is stuck with 2 of them as there is little understanding around here of these units....

just a thought...

 

[Mekaeel]

thanks les.managed to find one from craig.hopefully will get it this weekend.just need a PH meter

 

[Muz]

Are these really necessary.. I am starting to panic here cos I seem to be the only chop without one.. does anyone here dose manually?

Muz

 

[Alan]

Hey Muz, dont panic you not the only one, its just us lazy sods that are tired of adding manually. No problem with manual additions.

 

[phat]

its just us lazy sods that are tired of adding manually. No problem with manual additions.

you left out fat...:razz:

 

[DragonReef]

lol, don't panic Muz. I dosed manually for years.
Just big tanks with high demanding corals such as SPS suck the life out of your water. On my previous system I found I was dosing twice a day to keep up. A reactor just makes life easier.

 

[Mekaeel]

lol, don't panic Muz. I dosed manually for years.
Just big tanks with high demanding corals such as SPS suck the life out of your water.

lol exactly why im getting the reactor!

 

[leslie hempel]

not a necessatly but good to have.... unless you have the time (which i dont) to dose manually...

 

[Mekaeel]

not a necessatly but good to have.... unless you have the time (which i dont) to dose manually...

yeah bit of a pain though lol

 

[Muz]

Well maybe it is because I dont really understand the dosing yet, what to dose and when, all I am doing at the moment is toping up with R/O water, adding Coral Care KH / PH buffer 1tps per 100L and doing 10% NSW changes every week ( syphon 50% of aragonite substrate )

I still only have my 1st 2 fish in the tank ( went for 2 green chromis ) I have managed to pick up a few little frags here and there and I have 2 big turbo snails and a little starfish.. that's it for the next 3 weeks or so. I know that calcium is only really for the corals and maybe shrimps so I am not testing for that yet. I only test PH / KH / Nitrates, Nitrites & Ammonia..

Sorry Mekaeel, did'nt mean to stomp on your thread

Muz

 

[sunburst]

All depends for alkalinity that is.
Ph a definite no no. It will drop gradually.
Cant you keep up with your current dosing of buffer and calcium additives?

Mashrie what i understand by your above comment is that a carx causes a gradual drop in pH. This is not true.
Besides calcium... the reactor also provides alkalinity....Although the effluent is acidic, it stabilisers pH.

Mekaeel, if you do get a reactor.... forget the pH controller and buy your self a quality handheld pH metre..... cheaper and more versatile...ie can measure the pH of your reactor effluent and tank pH. They are easier to calibrate because of their portability....and trust me calibration needs to be done a lot more often than most people realise.

Use your pH metre to set the reactor effluent and then just let her bubble away. I only connect my Ph controller when i go away on holiday.

The practise of switching your reactor off at night imo is unnecessary. The benefite of letting it run 24/7 outway the negatives

 

[DragonReef]

is that a carx causes a gradual drop in pH. This is not true.
Besides calcium... the reactor also provides alkalinity....Although the effluent is acidic, it stabilisers pH.

Sean the one draw back of a CO2 reactor is that it does affect tank PH. Getting CO2 into the water in easy, getting it out is the difficult part. The effluent dripping back into the tank has a PH of 6.5 - 7 depending on your setting. At a steady drip rate this can drop your tank PH.
The addition of Kalk helps to stabilise the side effects.
You can also push your effluent through a second "mop up " chamber to try and reduce the effect.