Debating on Calcium Reactor or Kalc Reactor

[Zaphod]

The title says it all . I want the one that will be the least amount of fuss. I just want to set it and forget it. I have a controller too. I am looking at

http://myreefcreations.com/cahot.htm

 

[Ereefic]

Well, a calcium reactor is going to be more 'set and forget' than a kalk reactor will be. Once you get the CR dialed in, you'll only need to adjust it as the tanks demands change. You can run it for months before you need to change the media or co2.

A kalk reactor will need to be serviced quite regularly (which doesn't entail a whole lot IMO), but you will need to add kalk often (how often depends on the tanks needs) and clean it out somewhat regularly as well.

 

[mc-cro]

how big is your tank? You may not get enough dosage with a kalk reactor on a small tank. I have to run both on my system of ~200g. the calcium reactor wont keep up on its own, and so I top of about 3g per day with the kalk reactor

 

[Zaphod]

5t 5s 9/ gal it has low needs right now.

 

[Ereefic]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6964505#post6964505 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nicholasvilppu
5t 5s 9/ gal it has low needs right now.

Is that code?

 

[jiff]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6964533#post6964533 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ereefic
Is that code?

His name is Da Vinci :rollface:

 

[Zaphod]

oops num lock. I have a 90 gal that doesn't have high demand yet.

 

[moumda]

I'd use kalk for my make up water and then if that isn't enough get a calcium reactor. JMO.

 

[Zaphod]

I have a auto topoff that I have been putting kalc in but it seams to collect a ton off stuff at the bottom where the pump is and couds the tank.

 

[Horace]

First thing is Kalk reactors really are not the best way to dose Kalk. Im not going to go into why, you really need to read for yourself. Go to the chemistry forums and read Randy's articles about limewater (Kalk). While a calcium reactor is SOMETIMES set and forget, they are super expensive and totally not needed if you dont have a high demand for alk/calc. Your best bet if you dont have a high demand is to try and dose kalk with a dosing pump and use it to top off your evap. This will likely meet/exceed your need for quite some time if your demands are low. Just get a large container and dose from that. Just mix up a batch of kalk water every couple weeks and your good to go. The other option which I chose to go with was to dose Randy's DIY 2 Part with a dual dosing pump. The pump was $150 but the 2 Part costs pennies to make and this also works great and you dont have to worry about raising your tank PH like you do with Kalk. It is also a bit easier to regulate because its not serving the dual purpose of topping off your water and maintaining steady levels, which is a very hard thing to balance (trust me Ive tried ). If your dosing Kalk you have to worry about its concentration to get the correct balance, because you really cant change the dosed amount much because you need it to maintain your top off too which is constant. With dosing 2 part, you can just raise or lower the dosed amount independently with a touch of a button and your done.....Very easy to do and a bottle of DIY 2 Part will last about 2-3 months easily on my 75g.

 

[Zaphod]

I think I will get this:

Anyone have a MR-1? what do you use as a feeding pump and is it pretty easy to setup and configure?

 

[Zaphod]

CR-1 my bad

 

[Zaphod]

oh yeah I am thinking of getting this regulator does anyone have any experianc? or should I just get a JBJ?

 

[Horace]

MRC makes good stuff...but again your going to be spending over $400 for something that a much cheaper/simpler solution will do just as good. Read above.

Remember you still have to buy a pump, regulator, and tank. The tank and regulator alone will be ~$200+. You will also have to buy media and fill the Co2 every 6mo-1yr pending the bottle size. Did you say you had a controller? Well that will save you ~$100 so that will help a bit.

 

[Zaphod]

I have a aqutronica. I really am trying to go for stability. I don't really mind the cost as long as I am not wasting money on a bad product. I would rather but it now instead of a cheap alternative that I will replace in 6 months to a year.

 

[Horace]

There is no need to replace either of teh alternatives I gave you. With a dosign pump all you have to do is press a button to get more/less if and when you need it. Its that simple. Dont get the idea that a calc reactor is as easy as many would have you believe. Plus a small reactor like that may not even be enough in the future. You will find out that dialing in a reactor is not always easy, and then you still have to test your water and make adjustments here and there as your corals grow. Quite simply, unless you plan on haveing an SPS dominated tank there is absolutly no reason to spend that kind of money. Even if you do have an SPS tank it still isnt necessary. My dosing pump can dose as little as 16ml/day (I dose about 50ml/day) or up to 4gal per day of 2 part...needless to say that will NEVER happen. It cost me $150 for the pump but the two part is maybe $10-$15 a year??? You will pay that much just for Co2 each refill.

But hey if you got money to burn, go right ahead..but I will tell you you absolutly dont need it and likely never will.

 

[Zaphod]

Does Kalc replace Alc too? Also can I just add 2 part to my auto toppoff I have? I have always been a little turned off by making 2 part my self is it really that difficult?

 

[Zaphod]

What do you think of one of these then?

That looks like a good cheaper solution. I want to make sure my Kalc and Alc are both good.

 

[Horace]

Kalk repalces both Alk and Calcium. A two part obviously has one part for Alk and one for Calc. no its not hard to make at all. You add X amount of calcium chloride (easily found in 50lb bags for cheap) and X amount of baking soda for the alk portion. You put those in separate gallon containers and mix with RO water. Thats it man....It doesnt get any eaier and cheaper than that.

As for the Nilson reactor..I am not a fan of them. The biggest problem with them is they dont evenly dose the tank. You have to put a bunch of extra kalk in there and as kalk leaves, fresh water comes in which dilutes the chamber. A pump is usually used to stir the container every so often. This often results in unsettled kalk getting in your tank, which means impurities go in as well. Like I noted, if you want to do kalk, the best way to do it is mix up the kalk in a large container and let it settle for a few hours. Then use that as top off water with a dosing pump or some other top off system that pulls from that container. You will get much purer/consistent dosing like this.

Read these articles...

An Improved Do-it-Yourself Two-Part Calcium and Alkalinity Supplement System
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm

How to Select a Calcium and Alkalinity Supplementation Scheme
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm


These are a good start but there are many more great articles available written by Dr. Farley in the chemistry forum. He is a great guy and will answer any question you have. Here is a link to all of his articles. All of them are worth reading.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=102605