Calcium Reactor?

[Nikee1404]

Is a Calcium Reactor for a 29 gallon tank a necessity for SPS corals? If so, could someone recommend a suitable reactor, and some of the benefits of having one?
Thanks, Nikee.

[Reef Newb11]

No I would stick to dosing 2 part. A reactor on such a small tank volume would be very hard to dial in and get it to run correctly. I have mainly SPS in my biocube and just use two part for cal and alk.

[fish outa wata]

great question Nikee, I was thinking about purchasing one for mine but was not sure. Reef Newb what do you think would be the min tank size for a reactor. I have about 16 gallons of refuge but was thinking of adding more. Just to pick your brain

[Nikee1404]

Originally posted by Reef Newb11
No I would stick to dosing 2 part. A reactor on such a small tank volume would be very hard to dial in and get it to run correctly. I have mainly SPS in my biocube and just use two part for cal and alk.

Thanks! This is the answer I was looking for. So, I'm assuming I need to purchase Test kits and just dose it when necessary. Will 1 or 2 SPS corals need that much calcium if I'm using IO salt?

[Reef Newb11]

NIkee1404-

no 1 or 2 SPS frags will not need much in terms of calcium. I would bet that until they mature into large colonies that regular water changes would probably be able to keep up with the calcium demand.

Fish Outa Water-
I would say its not really about there being a min. size tank but more of problem with keeping up with the demand of the corals. I dont think that we nano keeper could pack enough SPS corals in our nano tanks to neccesitate using a reactor. But that is just my opinion. I know that large tanks with tons of SPS and clams could still use two part to tend to their calc and alk needs but they would be going through gallons of the stuff per month, which would get costly. I am about to set up a 60 gallon tank and I will be using kalkwasser in the top off as well as dosing 2 part and I think that will be adequite for the calc needs. I honestly dont think a calcium reactor would be neccessary for anything smaller than a 100 gallon tank. But I do believe there is always exceptions to that rule. It is more dependant on the indivduals SPS size and demand.

Sorry for the long winded post....

[Nikee1404]

Thanks for the help ReefNewb. Much appreciated!

[gas4544]

I have a 30-gallon reef that is full of mostly Montipora, a couple Acropora, and some Acans. I will be plumbing my 50-gallon sump soon and I plan to set up a dual chamber calcium reactor that I once used on a 75-gallon softie tank.

It may not be necessary to use a calcium reactor on a nano tank, but once you get one dialed in, it maintains steady alkilinity and calcium levels. I found that after I had my reactor up and running, I did not need to do as much testing for alkilinity and calcium.

So if you have a larger nano with lots of calcium hungry coral, a calcium reactor may be a good option for you.

Gary

[Lunchbucket]

Originally posted by Reef Newb11
No I would stick to dosing 2 part. A reactor on such a small tank volume would be very hard to dial in and get it to run correctly. I have mainly SPS in my biocube and just use two part for cal and alk.

Sorry but I have to disagree. I ran a Ca Rx on my old 20H back in 2002 and had GREAT results. It was never a pain to dial in at all.

We need to remember (IMO) big tank principles apply to us little tank owners too. That is why I put a Ca Rx on there back in 2002...why not do a big skimmer, ca rx, 400w MH on a 20H? Big tanks can do it why not little? Same principles just a smaller volume of water

Ran a My Reef Creations reactor...I believe this was the first "nano" one he made


Lunchbucket

[Lunchbucket]

Originally posted by Reef Newb11
Fish Outa Water-
I would say its not really about there being a min. size tank but more of problem with keeping up with the demand of the corals. I dont think that we nano keeper could pack enough SPS corals in our nano tanks to neccesitate using a reactor. But that is just my opinion. I know that large tanks with tons of SPS and clams could still use two part to tend to their calc and alk needs but they would be going through gallons of the stuff per month, which would get costly. I am about to set up a 60 gallon tank and I will be using kalkwasser in the top off as well as dosing 2 part and I think that will be adequite for the calc needs. I honestly dont think a calcium reactor would be neccessary for anything smaller than a 100 gallon tank. But I do believe there is always exceptions to that rule. It is more dependant on the indivduals SPS size and demand.

Sorry for the long winded post....

I couldn't keep up with about 1.5 gal of kalk /day on my 20H! I had to use a Ca Rx. It was packed w/ SPS. On my 58gal RR I definitely had to have a Ca Rx with 5clams and full of SPS.

My whole goal (which is what we want) is stability. The greater the stability the better the corals do. Dosing all or 1/2 of you two part isn't as effective as dosing from a reactor all day

[NanoReefWanabe]

Originally posted by Lunchbucket
I couldn't keep up with about 1.5 gal of kalk /day on my 20H! I had to use a Ca Rx. It was packed w/ SPS. On my 58gal RR I definitely had to have a Ca Rx with 5clams and full of SPS.

My whole goal (which is what we want) is stability. The greater the stability the better the corals do. Dosing all or 1/2 of you two part isn't as effective as dosing from a reactor all day

i am with you here lunch...

my 20h is a serious PITA to keep up with just kalk...i find i have to add buffers everyone and a while to keep everything good, mind you i only lose about 1/2g or so in evap a day...if i were losing more then i might be able to keep up with the demand..stability is the key here for any tank...a Calcium reactor is the best thing you can do for any tank in my mind...continually stable parameters...add some mag pellets in there and pretty much never have to worry about ionic imbalance...

use your WC to replace the trace elements..and remove waste water..

i am in th eprocess of a DIY Cal reactor for my tank now...i dont need a big one....so a DIY makes sense...

