Anybody have a good DIY kalk reactor plan or cheap reactor?

[tonggao]

I am too cheap to buy a new kalk reactor, and it looks simple enough to make one myself. Could someone point me to a good DIY plan? Should I go with a pump or stirer? If you have one for sale for a good price, please also let me know. Thanks much.

 

[Vincerama2]

http://www.mv.com/users/besposito/nilsen.html

I used Bill Espositos basic design (which was modified from yet someone else). It works great, but my peristaltic pump keeps breaking and redering the unit useless! So get a good reliable method of feeding it if you build it!

Oh, if I were to build this again, I'd make it totally out of PVC, and forget about the clear acrylic parts.

V

 

[Qwiv]

I made one out of the water filter housing used in the $200 Calcium Reactor Thread. Works great. Same design minus all the CO2 stuff.

 

[dswong01]

Kalkenstein- Design by maker of GEO calcium reactors

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=93618&hl=kalkenstein

 

[Qwiv]

But you need to build the reactor on all the other DIY. With the $200 reactor one, you buy a $50 fiilter housing from Lowes and install a pump on it and your water feed. Done!

Here is the original thread
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=587186&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

 

[tonggao]

Thanks everyone for the great info. The filter housing approach seems to be easiest and has the least chance to leak/break, but isn't the filter housing a little too short for Kalk reactor, Qwiv? I have never used one, but I thought it should only stir up the bottom and leave the top clear. If it is short, wouldn't the cloud goes all the way to the top? Thanks again.

 

[Qwiv]

It needs to be sized to your tank. Looking from your tank sizes, you should be fine. Mine is on a timer so it has time to settle. Plus the water runs up through the kalk, which enriches the water some percentage without the need to stir it. You can actually use it without the pump, but the kalk will block up after a while, hense the pump. The filter housing is also pretty big, more wide then tall.