Guide to Calcium Reactors

good time you posted.also looking at getting one
 
:cursing:

My new tank is driving the family dilly.

I've errr "borrowed" Len's visio drawings and spreadsheets and I'm planning the crap out of the project.

So I'll post more as I research new equipment.
 
Excellent article. Brief succinct explanation.

The Primary Law Of Successful ReefKeeping:.... Achieve and maintain Alkalinity and calcium.....at levels you decide are workable for your system...

Hell....... forget the daily adding of chemical x :20: ..... at a gazillion bucks a pop...

The calcium reactor is the lazy mans way of achieving both
 
The calcium reactor is the lazy mans way of achieving both[/quote]

then it suit me just fine...
:lol::lol::lol:
 
Guy's this would be a good place to ask questions and get to know how a CA reactor works. There are some cons to running one such as lowering your systems PH, but also ways to combat this.
Simple things like where your effluent is dripping back into the tank etc can help.

So if anyone has questions ask here and we will try and help :)
 
DR,

I have a question. One thing I haven't been able to understand yet. Does the effluent not have a much lowered pH (because of the CO2) and thus lowers the setups water?

I realise this might be a dumb question but that's the one thing I have never tried.
 
Yes Galibore you are correct. The PH of effluent is typically 6.5 to 7 depending on how you have set your reactor and what media you are using.

Unfortuneatly it's a lot harder to get the CO2 out of the water then it is to put it in. The CO2 as you stated lowers the overall PH of your system and also is a food source for plant life (nuisance algae)

There are ways to reduce the impact of this:
Dripping kalkwasser at night will help to raise PH.
Run your reactor on a timer so that it switches off at night when the PH off your tank tends to dip.

Also placement of the effluent can help. Getting it to drip back into the sump in an area that is well oxygenated - where your skimer is placed etc or adding an additional powerhead slightly aimed at the surface will help oxygenate the water as well.
 
Nice info thanks.

So it would obviously be better to use a pH probe with a solenoid valve if you can afford it. At least then you can't overdose CO2 and it can be kept more or less constant.
 
Gailbore it depends, some guy's prefer not too run a PH controller. IMO it's the safest way of doing it.

But it's not essential to run a calcium reactor without one. They can be quite pricey and a lot of times put guy's off getting a reactor. It can also be added at a later stage.
Running your reactor without a controller will take some fiddling initially to work out drip rates and bubble count, but once you've got it set it will work fine.
 
I'm going to run a kalkwasser reactor with the CA reactor and make use of a pH controller i don't want anything to go belly up.
 
Sorry guys pulled out this old Thread..
Just wanted to check I've just bought an AM calcium Reactor with CO2 bottle and Ph controller 2nd -hand and the guy also gave me a reactor full of bio balls Black and blue with an MV controller, he says it's to take out nitrates but he doesn't know what the reactor is???!!! (I think someone else installed it for him!!??) now due to that I don't know what the hell it is!! Haa haa:)... please can one of you reactor fundi's let me know?

:whistling:
 
Don't worry guys..
Found out, it is a Nitrate reductor!!!
I have a DSB, you reckon adding this as an addition is even worth doing coz I have all the parts? or should I sell it to someone that doesn't have space for a DSB????
 
Keep it and set it up properly. It will out perform your DSB :yeahdude: and at least you can control it so that you have some nitrate available to your inhabitants.

Post a PIC or two of it anyway so that ID and pointers can be given. Not sure why PH probe and CO2 bottle is included with the nitratereductor though.
 
NJ he baught a calcium reactor and got this as a added bonus.
 
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