Calcium Reactor vs 2 part (1 Viewer)

[soymilk]

someone school me on calcium reactors.

Im using 2 part and kalkwasser for my alk/calcium needs. with my new build I might wanna try a calcium reactor. I've stayed away just because 2 part seemed less prone to mishap than calc reactor also my tanks usually were pretty low in pH, so I didn't want to add to that problem.


But if I were to get a calc reactor for a 190 tank, what should I be looking for? Brandwise? spec wise? "auto" make a difference?

 

[R-BallJunkie]

I'm new to calc reactors too, only been running around 6 months or so. I went with the SR Aquaristik since it was at a good price point and had a DC controllable pump. Their customer support was super helpful, walked me thru a lot of dumb questions by text message, and even threw in a spare impeller, no charge. I think they're an underrated brand. I liked the calcium reactor so much, decided to try one of their DC return pumps too after I mangled my other one cleaning it.

I went with a FX-ST Kamoer Feed pump and an Alan Le built dual-stage regulator. I think all the cool kids are running the Carbon dosers but I liked the idea of a more industrial type regulator for about the same price or a tad bit more. As the effluent from your Calc reactor will be very low Ph, I would suggest keeping your Kalk reactor running on a dosing schedule to offset the low Ph. I put my Calc reactor CO2 solenoid behind my alkatronics readings so it will only stage on if needed so at times it sits idle. I also added ReMag - Magnesium Media.

Things I've learned along the way. Set up a manifold to feed and bleed the air from the reactor.. You wont need to do it all the time, but makes it easier when you have to.
Leave it running/feeding all the time. try not to stage the kamoer on/off.
Gradually adjust the feed rate. It doesn't have to be a lot.
Its been pretty much hands free for some time, getting really good growth. pic is 2 months.

 

[Reefahholic]

GEO 818 for that size tank. Simple, easy, and reasonably priced. A carbon doser, kamoer, and controller make things much easier, but aren’t needed.

The problem after covid is finding quality media. A lot of the medias now melt too low or their loaded with PO4. Some have impurities that you’ll want to avoid.

There’s no doubt that a reactor will add back more trace elements if it’s a quality media, but I’m personally more about the stability they bring. Sure there’s 2-parts with minors and traces, but they either don’t add enough or add too much drifting out of target ranges. Plus, 2-part gets annoying to mix, fill, and is more expensive longterm.

 

[BigRick]

I'm new to calc reactors too, only been running around 6 months or so. I went with the SR Aquaristik since it was at a good price point and had a DC controllable pump. Their customer support was super helpful, walked me thru a lot of dumb questions by text message, and even threw in a spare impeller, no charge. I think they're an underrated brand. I liked the calcium reactor so much, decided to try one of their DC return pumps too after I mangled my other one cleaning it.

I went with a FX-ST Kamoer Feed pump and an Alan Le built dual-stage regulator. I think all the cool kids are running the Carbon dosers but I liked the idea of a more industrial type regulator for about the same price or a tad bit more. As the effluent from your Calc reactor will be very low Ph, I would suggest keeping your Kalk reactor running on a dosing schedule to offset the low Ph. I put my Calc reactor CO2 solenoid behind my alkatronics readings so it will only stage on if needed so at times it sits idle. I also added ReMag - Magnesium Media.

Things I've learned along the way. Set up a manifold to feed and bleed the air from the reactor.. You wont need to do it all the time, but makes it easier when you have to.
Leave it running/feeding all the time. try not to stage the kamoer on/off.
Gradually adjust the feed rate. It doesn't have to be a lot.
Its been pretty much hands free for some time, getting really good growth. pic is 2 months.

I used to run my Kamoer pump before but still ran into clogging issues until I switched it to pull through the reactor

 

[Cody]

To echo reefaholic and BigRick, I personally use a Milwaukee ph controller with the ph in the chamber pegged to 6.6. Couple this with an electric solenoid and Kamoer pump, and you have a one knob solution. Want to raise the alk? Turn up the Kamoer. Want to lower it? Reduce the Kamoer. Also, it’s best to have it pull from the chamber instead of push. This helps with clogging, but also prevents any potential leaking since the chamber is at a negative pressure, not positive.

 

[soymilk]

thanks guys. Yall gave me a bit to chew on.

What media are you guys running now? Is media generally hard to get a hold of? How often do you top off?

 

[Cody]

I’ve always used Two Little Fishes course but it’s hard to come by these days. I think ARM is more readily available.

 

[Reefahholic]

To echo reefaholic and BigRick, I personally use a Milwaukee ph controller with the ph in the chamber pegged to 6.6. Couple this with an electric solenoid and Kamoer pump, and you have a one knob solution. Want to raise the alk? Turn up the Kamoer. Want to lower it? Reduce the Kamoer. Also, it’s best to have it pull from the chamber instead of push. This helps with clogging, but also prevents any potential leaking since the chamber is at a negative pressure, not positive.

Not to mention blowing the top off of the reactor if it’s pressurized. Saw that happen on a video one time and the guy was at a show of all places where it could happen.

