Which do you prefer dosing or Calcium reactor?

[Bulldog88]

Trying to line up equipment and plan the build to the T. So, just as the title states, which would everyone prefer? Considering equipment upfront costs vs long term costs. You hear horror stories of a reactor malfunctioning and it not ending well. But it seems that a calc reactor is a more hands off piece of equipment. Suggestions are welcome thank you.

[undertai]

Doser for me as I don't have lots of room inside stand for all the larger equipment. Plus dosers can be changed quickly, depending on needs.


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[Alfrareef]

Doser for sure.
Doser for low consumption and CReactor for the high consumer tank. But I also use the doser for adding supplements to the tank.

[bif24701]

Kalk. Single additive for both ALK/Cal, also boasts pH.

I use a doser timed via APEX to run 4 min every 1/2 hour.

Perfectly stable, available, dependable, and affordable!!

I can not understand why more don't use Kalk. I would be willing to bet that Kalk would be certainly capable of supporting >80% reefer out there. Maybe more. My 60+ SPS frags and colonies get all they need from Kalk alone.

I've had 5 gallon buckets of 2part on hand for a full year expecting to put grow Kalk but hasn't happened yet. Still I will continue to use fully saturated Kalk for my ATO with 2part when required.


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[Wrangy]

I'm currently making the switch from the dosing to a calcium reactor. I've never had any issues with dosing but I've always been super keen to give a calcium reactor a go!

[Bpb]

Agree 100% on the kalkwasser comments above. I prefer a calcium reactor in practice, if set up correctly. The amount of daily and weekly maintenance they can reduce is so nice and I like how they add not just ca and alk, but also any minor elements needed for skeleton building in perfect proportions.

But the cost of startup is definitely prohibitive for many people


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[dougchambers]

We ran a 2-chamber Calcium Reactor w/integrated pH probe and Kalk reactor on our ATO for a number of years. When a Ca reactor is setup correctly, I found it to work great. However, I got tired of chasing inconsistent drip rates, clogged pumps, etc. etc...

Just over a year ago, we switched to dosing with bulk media from BRS. Our CA/ALK/Mg numbers have NEVER been as stable. Calibrate the pumps, measure your consumption rates, and set the pumps. I dose the Alk at night to offset the daily pH swing and dose Ca/Mg across 24hrs. When we see consumption rates start to increase due to coral growth, it's a simple and precise adjustment rather than guessing at drips.

My ONLY complaint in switching to dosing is having to mix and refill my dosing containers but that's only once/month and I mix ~2months worth at a time so it's tolerable.

[Denadai]

I´m dosing here plus kalk dripping

I used to run a ca reactor but today I prefer dosing, very simple

If you just use kalk, you also need to dose Mg

Best Regards

[Piper27]

Kalk stirred top off with a correct setup so you use a completely saturated solution at all times, this will take care of most people's needs if done right.
On top of that a calcium reactor, carbon doser regulator, and a masterflex pump is all that is needed to run a calcium reactor safe and easy. No inconsistent drips or bubbles to mess with and no flushing out needle valves. Dosing pumps will fail before any of this equipment will fail. And a dosing pump will crash a tank quicker than a calcium reactor set up correctly. Obviously both require monitoring but calcium reactor you never need to fiddle with much at all.
If you have a tank with low consumption just dose by hand daily, many successful reefers dose by hand, even ones with high consumption and lots of corals. This makes sure they don't have any equipment fail and crash their tanks.

[ADVRESOURCE]

I use both DOS dosers and a Calcium Reactor. Dialing in the reactor is required. The dialing is isn't that difficult as long as you stick with the manufactures recommended initial settings along with using a calibrated PH controller. The effluent won't clog as long as you have enough effluent flow. Typically, 50 ml / min. Bubble rates start off at 100 bubbles per minute (using the plant controller from BRS) and the PH for the controller set to 6.5. If you test the effluent and it's not 2-3X alk of your display, then adjust the ph controller to a lower setpoint (small adjustment) and continue until the PH of the effluent is 2-3x tank alk. After the Reactor starts reacting, adjustments can be made by changing bubble size, changing bubble count, or adjusting effluent rate.

During the process of dialing in the reactor, I dose using the DOS dosers. I also take care of any imbalances using the DOS doser during regular operation.
Having a dual setup alleviates the issues commonly observed in the reefing community. I've had APEX dosing errors and I've had low CO2 levels that didn't allow proper Calcium reactor adjustment. All issues are PAR for the course.
I think regular testing and adjustment flexibility is the key to reefing success.

I tried minimal Kalk dosing and found that it increases Calcium something fierce and can raise PH too high. Testing and adjustment is good. I just didn't have good luck with Kalk.

[ADVRESOURCE]

Oh, I like the reactor the best. Main reason: for larger tanks - the dosing with the reactor is constant. Thus, no alk or ca spikes. When dosing, there's a chance that with higher amounts of additive, that there would be high concentration of alk prior to total mixing in the tank. Thus, some corals won't be happy.

