calcium reactor or dosing pumps?

[adambirk]

hello to all i am trying to decide on supplement my tanks needs by either using a calcium reactor or dosing pumps. my tank is mainly lps zoos and a few sps. i am moving more into sps and am going to need some sort of supplementation other than manually dosing bionic daily.

i would like something that is low maintence but i really dont know how a calcium reactor works or how to set one up. i have always just dosed 2 part but now that my corals are growing out more the demand for alk and calcium is getting higher and i do not enjoy having to dose by hand daily.

also i want to use the method that is going to give me the most stable perameters. oh and my tank is a 150 gallon with 55 gallon sump. also i run a bacteria driven system to keep nutients in check.

thanks in advance and could really use some advise on this one. from what i have been reading a reactor will be the best one for a larger system but i have also seen some pics of some really nice systems that run 2 part on dosers. and from what i have read the cost is really about the same on both to set up with good quality equipment. so that is not a factor for me. just stable conditions and low maitenence.

-adam

[fishoutawater]

I just got a doser on ebay for 115 shipped, it's a dual doser that I'm going to use for 2 part. That's substantially less than a reactor, valve, CO2tank, plumbing and pump.

[adambirk]

yeah but on a large system (almost 200 gallons) when my corals really start to fill out is it going to be hard to dose that much two part? wouldnt it be easier to just run a calcium reactor? i dont know and it seems like there is mixed reviews about it now. i guess i am looking for real world experiance.

like i said before money is not the issue so much as getting a supplement system that is going to be able to handle the demands of a heavily stocked reef and keep everything stable.

[arredondojason]

I have a 240G tank that I just upgraded to and you are right on a larger tank calcium reactors are the best and cheaper in the long run. They do cost more to setup but once they are setup and tuned they are great. I couldnt even imagine trying to dose two part in a large system every night.
I run the Gen X media in my reactor with dolamite so it puts out calcium, alk and mag and I am so glad I went this route instead of doser pumps.

[arredondojason]

oh ya I forgot here is a great link to how calcium reactors work this is just the part 1 and I cant wait till they put out the part 2 of this artical.

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/44-calcium-reactors-in-out-and-everything-in-between-part-1

this artical also gives you a cost chart and all kinds of great info.

[adambirk]

thanks for the input i have been doing alot of reading and also think i will be best ot go with a calcium reactor. but like i have said i have never used one of for that matter know anyone that has one on a tank that i know. so it is very intimidating and i am a little nervous about killing livestock in my tank due to improper setup.

[chadfarmer]

you can run either

its all personal preference

i run a calcium reactor (i thought about a 2 part dosing but i would have to do 3 part and add magnesium to the system)

i dont test water but maybe 2 times a year at the most

so the 2 part would not be the way I would go to many things can go wron with a dosing pump compaired to calcium reactor

what ever you do take your time and get a nice unit

if you do the calcium reactor dont get a milwaukee regulator

[Chris27]

thanks for the input i have been doing alot of reading and also think i will be best ot go with a calcium reactor. but like i have said i have never used one of for that matter know anyone that has one on a tank that i know. so it is very intimidating and i am a little nervous about killing livestock in my tank due to improper setup.

The beauty of the Calcium Reactor is just that, simplicity of use. If it's set up properly with a Controller, Probes and electronic solenoid you won't have much to worry about. Two parts and the like do work well, but you may find that manually dosing or auto dosing is still hard to keep up with since you'll still be mixing solutions up every few days. I personally just put 3 scoops or Tropic Marin Bio-Calcium and 1 scoop of Bio-Mag in my 180 each night and my Calcium, Mag and Alk are rock solid...If I were to change that regimen I would def. go the Calcium Reactor route. Good luck and keep on reading, you'll have it up and running in no-time at all.

[adambirk]

so what do the guys that run a calcium reactor recomend as far as a good reactor? also am i going to need to buy a controller or are you refering to a ph controller? like i said i dont know alot about them. are all the name brand ones about the same or is there something specific i should be looking for? thanks

[James77]

Two parts and the like do work well, but you may find that manually dosing or auto dosing is still hard to keep up with since you'll still be mixing solutions up every few days.

Two part dosing using auto dosers is very easy, and they can keep up with high demands easily. When I was dosing 2 part, I would mix 5 gallon jugs and they would last months. Granted not everyone can fit 5 gallon jugs, but even with 1 gallon jugs they would last at least a couple weeks unless you had extremely high demand or a very large tank.

I presently run a calcium reactor now, because I have always preferred them. My biggest problem with them is regulators. As chadfarmer sai, avoid the Milwaukees, they are a PITA. I use an aquariumplants.com electronic regulator, and it blows any other regulator I have used away. Easily adjusts, it is very consistent, and comes with a full 3 year warranty.

[James77]

so what do the guys that run a calcium reactor recomend as far as a good reactor? also am i going to need to buy a controller or are you refering to a ph controller? like i said i dont know alot about them. are all the name brand ones about the same or is there something specific i should be looking for? thanks

Geo is by far the most popular, and it is a great reactor- the best of 4 I have owned(MRC, Korallin, ADS, and Geo). You can buy a Milwaukee pH controller for ~$100, or you could tie it into your aquarium controller if you have one. I use an Apex with 2 ph probes, one each for the tank and reactor.

[arredondojason]

I am running an octopus calcium reactor with a Milwaukee PH controller and run mine at 6.5 PH in the reactor then the effluent runs into my skimmer to blow off excess CO2.
did you read the link i gave you it is full of great advise on how they work and in the part 2 of that link they will explain setting one up and tunning it.

[adambirk]

arredondojason: thanks for the link just got done reading part one and will be reading part 2 later. yeah i guess i should have been a little more specific i know the basics of how a reactor works i just dont know how to set one up and what componets are good/bad. i too was told that if i do get a reactor that a geo is the one to get. and that was also said here. so that will probably be the one i will get.

also i do not have a controller for my system. have been doing it the low tech way but now that i upgraded i have been getting the best equipment that i can and slowly upgrading equipment as i go. so like i said before i dont have a problem spending the money as long as i do it right the first time. so do you all think that i should get a controller to run the reactor or is it ok to just run it on a ph controller like the millwaukee.

[Chris27]

You may find that buying a Reef Controller may be the way to go. They are very versatile and most models are expandable. With a controller you can monitor pH, actuate the solenoid, shut off pumps if water gets too high or too low, control the lights, what time of day the reactor should be running, etc...