 

[Reefahholic]

I used to run my Kamoer pump before but still ran into clogging issues until I switched it to pull through the reactor

These may help reduce your clogging issues. I have a link if needed. Also running a higher flow rate helps. 60-80LPM.

 

[soymilk]

what are those and where can you get em?

 

[Reefahholic]

what are those and where can you get em?

Those are actually Mercedes Benze fuel filters. You can pick them up at m.eeuroparts.com. Great to filter the feed line, but that’s later after you figure out how to tune and run it.

Shop – eEuroparts

Select your year, make and model to find the perfect fit European car parts at the best price! | eEuroparts.com

m.eeuroparts.com

 

[R-BallJunkie]

GEO 818 for that size tank.

Isn't that rated for 600-gallon tanks?? maybe I missed the joke?

 

[Ostentum]

You can always go the route I did. Dastaco A-4 lol it’s only 42” tall. On this tank i dosed 2 part until it got too annoying and pricey. I was dosing about 200ml a day of alk and mag

 

[crvz]

I recently pulled the calcium reactor off my tank after about 10 years of use. Granted my demand was pretty high, so I was running a lower pH and higher flow rate, but anytime you're injecting CO2 it will suppress tank pH. I wanted to swap to two part to see if it would help coral growth, after studying some on pH, and my results have thus far been pretty good on stony corals. With the calcium reactor, my pH was in the 7.8-8.1 range. Now with two part, it's in the 8.2-8.4 range. I understand the higher pH can have a significant impact on coral growth (look at the BRS TV videos on youtube related to pH for a starter), and after 4 months I'm becoming believer. You can for sure use a calcium reactor to solve this issue, just be aware of how it affects pH in your system.

FWIW, my system is about 450 gallons total, and I went from an 2 chamber calcium reactor to 2 part using the APEX DOS pump. Much like Ostentum, I'm dosing near 200mL of alkalinity and calcium per day to hold 8.5dkh and 475ppm, respectively.

 

[soymilk]

i think imma just 2 part until my demand is high enough to warrant a calc reactor. thanks all

 

[Reefahholic]

Isn't that rated for 600-gallon tanks?? maybe I missed the joke?

When you get a tank full of sticks, you don’t want to be under gunned. Rico’s 300 quickly made that reactor beg for mercy.

 

[Reefahholic]

You can always go the route I did. Dastaco A-4 lol it’s only 42” tall. On this tank i dosed 2 part until it got too annoying and pricey. I was dosing about 200ml a day of alk and mag

ALK at CAL?

 

[Reefahholic]

I recently pulled the calcium reactor off my tank after about 10 years of use. Granted my demand was pretty high, so I was running a lower pH and higher flow rate, but anytime you're injecting CO2 it will suppress tank pH. I wanted to swap to two part to see if it would help coral growth, after studying some on pH, and my results have thus far been pretty good on stony corals. With the calcium reactor, my pH was in the 7.8-8.1 range. Now with two part, it's in the 8.2-8.4 range. I understand the higher pH can have a significant impact on coral growth (look at the BRS TV videos on youtube related to pH for a starter), and after 4 months I'm becoming believer. You can for sure use a calcium reactor to solve this issue, just be aware of how it affects pH in your system.

FWIW, my system is about 450 gallons total, and I went from an 2 chamber calcium reactor to 2 part using the APEX DOS pump. Much like Ostentum, I'm dosing near 200mL of alkalinity and calcium per day to hold 8.5dkh and 475ppm, respectively.

You are exactly right, but now you’re sacrificing the ultimate stability for higher pH which in experience is not gonna yield the growth a calcium reactor will even with the higher pH. pH is very important, but stability even more so. You can ask anybody…I’ve dosed about every kind of two part on the market and the reactor had nubs coming out on corals that were previously growing slower or just sitting.

 

[Stickboy97]

i think imma just 2 part until my demand is high enough to warrant a calc reactor. thanks all

This is your best bet anyway. I started a CaRx too early & couldn't get my flow low enough to keep ALK from going way too high. It took months before I could run my CaRx 24/7. But now it's so easy. I have several tanks & dose the others by hand with AF 3 part. Its a pain in the arse!

 

[crvz]

You are exactly right, but now you’re sacrificing the ultimate stability for higher pH which in experience is not gonna yield the growth a calcium reactor will even with the higher pH. pH is very important, but stability even more so. You can ask anybody…I’ve dosed about every kind of two part on the market and the reactor had nubs coming out on corals that were previously growing slower or just sitting.

I don't believe stability is being sacrificed, on the contrary in my case, but I did give up the "forget about it" nature of the calcium reactor. For me, even with the a larger calcium reactor I had, I couldn't keep my alkalinity above 7.0dkh without some supplemental dosing. And then I'd find I would neglect to dose at times, thereby introducing swings which, as you point out, will stunt coral growth. So for me, going to 2 part (on the automated DOS pumps with my APEX controller), I've had a lot more stability in these last many months. Of course I've had to test a bit more often, but I'm down to weekly testing to adjust dosing volume. I also use 5 gallon jugs to make up the two part, so it last about 3 months before I have to make more.