Reactors.

[alextheromanian]

im new to the hobby and i humbally say i know NOTHING about ANYTHING when it comes to salt water as some of you...i suppose maybe because im new and because i havent had lived to experience all the different things that happen with and in a saltwater aquarium.



im planning on moving my 75 downstairs...its less hot in the summer less cold in the winter, quieter, plus downstairs is where i can have a room for it with...ROOM for all the different things i need. upstairs its just on a diy stand thats all cluttered and filled with things i cant organise or hang...etc...you get the point.


im in the process of doing research and i wanted to know some of your opinnions about this.

-calcium reactors
-phosban reactors
-kalk reactors
-ozone reactors
-?oxigen reactor?



are these needed for a reef? i understand they help make life easyer otherwise they wouldnt exists but how many of you that have a reef or a partial reef have these reactors?...and if so what ones?

 

[weluvfish54]

phopshates are a must imo..
kalk/calc reactors if you have sps..
ozone i almost got one..water clarity..

 

[alextheromanian]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13002755#post13002755 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by weluvfish54
phopshates are a must imo..
kalk/calc reactors if you have sps..
ozone i almost got one..water clarity..

HMMM thank you for the info

are Phos reactors expensive? are they easy to make i looked at a diagram and i kinda got the idea that they arent so hard to make but then i could be wrong.


kalk /calc reacors....are a must if i wanted a reef...are thise hard to make? or expensive to buy?


as far as ozone reactors...do you think youd get ALOT more water clarity? i heard for water clarity diatom reactors polish the water making it crystal clear.

 

[snorvich]

I have and use all of the above. You can dose 3 part (calcium, alkalinity, magnesium) and not need a calcium reactor or a kalk reactor. Ozone is a nice thing but not a necessary thing. Phosphate reactors using GFO (Granular Ferrous Oxide) can be purchased on the cheap. You probably get reasonable bang for a buck spent here. Everyone started out knowing very little or nothing; asking questions is always a good thing.

 

[SCIFI_3D_zoo]

I suggest starting off slow and just messing with some fish, mushroom, softies/leathers, etc. Work your way up to clams, LPS. It'll be easier to learn that way and you'll save money from all the crap you'd otherwise kill like a lot of us have done.

Ca+ reactors: you won't need it. For advanced users anyway. For heavy SPS reefs.

Phosban reactor: pretty easy to do. Along with a cheato/fuge it can be a good one-two punch to unwanted algae problems.. AFTER you cycle of course. BUT it still won't save you if you have poor water quality from tap water, over feeding, etc. They're about $80, + $15 pump, + Phosban media.

Kalk reactors: There's a lot of drawbacks to those. Plus it's sorta for a more mature tank with a mixed reef or heavy SPS population.

Ozone/Oxygen reactors: These are hardly used even by the pros who tend to buy everything high-end.

INSTEAD you might want to pick up 2 phosban reactors and run CARBON in the other one. That will remove a lot of chems from your water and make it look crystal clear.

Even if one day you are ready to do LPS, and even SPS you won't need still much more than this. I'm just now going to the last level with SPS's and I've never had to worry about heavy dosing of Mg, Ca, Alk. So alot of those reactors you won't need. One day you can start thinking about dosing LIME and Randy's 2-Part RECIPES (or B-IONIC but it costs more).

 

[alextheromanian]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13002935#post13002935 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by snorvich
I have and use all of the above. You can dose 3 part (calcium, alkalinity, magnesium) and not need a calcium reactor or a kalk reactor. Ozone is a nice thing but not a necessary thing. Phosphate reactors using GFO (Granular Ferrous Oxide) can be purchased on the cheap. You probably get reasonable bang for a buck spent here. Everyone started out knowing very little or nothing; asking questions is always a good thing.

thank you loads steve

joining this forum is probably one of the best things ive done since i got into the SW hobby

 

[Zann]

i just got the via aqua 20/20 reactor im useing rowaphos in it the one thing i like about the 20/20 is it comes with the plumping and the pump
if you run carbon in it you might want to get a bigger pump but for phos its great

 

[alextheromanian]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13005099#post13005099 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Zann
i just got the via aqua 20/20 reactor im useing rowaphos in it the one thing i like about the 20/20 is it comes with the plumping and the pump
if you run carbon in it you might want to get a bigger pump but for phos its great

is it only used for carbon/phos?

i dont know much about these things so why is it 20/20?

was it expensive?

 

[weluvfish54]

i got my phosban for $50 with pump +$20 media. i agree starting with easy corals for now. ill never buy any of the other things listed above..way too expensive and unneccesary for something you can easily dose yourself

 

[hapka16]

You can get a two little fishes brand phosban reactor for like 30 dollars and run rowaphos in it. Itla a cheap basic dependable reactor.