Did you see a HUGE improvement when you switched from 2-part to a Ca reactor?

S

shelburn61

New member
I have no trouble maintaining Ca/alk with DIY 2-part but I am thinking of adding a reactor.

The corals would probably benefit from the added stability but I am wondering if the added expense is justified in a smaller tank?

I am assuming you levels were good to begin with:
Did you see the explosion of growth and color some people talk about?
 
nope. the opposite in my tank. i think i'm deficient in some of the 'other stuff' in the suppliments i was using before. but i love not having to dose powders/liquids every day. doing some trial and error to figure it out and get back to where i was.
 
I just put a calcium reactor on my tank and I have noticed a change in coloration, PE, and growth all for the better. This has more to do with the fact that I had to add 2.5 gallons of kalk in order to meet demand causing swings in calcium, alk, and salinity (evap). Stability is the key, I love reactors for their automation and peace of mind, not for their price.
 
Re: Did you see a HUGE improvement when you switched from 2-part to a Ca reactor?

shelburn61 said:
I have no trouble maintaining Ca/alk with DIY 2-part but I am thinking of adding a reactor.
The corals would probably benefit from the added stability but I am wondering if the added expense is justified in a smaller tank?
Click to expand...
Added expense? People add a reactor to save money otherwise spent on two-part supplements! ;)
 
Re: Re: Did you see a HUGE improvement when you switched from 2-part to a Ca reactor?

Re: Re: Did you see a HUGE improvement when you switched from 2-part to a Ca reactor?

Gary Majchrzak said:
Added expense? People add a reactor to save money otherwise spent on two-part supplements! ;)
Click to expand...

In a year's time you will save a substantial amount. Just figure out what you spend on 2 part in a year and then subtract the cost of your reactor, media, regulator, controller and co2 tank (probably $500 or so).
 
kirei said:
I just put a calcium reactor on my tank and I have noticed a change in coloration, PE, and growth all for the better. This has more to do with the fact that I had to add 2.5 gallons of kalk in order to meet demand causing swings in calcium, alk, and salinity (evap). Stability is the key, I love reactors for their automation and peace of mind, not for their price.
Click to expand...

I saw deterioration in conditions on my 180 after going from a kalk drip to a calcium reactor. The shift from a CO2 poor environment (kalk absorbs CO2 as part of the chemical process to convert hydroxide into carbonate and bicarbonate), to a CO2 rich environment caused a huge algae bloom.

I shifted to a calcium reactor when kalk couldnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t keep up with the alkalinity demand. It turns out the demand wasnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t from my coral; it was from all the biochemical processes going on in my sand bed. Once I removed the sand, my alk demand dropped by 80%, and I happily went back to dripping kalk again.
 
In a year's time you will save a substantial amount. Just figure out what you spend on 2 part in a year and then subtract the cost of your reactor, media, regulator, controller and co2 tank (probably $500 or so).
Click to expand...

I couldn't disagree more. Using Randy's 2 part (75 ml each part daily) costs me right at $1 per month. Would take me a LONG time to offset the cost of a calcium reactor. I do have to dose manually every day, but I'm O.K. with that. (Could use a dosing pump & automate this if so inclined)
 
I am using Randy's 2-part along with pickling lime... costs me maybe $10 a year. ;)

Convenience is good, but not worth the $$$ at the moment. Increased coral growth and color would be worth the money.
 
kirei said:
I just put a calcium reactor on my tank and I have noticed a change in coloration, PE, and growth all for the better. This has more to do with the fact that I had to add 2.5 gallons of kalk in order to meet demand causing swings in calcium, alk, and salinity (evap). Stability is the key, I love reactors for their automation and peace of mind, not for their price.
Click to expand...

How were you adding the kalk?
 
I too, have seriously debated about purchasing a calcium reactor. We share the same concerns of: (i) ease of use (once dialed-in); (ii) low cost of replacement media; and most importantly (iii) stability of calcium and alkalinity parameters (potentially maximizing color and growth of the corals).

In my case, I couldn't justify spending ~$550-600 for a reactor, controller, tank and regulator...

...for my little 29G display tank! So I've decided to stick with dosing Randy's homemade 2-part recipe.

58771111405-010.jpg


In terms of costs for the 2-part additive, it was about $20 for a 50lb. bag of Peladow. Cost for baking soda was also inexpensive (although I don't remember the specific item price). Of course, these supplies will last for a long time for a 29G and should also last a reasonable length of time for your 40G.

I still think about a calcium reactor from time-to-time. Hopefully someone that has a smaller tank can chime in with their experience with running a calcium reactor.
 
I am running bare bottom so the alk demand is not from biological processes. I dripped kalk, the way i was doing it was not promoting stability because it wasn't automated. If I could afford a Nielsen Reactor, it was a small jump to a calcium reactor. I will see what effect the increased CO2 has on my tank, I doubt it will have much effect, but I doubt it will be significant. I am able to run my calcium reactor fairly slow since i got an oversize unit for my tank, so far the pH effects are negligable.

By no means am i bashing kalk, it is a great, effective, and cheap way to raise your calcium and alkalinity... i just personally enjoy the calcium reactor.
 
I am on the fence too. I was using B-Ionic till the I was up to dosing like 80 ml daily then switched to Randy's two part. From a cost standpoint as long as I am using Randy's two part it is a no brainer, but the convience of having a reactor and not having to dose every day is alluring. If I had say a 100+ tank I would switch to a reactor in a heartbeat.
 
Besides the (potential) expenses involved, I think the stability factor is the biggest difference between maintaining Alk/Ca with a liquid two part vs. Ca reactor.
I've never heard that a reactor will make a difference in coral coloration, but the stability can definitely make a difference in growth.
 
uhm i have a question isnt bionic 2 part mix comes with other stuff? like trace minerals etc...

randy's 2 part, kalk and others just alk and ca?
 
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