If you keep alk and ca mostly stable, then small amounts of additive can be used for balancing only.

[chgoblknazn]

I've got a smaller tank and I made the switch from dosing manually to a calcium reactor over a year ago. The amount of my involvement in dosing now is almost nothing, and I really like that. I check the drip when I am servicing the sump a couple times a week to make sure it's dripping and that's it. I have been using the same 5 lb tank of CO2 that I initially purchased when I set it up and I don't have to fiddle with anything. The apex takes care of it all.

The initial cost of setup was a bit substantial but worth it considering how much time I spent measuring calcium and alk and the cost of gallons of supplements. I would never run a tank without one, now that I see how maintenance-free it is.

[Denadai]

Originally Posted by Piper27

And a dosing pump will crash a tank quicker than a calcium reactor set up correctly.

I keep a medium / small container with the solutions A, B and C...so my tank will never crash with a dosing pump failure

Best regards

[Piper27]

Even a small container of alk dosed all at once from a stuck pump would put a big hurting on a smaller tank though right? Also I got so tired of refilling smaller containers. And forgetting to refill them also caused slight problems for me.

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[swk]

Calrx by a mile. More stable when set up right. Doses trace and everything in perfect ratios. If a doser malfunctions kiss a tank goodbye.

[Pife]

Calcium reactor. Once setup easy to run!

[riveclay-boaeef2024]

Originally Posted by bif24701

Kalk. Single additive for both ALK/Cal, also boasts pH.

I use a doser timed via APEX to run 4 min every 1/2 hour.

Perfectly stable, available, dependable, and affordable!!

I can not understand why more don't use Kalk. I would be willing to bet that Kalk would be certainly capable of supporting >80% reefer out there. Maybe more. My 60+ SPS frags and colonies get all they need from Kalk alone.

I've had 5 gallon buckets of 2part on hand for a full year expecting to put grow Kalk but hasn't happened yet. Still I will continue to use fully saturated Kalk for my ATO with 2part when required.


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What's the main difference in Kalk and brs 2 part

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[Alfrareef]

Agree 100% on the Kalkwasser comments but for me still has high risk. I've got a large ATO and don't want to risk a failure and crash the tank. Also, the stirrer cost it's high and to have a fail safe/control cost more money.

[jda]

Eventually, as your colonies grow, you won't be able to replace enough saturated kalk to keep up with your demands with evaporation. Slurry can be a bit dangerous and will impact your PH a LOT more in a negative way. Lots of folks outgrow the ability to do this, especially in low evap, high humidity climates.

CaRx for me. They replace more than the big three... there are literally more than two dozen more trace elements that come from melting natural media that were required to build the coral skeletons. It is a more complete source of additives.

I have never heard of a CaRx crashing a tank. I really don't know how it is possible. They are set up to just barely maintain and even if they quit or have crazy output, it can take many days or a week to do any damage.

[bif24701]

Originally Posted by Alfrareef

Agree 100% on the Kalkwasser comments but for me still has high risk. I've got a large ATO and don't want to risk a failure and crash the tank. Also, the stirrer cost it's high and to have a fail safe/control cost more money.

I have a very simple design for adding Kalk that is as fool proof as could be.

No switches or floats.

Just a consistent dosing pump (BRS 50ml/minute) and timer (APEX controlled). That's it.

I know how long it need to run (4 min every 1/2 hour) so the same amount is added every day no matter what.

A simple design removes potential flaws and accidents.


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[duncanpate1]

Fool proof until the pump breaks down! Agree that it's a great system but we all know there is always a fool to disproof!!!!


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[DanConnor]

Calcium reactor guy here. And I run a kalk reactor at the same time.

[Bulldog88]

Thanks for insight, I feel like a calcium reactor is the way to go. Even if a malfunction occurs it isn't something that could do serious damage in a short period of time. I had great success with my MRC on my last 120g. But I've read so many posts with people dosing kalk and having great results. But the fear of increasing the pH so quickly in a short period of time would be a worry. I know that controllers to help prevent this. The knowledge base in this forum is priceless.

[bif24701]

Originally Posted by duncanpate1

Fool proof until the pump breaks down! Agree that it's a great system but we all know there is always a fool to disproof!!!!


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Compared to all other methods, my system has the fewest potential failure points. Only system safer would be a dripper.


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[Alfrareef]

Originally Posted by bif24701

I have a very simple design for adding Kalk that is as fool proof as could be.

No switches or floats.

Just a consistent dosing pump (BRS 50ml/minute) and timer (APEX controlled). That's it.

I know how long it need to run (4 min every 1/2 hour) so the same amount is added every day no matter what.

A simple design removes potential flaws and accidents.


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Not safe enough.
I've read recently a post from a guy with a similar approach where the controller got stuck and consultor ashes the tank. Don't remember if it was a APEX.