[Reef Newb11]

Your right like I said there are exceptions and it all depends on your setup. for me and my biocube 29 with tons of SPS and clams all of witch are small frags I get away with using kalk and dosing two part daily when they grow into colonies I will use more two part but I think that until your demand gets overwhelming for two part then a calc reactor is not neccessary. Just my opinion. I agree with big tank principals applying to small tanks as well...but some things are just not neccessary in my opinion.

[Nikee1404]

At the moment I intend on keeping 2 or 3 SPS and lots of ricordeas. What type of calcium reactor would be sufficient for a 30g tank? Could someone explain to me what kind of reactor and CO2 I would need. Thanks again.

[NanoReefWanabe]

dosing is expensive no matter how you look at it...a low demand system with a reactor may last a year or more with a given amount of media...i am sure you would go through more 2 part trying to keep things constant...then there is the constant testing to see if your dosing too much two part or not...a lot less testing involved in a reactor setup...

sure there is a greater capital cost but it far out weighs that n the long run..

[Nikee1404]

Ok...so Ive decided i'll go ahead and invest in a calcium reactor. What reactor would anyone recommend?

[REEFR ROB]

I am using a calcium reactor on my 29 gallon SPS reef. I looked into a lot of reactors but settled on one from a company in Kansas called Aquatic Systems Design. It is called CaRxNano and it is designed for small systems. It has been working out very well for me.

[fish outa wata]

Reefr rob was the rx easy to set up?

[jman77]

I would just dose "2-part"

Alot easier and of cheaper.


"dosing is expensive no matter how you look at it...a low demand system with a reactor may last a year or more with a given amount of media...i am sure you would go through more 2 part trying to keep things constant...then there is the constant testing to see if your dosing too much two part or not...a lot less testing involved in a reactor setup..."


Keep dreaming buddy if you think a reactor is easier than 2-part and you do not have to test once you have it set up.

So, you are justifying spending 500 beans to set up a reactor on a low demand system ? You could easily meet the demands by just performing more frequent water changes and topping off with lime water

Dosing is really expensive, that is if your dosing a 200 + gallon system. On a Nano it does not get easier, or cheaper....

Answer me this question...how is baking soda and dowflake expensive if you are going through a gallon every 2 months or so.

Just an FYI ...to make a gallon of Alk it cost me around a dollar... the cal part cost me nothing because I still have a 5 gallon bucket of the stuff left over from a purchase i made around 2 + years ago.

[NanoReefWanabe]

Originally posted by jman77
I would just dose "2-part"

Alot easier and of cheaper.


"dosing is expensive no matter how you look at it...a low demand system with a reactor may last a year or more with a given amount of media...i am sure you would go through more 2 part trying to keep things constant...then there is the constant testing to see if your dosing too much two part or not...a lot less testing involved in a reactor setup..."


Keep dreaming buddy if you think a reactor is easier than 2-part and you do not have to test once you have it set up.

So, you are justifying spending 500 beans to set up a reactor on a low demand system ? You could easily meet the demands by just performing more frequent water changes and topping off with lime water

Dosing is really expensive, that is if your dosing a 200 + gallon system. On a Nano it does not get easier, or cheaper....

Answer me this question...how is baking soda and dowflake expensive if you are going through a gallon every 2 months or so.

Just an FYI ...to make a gallon of Alk it cost me around a dollar... the cal part cost me nothing because I still have a 5 gallon bucket of the stuff left over from a purchase i made around 2 + years ago.

i never said you dont have to test...read it again..."buddy"

i dose limewater at 1/2 g a day and add 1 oz of both DIY cal and ALK additives almost daily as the kalk dosent keep up at current evap rates...which means i test every 3 or four days to make sure things arent going astray...you telling me that is easier then setting up a CaRx and testing once a month? i cant wait to get a reactor, if i did it all again i would set it up from the start and never have to worry....the Media isnt what costs a lot it is your time and test kits...both of which are taken up far more rapidly if you are doing it all manually..i too have a 50# bag of dow flakes in the garage for the last two years...and it will be around for another ten at the current rate i use it...

[jman77]

Yes it is easier
Well, apparently you do not have a "Low Demand" system.... that is, if your orginal use of the term "Low Demand" was to descibe the calcium use of a system. One fluid ounce of each is nothing, try dosing 4 of each like i do for my 120g (and I still stick with 2-part)

I hope you the best with the Reactor, but you can easily set up a pair of dosing pumps & a Timer, and automate the dosing process process.
http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/...sing-Pumps/21/

Setup a autotop off and a DIY KalkReactor and not worry how much the system uses, as it is taken care of.
http://www.autotopoff.com/

I don't understand what could be fluctuating so greatly in your system that you can't get a baseline of what you should does, and have to test every 4 days. Getting a Calcium Reactor is not going to fix that problem, it's not going to automatically adjust depending on your uptake, if anything you are going to have more problems as your have to dial it in ever four days ... and that's not as easy as the 2-part solution.

[REEFR ROB]

Fish:

Yes it is very easy to set up. The unit is very well made. You will need a feed pump - I recommend a maxijet 400. It has a pH probe port just like their larger reactors. I got them to send me enough reactor media to get it started (gen-x size).
I am running my CO2 at about 12 bubbles per minute.

[ERIKATHORNBURG]

I've been wondering about adding a calcium reactor to my new tank setup...just have no idea where to start in selecting one. Plus, I'm not sure what the demand is going to be on this new tank....so, I'm waiting to see.

[Lunchbucket]

what pump do you guys use to feed your reactors? I've always ran a pump from the sump to the reactor and back to the sump. Now I'm going from the tank...down to the reactor and back up

Lunchbucket