High Demand Calcium Reactor?

[wizsmaster]

Thats a mighty sized reactor greg!

I have a korallin S4002 sulfur reactor, and like their build quality ... less fragile acrylic & more PVC.

The large Geo is some serious $ ... more $ that i'm willing or able to shell out right now. I can get a Korallin C10002 (LARGE) for low to mid $700's ... if i got 3 together, for even less.

 

[wizsmaster]

Has anybody had experience with the AquaCare calcium reactors?

AquaCare Model 3

Up to 650 Gallon

The advantages of the AquaCare Turbo Chalk Reactor:

78 to 82% less free CO2 in the outlet: AquaCare has developed a neutralization chamber that raises the pH of the outlet to 7,0 (unit 1) or 7,3 (units 2-5). This neutralization stage lowers the growth of algae extremely.
No over dosing of CO2 in the reactor: the new control unit without measuring the pH of the water allows a very safe working with the AquaCare Turbo Chalk Reactor. Every time there is the right volume of CO2 in the reactor. No calibration! The control unit works with 12 Volts.
Light phosphate removal with chemo sorption.
Extreme water velocity: every AquaCare Turbo Chalk Reactor is filled with special granules. The water is flowing this very high speed along this material. So, CO2 bubbles cannot be caught in the granules. The flow through the granules system is constant. No flow channels can be build.
New chalk granules consisting of calcium carbonate: the new granules are dissolving 2 to 5 times better than other materials e.g. lime stone or coral stones. So the AquaCare Turbo Chalk Reactor is more effective than others.
Easy de-aeration of wrong gases: if the CO2 is not pure, the efficiency of every chalk reactor decreases with the time. To de-aerate the AquaCare Turbo Chalk Reactor you only have to shut off the circulation pump. The inlet drives pushes out all gases. If you start the reactor again all incoming CO2 is pure. Normally the Turbo Chalk Reactor is driven with a timer - only 2 to 4 hours working per day is enough to raise calcium and hydrogen carbonate in a reef tank.
Every Turbo Chalk Reactor includes a CO2 bubble counter, water inlet inspection glass and a ball valve: with these parts the AquaCare Turbo Chalk Reactor works well. If you want an automatically drive the reactor you need the control unit consisting of a solenoid valve, check valve, CO2 sensor, transformer and the control box. For the unit to work properly you need a water inlet (bypass of the main pump or another small pump), a small air pump and a simple timer.

Tip!
To reach optimum calcium concentration in the aquarium make sure that the magnesium concentration in the water is not below 1300 mg/l (ppm)
Ca and Mg Media sold separately.

From Premium Aquatics site.

 

[cbrguy]

The problem with Korallin is their support. I had a 1502 and had no one to turn to when I was trying to set it up. The one thing that is good about the Korallin though is the C02 consumption is very low.

The GEO 818 is $620 bux. and the 1218 is $1200

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...duct_Code=PA-GEO818-PK&Category_Code=creactor

 

[reef / aholic]

wizsmaster - The AquaCare stuff is just now starting to hit the states. The AquaCare Model 3 with Magnesium tube is the way to go and also make sure to purchase the CO2-control.

 

[wizsmaster]

Geo
-----
The 818 holds 24 lbs, and costs $ 620
The 1218 holds 50 lbs. and costs $1,300


Korallin
--------
C4002 holds 22 lbs. and costs $ 602
C10002 holds 44 lbs. and costs $ 750


I also would prefer an eheim pump over a panwords ... to be quiet honest. I have heard NOTHING BUT GOOD about geo reactors though ...
Draw back on the Korallin that I see is the lack of PH Probe port .. you cannot get a pre ported lid for the 4002/10002 units, only the smaller ones.

 

[wizsmaster]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13054263#post13054263 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reef / aholic
wizsmaster - The AquaCare stuff is just now starting to hit the states. The AquaCare Model 3 with Magnesium tube is the way to go and also make sure to purchase the CO2-control.

do you know pricing? especially on the co2 controller?

 

[snorvich]

Well I have both an Aquacare model 3 and an Aquacare model 4. They are superb. BUT if you are price sensitive, these are not the way to go for you. The model 3 handles 650 gallons, the model 4 handles 1500 gallons. You definitely need the CO2 management capability on either of them. I run mine on digital timers and I run the model 3 for 9 hours per day, and the model 4 for 5 hours per day. I can dial in very precisely by regulating time run.

 

[snorvich]

AquaCare Calcium Reactor Model 3 Review

What comes in the box:

Most of the items you will need come in the box, all nicely assembled and mounted on a board. Screw holes are predrilled but one of the four is in an awkward location which requires manual tightening. I strongly recommend ordering the optional CO2 controller; this is a relatively expensive option but well worth while. I recommend getting a good multi-interval digital timer with battery backup for the circulation pump and CO2 controller. You will need to purchase an air pump such as a dolphin (costs about $14). Also, unless you are feeding water to your reactor from a T on the return pump, you will need to feed water to the reactor with a pump that is reliable but relatively slow flow. This water supply is always on. I wish that a flowmeter had been supplied
but you can measure flow into a graduated cylinder and time adjusting.

