bb tank owners, do you still run a calcium reactor

[deansreef]

Just wondering if a reactor is still needed?

Deean


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[dvanacker]

Why wouldnt it be?? Just curious where your coming from...maybe you know something I dont.

 

[prodman]

I do my tank still uses Ca and Kh

 

[Znut Reefer]

Always been BB here. And have used a ca reactor for many yrs. The demand for alk and Ca are still high with BB tanks.

 

[Horace]

Just curious what line of thinking you have that connects the need for a Ca Rx and weather you have sand or not? You do realize that these things are not even remotely related right? Weather or you have a BB or DSB makes no difference how much alk/kh you use (or atleast not enough of a difference to even sway a home test).

 

[xtrstangx]

Actually, a lot of people noticed that when they went to a BB setup, their calcium/alk demand was less...

 

[King-Kong]

I forget who, but they reported an initial drop in Ca/Alk demand of 80% upon switching from their sandbed. This later levelled out to around 50% once the corals picked up the pace.

 

[deansreef]

yes,

the calcium and alk demand dropped considerably after going BB, that all I am saying.

 

[gman0526]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7828092#post7828092 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by King-Kong
I forget who, but they reported an initial drop in Ca/Alk demand of 80% upon switching from their sandbed. This later levelled out to around 50% once the corals picked up the pace.

This was Weatherman

 

[crypticghost]

Ok, some explain to me why this is...does the sand trap CA...cause sand does not grow...but I have heard that if you have CA levels to high sand can become hard...so does the sand trap it or something?

 

[Beastmaster]

I think sand particles act as nuclei and allow precipitation of calcium carbonate from the water collumn.

 

[panic]

I use my reactor still after switching to BB. I depended on the sand, LR, and reactor to buffer and regulate ph and add calcium. With the BB system now, I depend on the reactor even more because I have less buffering media in the system.

 

[concept3]

yes, Calcium reactor on overdrive here, about 110-120 bpm and a steady stream on a K2R reactor, 75 gallon SPS tank.

 

[King-Kong]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7830349#post7830349 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crypticghost
Ok, some explain to me why this is...does the sand trap CA...cause sand does not grow...but I have heard that if you have CA levels to high sand can become hard...so does the sand trap it or something?

As it's been told to me:

Sand traps detritus and large colonies of bacteria -> bacteria flourish due to increase detritus trapping -> flourishing bacteria means extreme increase in biological processes utilizing the alkalinity of/in the tank, thus, a drop.

Remove sand, you remove detritus, and the bacteria that follow it, and thus remove the excess processes meant to break down that detritus.

I dont claim to understand the process or to have any background in it; just blindly repeating what I have read from others who claim to know a lot more than I do.

/me ducks for the molotov cocktails

 

[shelburn61]

As above I've seen Bomber talk about alk demand dropping b/c sandbed bacteria are no longer consuming it, but nothing about Ca demand dropping.

 

[LFS_worker]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7830349#post7830349 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crypticghost
Ok, some explain to me why this is...does the sand trap CA...cause sand does not grow...but I have heard that if you have CA levels to high sand can become hard...so does the sand trap it or something?

Dr. Ronald shimek Refers to this kind of massive precipitation as very rare ... the binding of an oolitic sand is usually caused by a natural bacteria bloom but they are non calcifying bacteria .. they make a sugar like substance that binds the sand together.
for the record this type of clumping of sand is not healthy for a DSB. and is usually the reason for polution spikes in tanks.

refer to "sand bed secrets" by ronald shimek for more totally awesome info

Brian

 

[gman0526]

Hey Brian nice to see you, I went by your store a couple of weeks ago while I visited from PR. Just thought I'd say hi since I've seen you post.

 

[Covey]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7835888#post7835888 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LFS_worker
Dr. Ronald shimek Refers to this kind of massive precipitation as very rare ... the binding of an oolitic sand is usually caused by a natural bacteria bloom but they are non calcifying bacteria .. they make a sugar like substance that binds the sand together.
for the record this type of clumping of sand is not healthy for a DSB. and is usually the reason for polution spikes in tanks.

refer to "sand bed secrets" by ronald shimek for more totally awesome info

Brian

Maybe rare but not to me. A sandbed less than a year old and over 50% of it was glued in to a brick.

You can see it sticking to the bottom of the LR

And the clumps on top of this pic

Even when the DSB was working right I did see a noticeably drop in Cal/Alk demand vs. BB

BUT I wouldn't trade the Calcium reactor for anything.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Re: bb tank owners, do you still run a calcium reactor

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7823270#post7823270 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by deansreef
Just wondering if a reactor is still needed?

Deean

Back to the original question now.
Even if calcium demand is lessened by the use of a BB, why would it cause someone to get rid of their calcium reactor?
Removing one large rapidly growing stony coral can lessen the demand for calcium in a system. If I frag out a big coral is it time to sell my reactor?
I'm not following the train of thought here.

 

[R33f3r]

No.