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Unread 01/15/2019, 08:42 AM   #12
ReefWreak
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Astoria, NYC
Posts: 10,159
IMO, if you have to ask the question Kalk or Reactor, then the answer is Kalk. Reactor or 2 part is for when those aren't keeping up anymore.

If manual dosing of Kalk powder to your top-off reservoir is a PITA, buy a kalk stirrer for $100, or buy the Tunze in-line kalk mixing chamber device. Whatever they are, they're hundreds of dollars cheaper than the cheapest (effective) option for a calcium reactor. A calcium reactor is a $500 investment, and isn't guaranteed stable or simple.

For reference, I'm an "advanced reefkeeper" and I made the mistake when starting a new tank of jumping straight into a calcium reactor despite having no corals at the time. It's been a nightmare of chasing (however little) parameter changes, I've spent a ton of money, and all of that was entirely unnecessary for anything short of a "very established system." I wanted to buy once and buy right.

It's like feeding yourself from Costco, when you live by yourself in a studio apartment. You have TONS of spare overhead, but it's a mess to manage day-to-day (although I always did the Costco thing IRL).

It also sounds like you have an open-top tank. If your demand isn't met by kalk at maximum saturation, you could start running a fan across your tank top to increase evaporation and add more kalk.

Also, just remember that while Kalk provides 1:1 calcium:alkalinity, your tank will likely use more alkalinity than calcium so you'll need some alkalinity supplement (baking soda or baked baking soda) on hand to restore the balance over time.


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