CA Reactor Questions

[ItsMee]

I want my Alk and Ca maintenance down to a minimum. Do c02 calcium reactors maintain alkalinity as well as calcium? I want a c02 CA reactor for a 75 gallon, with a 50 gallon sump...lets pretend that my tank is full of calcium and alkalinity consuming corals...what c02 Ca reactor would you suggest, and how much money are we talking about for erything I need? (c02, reactor, media, whatever else?)

 

[bertoni]

They are much like lime, and add calcium and alkalinity in pretty much exactly the same ratio as lime. I think a lot of vendors sell kits. If you are into DIY, there are also plans for a calcium reactor that looked pretty good to me.

 

[ItsMee]

So like lime, they maintain alkalinity as well? Do they tend to lower or raise PH? I am dont have the luxury of being a handy DIY person. What is a go0d guess of a price range for a c02 ca reactor setup?

 

[bertoni]

They will tend to lower pH. I'd check myreefcreations.com for a rough idea of prices.

 

[MCary]

The lower pH is due to the CO2. I run mine into my skimmer to blow off the CO2 and never have a pH problem. One thing to think about. If you are not running a heavy SPS tank then your Calcium and ALk maintenance is already probably at a minimum.

 

[haid]

Yea if you off gas the CO2 you will not have an issue with lowered PH. If not the PH difference is not that great if you are not using loads of CO2.

 

[JaMan]

IMO I think of them as ALK reactors beacuse I set mine to the desired dkh not the desired Ca. If I have the Alk where I want it and the Ca is lower than I want (rarely) then I sup Ca.

starting from zero, at complete setup could run as high as $800...depending on options and Brand.

 

[ItsMee]

Cool...I think I am going to get one from myreefcreations.com - they are pretty cheap because they are not name brand. Anyone have one from there? How is it?

Is there a website that can explain to me how a c02 reactor works?

 

[bertoni]

Well, they work because adding CO2 to the water reduces the pH of the water. Once the pH is low enough, it will dissolve the calcium carbonate in the reactor media.

 

[ItsMee]

I dont understand how the PH can be lowered in the reactor and not the tank...

 

[MCary]

Mainly the pH is lowered in the reactor and not the tank because first the volume in the reactor is much lower and that volume is circulated through the media by means of a recirculating pump. The calcium rich effluent is then dripped into the tank. Second the chamber holds the CO2. When it gets into the main tank it disappates like beer going flat.

Calcium reactors are on of those very expensive items that are incredibly easy to make. All you need is a pump that recirculates water through a vessel which contains crushed coral or reactor media. I nipple placed before the intake of the pump is where the co2 goes in. Then you just need a couple of J fittings for an infeed and an outfeed (water from the tank) and bingo. There nothing too fancy about them. If your more sophisticated you can build bubble counters and pH probe holders.

So if its something you just gotta have and you can't afford it, build it.

Mike

 

[ItsMee]

Why is a bubble counter used?

 

[bertoni]

The bubble counter tells you how much CO2 is being dosed so that you can make adjustments.

 

[ItsMee]

about how long would a tank of c02 last on a 75 gallon tank?

 

[MCary]

Depends on the how much CO2 you used and how big of a tank you used. I think a 20 pound bottle could last a year. It costs about $12 to refill. I think thats what I paid last time.

Mike

 

[ItsMee]

How often do you replace the media, and is it expensive?

 

[ItsMee]

does this reactor look good?: http://www.hellolights.com/noname20.html

 

[bertoni]

I think the reactor is fine. The media gets dissolved at a rate depending on the tank's usage, and also might need replacing if it clogs up, etc. The media itself can just be crushed coral. A bunch of places sell various calcium carbonate products, and most any of them should work.