Assembly:

Since this reactor must be mounted vertically, you have to devise a way of mounting it to a wall. In my case, I mounted 2x4’s and mounted it top and bottom with the screws that came with the unit. If you are mounting directly to plaster board (dry wall) you will have to use the supplied inserts to screw into.

The directions, once you understand them are actually pretty good. But since this is a German translation of German into English there are a few turns of language that must be thought through properly. It is important that water flow out of the reactor flow down hill to the return point whether it be aquarium, sump, or in my case refugium. The air pump and the CO2 supply must have a safety loop above the reactor to reduce any possibility of water flowing backwards to the source. The CO2 supply must have a good check valve; the air pump, because of reduction in air pressure using a check valve does not have one.

Reactor Description:

In the picture, the left chamber is the calcium chamber which is Aquacare calcium carbonate plus a very small amount of Aquacare magnesium. There are about 2 spoonfuls of magnesium in that chamber in addition to the calcium carbonate. There will be an add on product that is an in sump magnesium reactor but as of 6/30/08 it has not been release in the USA.

The tube on the right is the CO2 tube. The contents of this tube are controlled by the Basitech III controller which is attached to a solenoid that controls CO2 entry into the chamber. Once the appropriate amount of CO2 is in the chamber, the solenoid stops more CO2 from entering. When it needs more, it adds more.

The tube at the top is the sedimentation chamber; this is the final tube the effluent flows through before returning to the aquarium/sump/refugium.

The tube next to the media chamber is the neutralization chamber. This raises PH to approximate 7.3 prior to its return to the aquarium/sump/refugium

Operation of the reactor:

This reactor needs timed periodic breaks which are used to flush air and other gases out of the reactor prior to CO2 refilling the reactor to melt the media. If these gases are not flushed, CO2 will not reduce the PH to an appropriate low level to melt the media and it will lose efficiency.

I have the circulation pump and the CO2 controller on digital timers. The on time is 2 hours and the off time is one half hour with multiple cycles during the day. Dialing in the reactor could reduce or increase the number of these cycles. You want ALK between 8-9 (ideal is between 7-11) and calcium around 420 with Magnesium at 1380. If your magnesium is too low, it will be difficult to maintain appropriate calcium levels.

There is also a Magnesium chamber available but it is not quite available here in the States. Possibly next week.

These are available from Premium Aquatics or Aquarium Specialty.

 

[snorvich]

The model 4 is significantly (!) larger although no less elegant.

 

[wizsmaster]

Who sells them at this point, and who carries the co2 control module?

 

[snorvich]

As I mentioned before, Aquarium Specialty and Premium Aquatics.

 

[wizsmaster]

AquaCare Turbo Chalk Reactor Model 1
$579.95

AquaCare Turbo Chalk Reactor Model 2
$669.95

AquaCare Turbo Chalk Reactor Model 3
$864.95

AquaCare Turbo Chalk Reactor Model 4
$1,529.95

AquaCare Turbo Chalk Reactor Model 5
$2,084.95

AquaCare Ca Controller & Selenoid
$344.00

 

[snorvich]

Yup, those are the prices. As I said, not cheap. The controller is essential. The model 4 is huge so the model 5 must be enormous.

 

[wizsmaster]

is anyone else's rear end hurting just by thinking about those prices?

 

[snorvich]

Well, since I have the model 3 and the model 4, where does that put me? Still, after using them, I would do it again.

 

[wizsmaster]

I'm not sure .. you tell me.

OK .. all fun aside ... What is it that makes them worth it to you?
I'm trying to figure out why should i shell out $1,529.95 for 1 reactor thats rated at 650gal, when I could spend $800 & be set with a larger reactor such as the Korallin C10002.

 

[snorvich]

I have been through a fair number of iterations of calcium reactors; the thing I like about these is the ability to dial them in so accurately with the digital timers. My previous iterations all seemed to drift and were less precise. But I am not trying to sell them to you, it is simply what works well for me. Maybe I just like toys?

 

[wizsmaster]

I can appreciate toys ... i like skimmers. Again, I'm not trying to beat down this pricey CA RX - just trying to understand what makes it worth it to you.
I'd be fine a korallin c10002 as far as being fancy. I really would like a Schuran JS2 .. but they are 1. Too expensive now, and 2. i hear getting parts for them these days is worse than pulling teeth.

 

[aquacare]

Every calcium reactor will work. But every reactor has its limit. If your animals need low calcium and alkalinity every reactor will do the job. But if you need more - e.g. your animals are growing - you must raise the power. If a reactor is at its limit and you raise the inlet flow you will have more power but more free CO2 in your aquarium, too. This too much CO2 will cause green algae growth. And I am sure your hard corals do not like it. - In the last 10 years we have seen many hard corals tanks with big problems to maintain Ca and alkalinity. After installing the AquaCare Turbo reactor the problems were gone. - But be careful: start with only a few hours daily operation time. The biggest mistake is to run the reactors 24 hours per day. Within one or two days you have so much Ca and alkalinity that calcium carbonate will precipitate and your whole water chemistry is upside down.

 

[Creetin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13040356#post13040356 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jim_S
I think I would still much rather have a union. JMO

For ease?? I have had alot of products with unions and thay are a pita to get sealed up right and finnally off after an extended use.