Ca reactor questions...

[lostmyz]

Here is my current system....

72gal Bow front (drilled) with a 29gal sump
BRS dual stage reactor - GFO and Carbon
BRS BioPellet Reactor
Coralife Turbo Twist UV Sterilizer
Reef Octopus NB 110
MP40wES
MP10wES
2x Radion XR30w
Mag 9.5 return pump
Tunze Osmolator (god i love this thing)
Chiller rated up to 100gal tank

All my levels are great.... Phosphates and Nitrates undetectable on a Hanna Meter and a Red Sea and Salifert kits.

I had a BioCube 29 and upgraded to this tank and brought all my corals with me... Lots of sps and a few lps. In my cube I always had great Ca lvls but my alk and pH would fluctuate too much, but not enough to cause poor growth... Stuff thrived in the tank and stuff is thriving in my current 72 since i started it up a little over a month ago. I already have my sps growing either off their plugs onto rocks of over the epoxy that i mounted them with.

Anyways to my point. I didn't want to have to deal with crazy wild fluctuations in Ca/Alk in my new tank and picked up a Korallin 1502 w/eheim pump used with a 7.5lbs CO2 tank for $50. Came with everything i just need to replace a few things for saftey sake on my part like the O-rings and get a new bubble counter... all in all it will cost me in the end $120 for the reactor with new parts. I have a few questions for all you Ca reactor gurus!

1) what regulator would you suggest I use on my CO2 tank?
2) what pH controller do you suggest?
3) I was thinking of getting a Neptune Apex unit... what do you think?
4) Which Calcium reactor media do you suggest?
5) Will I eventually need a Kalk reactor or not? Will it be a proper investment for peace of mind sake?

Thank you helping me out with this :)

[sirreal63]

1) what regulator would you suggest I use on my CO2 tank? Aquarium Plants, hands down the best and most consistent
2) what pH controller do you suggest? I have never had a bad one. I like the Milwaukee but any of them should be fine
3) I was thinking of getting a Neptune Apex unit... what do you think? You could do that as well, and it has some added features that may help
4) Which Calcium reactor media do you suggest? I like the ReBorn, or any of the large size ones.
5) Will I eventually need a Kalk reactor or not? I have never had a PH issue with the CaRx and only use Kalk when the reactor is down for cleaning or maintenance. Will it be a proper investment for peace of mind sake? It is not going to hurt anything but Kalk reactors do not always deliver a saturated dose of lime water, so it may or may not help.

Thank you helping me out with this :)

The 1502 is a good but at times finicky CaRx and properly set up and tuned, it will do exactly what you want.

[tkeracer619]

What jack said.

The aquarium plants regulator you want is the electronic "carbon doser". Don't need the digital readout.

I use A.R.M. Standard media.

[karsseboom]

Just use the kalk with your ato it's better and cheaper that way.

[lostmyz]

Thanks for all the advice I have one last question.... With the Neptune Apex Unit will I need an external pH monitor/controller? If so what is a good one?

[sirreal63]

I don't know what you are asking, but yes the Apex has the capability of controlling the ph in the reactor and should allow for a second probe to monitor the tank ph as well. I am a little retarded in my controller experience. The only ones I use are for ORP and the CaRx ph. My idea of the perfect reef controller is my mind, it is the most versatile, easily adapted and expandable and if I leave the scotch and tequila alone it performs brilliantly.

[tkeracer619]

No you don't need an additional controller. The apex will do it for you just fine.

Try to adjust the reactor so it doesn't need to use the controller unless there is an issue. You don't want a ton of gas going into the reactor, the controller to shut it off, then restart the gas in an hour. You want a steady gas flow.

[lostmyz]

Yes i was just wondering if the neptune apex has a pH probe/controller built in (internally or i buy the expansion module) to control/monitor the pH of the reactor. Or do I need to have a separate pH controller unit that I plug into the apex unit (externally). Also you are correct having a pH monitor for my tank itself is a very good idea. Does that clarify my original question? Sorry I am sorta new to the Reef Controllers

[tkeracer619]

IME you don't need one in the tank unless your dosing kalkwasser.