Calcium Reactors vs 2 part??

[nivram]

For your reading pleasure. It's a good thread on using a continuous duty peristaltic pump on your CaRx.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2368618

 

[dadummy]

How is that different than with a peristalsic pump? if pressure in the reactor changes even a peristalsic pump will need adjusting.

they are using the peristaltic pumps to pull water through the reactor, there's no back pressure

if you were to tee off your return you would need a valve on the effluent to control the flow rate, this would cause back pressure inside of the reactor

I have no experience using a calcium reactor, I suggest reading through threads linked above and asking any questions there. These are the guys with the answers

 

[doggydoc]

DoogyDoc- sure Kalk is fine since it doses both ALK/Ca equally, but at some point demmand on SPS tanks exceed its capability with just ATO additions.

So far...my Kalk reactor is keeping up with the demand. I am OVERLOADED with sps and yes I know eventually I won't be able to keep up. But so far it's doing a marvelous job. Also understand that I am running a HUGE reactor. It used to be Roggers so it's way overkill for my tank.

 

[mlivvy]

 

[dadummy]

lol, reactors are just another piece of equipment that has potential for failure, along with all the fancy controllers, dosers and other gadgets

 

[AquamanE]

So far...my Kalk reactor is keeping up with the demand. I am OVERLOADED with sps and yes I know eventually I won't be able to keep up. But so far it's doing a marvelous job. Also understand that I am running a HUGE reactor. It used to be Roggers so it's way overkill for my tank.

The size of a Kalk reactor is insignificant. Kalk reactors fill evaporated water and are limited to such, so keep your panties in a bunch will you Doggy, :hammer::lolspin::lolspin:

 

[doggydoc]

The size of a Kalk reactor is insignificant. Kalk reactors fill evaporated water and are limited to such, so keep your panties in a bunch will you Doggy, :hammer::lolspin::lolspin:

Dude....it's ok. ITS MY OPINION!

 

[mrx66699]

The size of a Kalk reactor is insignificant. Kalk reactors fill evaporated water and are limited to such, so keep your panties in a bunch will you Doggy, :hammer::lolspin::lolspin:

This is not always true Eddie....a kalk reactor doses whatever you set it too ....it can dose top off or be set for certain amounts per day with a doser. ...in my system im droping 6 gal a day if i used a small reactor it would not keep up and would run out of kalk every other day and refilling would become a pia.....

 

[doggydoc]

this is not always true eddie....a kalk reactor doses whatever you set it too ....it can dose top off or be set for certain amounts per day with a doser. ...in my system im droping 6 gal a day if i used a small reactor it would not keep up and would run out of kalk every other day and refilling would become a pia.....

+1

 

[AquamanE]

This is not always true Eddie....a kalk reactor doses whatever you set it too ....it can dose top off or be set for certain amounts per day with a doser. ...in my system im droping 6 gal a day if i used a small reactor it would not keep up and would run out of kalk every other day and refilling would become a pia.....

Please let me re-state my opinion.

In your mentioned case Matt, yes, an under rated Kalk reactor makes it difficult to keep up with the tanks evaporated water. But, in DoggyDocs case, he has an over rated Kalk reactor (bigger then needed). This means his evaporated water (demand) will not exceed the performance of the kalk reactor.

Matt- you mention "it can be set for certain amounts per day with a doser"...If you exceed the evaporated, and dose more, the sump level goes up, we dont want that.... Your 6gal per day is a typical 1% evaporation of total volume per day, and replacing that with Kalk water is an excellent idea until the tanks demands (alk/Ca) exceed that. then an alternative source of dosing needs to happen. Some folks even increase their evaporated water on purpose by putting fans over the sump or tank, to feed more Kalk, but at the end of the day Kalk is replacing evaporated water.

Love you boys.....:wavehand:

 

[doggydoc]

Please let me re-state my opinion.

In your mentioned case Matt, yes, an under rated Kalk reactor makes it difficult to keep up with the tanks evaporated water. But, in DoggyDocs case, he has an over rated Kalk reactor (bigger then needed). This means his evaporated water (demand) will not exceed the performance of the kalk reactor.

Matt- you mention "it can be set for certain amounts per day with a doser"...If you exceed the evaporated, and dose more, the sump level goes up, we dont want that.... Your 6gal per day is a typical 1% evaporation of total volume per day, and replacing that with Kalk water is an excellent idea until the tanks demands (alk/Ca) exceed that. then an alternative source of dosing needs to happen. Some folks even increase their evaporated water on purpose by putting fans over the sump or tank, to feed more Kalk, but at the end of the day Kalk is replacing evaporated water.

Love you boys.....:wavehand:

Love you too...
But I still disagree

 

[props4you]

Calcium Reactors. Are they better than 2 part? If so, why?

I know for smaller tanks 2 part is a no brainer, but for bigger tanks with lots of SPS? Are they as finicky as some claim (and ive always believed)?

Ive never used one, so asking for advise.

Hi Eddie,

Did you ever get the answer to our question. From reading the thread no...lol
Are you thinking of making the change ?

 

[rovster]

The answer was always there. I think it's pretty much universally known. The bigger the tank and the higher demand, the more the reactor shines

 

[Ryanaquarium]

The answer was always there. I think it's pretty much universally known. The bigger the tank and the higher demand, the more the reactor shines

Thats true tge higher the demand for cal and alk like it or not reactor is the way or it gets expensive and you have to change reservoirs for sonething bigger than 1 gallon

 

[rovster]

Thats true tge higher the demand for cal and alk like it or not reactor is the way or it gets expensive and you have to change reservoirs for sonething bigger than 1 gallon

I'm on 2 part, but I purposely made my reservoirs 1.5+ gallons each. I still have to change them more often than I thought, and my tank is not even grown out yet!

 

[AquamanE]

Hi Eddie,

Did you ever get the answer to our question. From reading the thread no...lol
Are you thinking of making the change ?

Hey Maria- I guess i didn't phrase the question well enough. I knew it would be a matter of preference and at some point cost with regards to what folks prefer.

I have however have been doing a lot of research, and am gathering all the parts. Today I received the last part I was waiting for, so YES, CaRx coming on line soon.

 

[props4you]

Hey Maria- I guess i didn't phrase the question well enough. I knew it would be a matter of preference and at some point cost with regards to what folks prefer.

I have however have been doing a lot of research, and am gathering all the parts. Today I received the last part I was waiting for, so YES, CaRx coming on line soon.

That's great Eddie. Very interested to see how it works out for you. I've been on the fence about this for a while. I have two 1 1/2 gal reservoirs dosing 140ml a day. It's starting to get costly and I'm having to replenish the reservoirs more often. I know the cal reactor isn't a set and forget option but I also know you are a "kiss" guy....lol... so I'm especially interested in your feed back. I'll check in with you to see how it's working out. Hope it's awesome !