Does your calcium reactor make your hair algea grow out of control?

tonggao

New member
Recently I started using calcium reactor (koralin 1502) after a long loosing battle trying to keep cal/alk up in my SPS tank, and saw one type of hair algea (furr like whitish kind, which is tough and will not come off easily even with a hand pull) growing out of control. I know co2 from the reactor might encourage algea growth, but is this normal? What do you do to cope with it? Thanks.
 
check your phosphate ,the calcium reactor media may leak phosphate.did u soak the media with ro/di water before u place them in the reactor.



lapsan
 
I have been running phosban reactor with Rowaphos media all the time, and just measured phosphate again this morning with level less than 0.1. I bought the calcium reactor used, and have been using the media inside the reactor. Maybe I should replace the media? Is ARM a good choice for Koralin? Thanks again.
 
I would recommend ARM media. I would swap the media out and check the CO2 level like everyone else recommended.

Watch the second chamber on that CA reactor. I got a good deal on a used one recently and it came with a DIY second chamber. The second chamber would work fine on most reactors, but the koralin is preasurized and made the second chamber leak like heck as it was not designed for the preasure. I am swaping it out for a water filter container. If anyone needs a second chamber, let me know. It is pretty nice, but not designed for high preasure.
 
Thanks GreshamH and Eric for your suggestions. A couple of questions:

Eric, even though the reactor chamber is pressurized, should the second chamber be pressurized also? I thought it is just chamber for effluent from reactor to pass through, and I am using two inline DI filter housing filled with media I took off from one of my RO/DI system as the second chamber. Am I missing something?

I probably should put a PH controller for the reactor. Should I measure PH right after first chamber, or should I measure it after the second chamber (for example, in a diffuser box)?
 
usually people measure ph right after the first chamber to make sure that the media is able to be dissolved.
 
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