What are all Pros and Cons of a calcium reactor? (1 Viewer)

[Guest]

Ok, I'm trying to figure out exactly what I will need to change in the way I take care of my tank if I were to get a ca reactor.

I know it keeps the calcium levels where you want them, (implied in the name)
What effect does it have on the Alk and PH?

Thanks,
Jay

 

[Guest]

Pros: Raises Ca level and alkalinity. Helps stabilize alkalinity and pH.

Cons: Expensive. Only con I can think of.

 

[Guest]

Are you planning on SPS otherwise it shouldn't be to hard to keep your Calcium and Alk in check with Turbo Calcium and Kalk top off. I really don't think you have the calcium demands right now to warrent a CA reactor unless you got it dirt cheap. Your keeping mainly softies and LPS in a 55G?

 

[Andy]

Greatest invention since sliced bread! Set it & occassionally check it

Andy

 

[Guest]

I agree with Tom, if the tank is not full of sps and clams then there really isn't that big of demand on a systems calcium needs. A reactor will keep calcium and alkalinity stable after being dialed in. Dripping kalk. at night usually keeps pH from dropping at nighttime which a reactor can have happen.

I am still a newbie with reactors and getting mine dialed in has been a trip, but I think when all is said and done it is a great piece of equipment that sps keepers and clam lovers shouldn't do without. That is unless the tank is on the smaller size and it is say a mixed reef.

 

[Guest]

yes, I have mostly softies and LPS, 90 gallon tank.

My problem is, I'd like to keep some SPS and clams, but I can't stand adding CA every day, so I just never add it.
I haven't ever dripped kalk.
I never test my calc or PH cuz I'm too lazy, but if I were to setup a CA reactor, I could get my self to test for a few days to get it dialed in.

I'd like to increase the growth rate of my LPS and keeping my CA level higher should help with that.

Someone mentioned the PH can drop at night while using a CA reactor?
Why is that?
That would make me think a CA reactor has a constant negative impact on the PH.

 

[Guest]

That would make me think a CA reactor has a constant negative impact on the PH.

That's what I've read. Some of the CO2 makes its way to the tank, which depresses pH. There's an article by Randy Holmes Farley in an issue of Advanced Aquarist addressing pH problems, and he mentions the chronic low pH you get with calcium reactors (and also says it's pretty much not an issue).

I have the same problem even without a calcium reactor, and probably a lot of other people around here do too. Most of our homes in Houston are sealed up pretty tight, and there aren't that many times of the year you can open the windows to let in fresh air, so you tend to get high CO2 levels in your home which makes it harder to maintain a high pH.

 

[Guest]

The low pH is offset by dripping kalkwasser at night. Or using a kalk. reactor to keep pH up at night.

In my experience with my reactor and getting it correct it took more than a few days of testing to get the right settings. I have actually had to do more testing since the addition of the reactor since before I got it.

Adding a calcium reactor doesn't necessarily make things easier except for the dosing. Before adding my reactor I was maintaining my 180g clam and sps tank using Tropic Marin Bio-Calcium. I only added 4 tsp. every 5 days.

 

[Guest]

When I was reading about dosing, I read a bunch of stuff about dosing calcium doesn't work as well because the calcium carbonate doesn't disolve well enough in the tank, which is where the CA reactor comes in, the CO2 causes the PH in the reactor to drop which helps to disolve the calcium carbonate within the reactor.

At least that is the way I understood what I read.
I'd really like to be able to cut out the dosing part, I can't stand doing it.
I can handle having to test once a week so if I could get my tank to that point it would make me happy.
I don't test at all right now, but like I said earlier, I don't dose anything either.

 

[Guest]

I do a kalk slurry. I mix up the kalk with ro/di and throw it immediatly into the tank every morning. If my Calcium dips down I use kent turbo calcium instead.

 

[Guest]

In any SW tank, the pH will drop at night. This is because no photosynthesis is occuring, so no CO2 is being taken up. This causes a buildup of CO2 in the tank, which lowers the pH. So, when the lights come back on, photosynthesis begins and the extra CO2 is used up, thus raising your pH back up.

The Ca reactor effluent pH is normally in the 6's. So at night, the buildup of CO2 from lack of photosynthesis and the constant addition of low pH water from the reactor causes the pH in the tank to drop more than normal.

If your pH drops at night considerably, then I would suggest either A) using a solenoid on your CO2 reg, have a timer on it, and only bubble CO2 into the reactor during the day, or B) add a refugium with a light cycle opposite of the main tanks, or both.

HTH

 

[Guest]

CO2 causing lowered pH.

CO2 can be a problem in a Ca Reactor, if it is the single Cylinder type. If the effluent is run thru a second chamber, or cylinder of aragonite, or calcium media, CO2 doesnt effect the pH. Thats why the better Calcium Reactors have a second chamber. Ive got a Ca Reactor on my 58, and it took a while to set it, but now...I just leave it alone...and test once a week. Sometimes the Calcium drops a little. I add Turbo Ca, and watch everything JAM in my tank. The even addition of a Calcium / Alkalinity supplement is better than spiking the tank when levels fall.

Greg Alexander