Which calcium reactor?
- Thread starter Nuuze
- Start date
airinhere
New member
I recently went through the painful task of deciding on a calcium reactor for my two 90 gal tanks. (Soon to be barebottom, SPS tanks!)
My final decision was for either a GEO or a Korallin.
The Geo has a great track record and gets high marks for reliability and excellent customer support. (Basically the company will do anything to make its customers happy)
The Korallin has a similar track record, but nothing is really mentioned about customer support. (Never seems to be an issue)
My decision came down to what one should be easier to use.
The design of the GEO recycles CO2 that makes it all the way to the top of the unit. This must be monitored or else the pH will drop too low and will turn your media into mush. In order to avoid this risk, a ph controller unit should be used. A pH probe is a minimum requirement for this model of calcium reactor.
The Korallin models have the option to either recycle the CO2 or to allow it to accumulate. Its just a slight design difference, but it is very important. You can run a ph controller and recycle the CO2 or you can skip the extra equipment and run the unit in a manner that allows the CO2 to accumulate at the top of the reactor.
If you do the latter, you can manualy adjust the amount of CO2 going into your reactor (bubble rate) untill you no longer are getting the accumulation of excess gass in the system.
Careful though! Too much CO2 accumulating at the top of the reactor and the pump driving the unit will suck air and lose siphon.
The nice thing about the Korallin is that the pH can only get to a certain point before it stops lowering (when used in the non-recycling manner). This prevents the media from turning to mush on you.
I went with the easiest unit to set-up and to run. Korallin.
Look up Hahnmeister. He is the person who provided me with the information I used to make my own decision.
My final decision was for either a GEO or a Korallin.
The Geo has a great track record and gets high marks for reliability and excellent customer support. (Basically the company will do anything to make its customers happy)
The Korallin has a similar track record, but nothing is really mentioned about customer support. (Never seems to be an issue)
My decision came down to what one should be easier to use.
The design of the GEO recycles CO2 that makes it all the way to the top of the unit. This must be monitored or else the pH will drop too low and will turn your media into mush. In order to avoid this risk, a ph controller unit should be used. A pH probe is a minimum requirement for this model of calcium reactor.
The Korallin models have the option to either recycle the CO2 or to allow it to accumulate. Its just a slight design difference, but it is very important. You can run a ph controller and recycle the CO2 or you can skip the extra equipment and run the unit in a manner that allows the CO2 to accumulate at the top of the reactor.
If you do the latter, you can manualy adjust the amount of CO2 going into your reactor (bubble rate) untill you no longer are getting the accumulation of excess gass in the system.
Careful though! Too much CO2 accumulating at the top of the reactor and the pump driving the unit will suck air and lose siphon.
The nice thing about the Korallin is that the pH can only get to a certain point before it stops lowering (when used in the non-recycling manner). This prevents the media from turning to mush on you.
I went with the easiest unit to set-up and to run. Korallin.
Look up Hahnmeister. He is the person who provided me with the information I used to make my own decision.
bored4long
New member
For a broke soul like me, I say DIY. Here is the one I want to build once my system is up and running: http://www.melevsreef.com/dj88.html
$50 in Acrylic and fittings
$90 CO2 bottle
$99 pH monitor
$90 reg with solenoid
$70 eheim pump
===================
$400 vs $650-700 for similarly equipped Korralin or GEO reactor
$50 in Acrylic and fittings
$90 CO2 bottle
$99 pH monitor
$90 reg with solenoid
$70 eheim pump
===================
$400 vs $650-700 for similarly equipped Korralin or GEO reactor
Last edited:
Nuuze
New member
Thanks for the info airinhere!
Do you use a feed pump on your Korallin? Do those units have pH probe port?
Also do you use the fine media like Carib sea or bigger ones like the Gen X?
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...=PROD&Product_Code=C-ARM&Category_Code=cmedia
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...PROD&Product_Code=PC-CRM&Category_Code=cmedia
Do you use a feed pump on your Korallin? Do those units have pH probe port?
Also do you use the fine media like Carib sea or bigger ones like the Gen X?
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...=PROD&Product_Code=C-ARM&Category_Code=cmedia
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...PROD&Product_Code=PC-CRM&Category_Code=cmedia
Last edited:
airinhere
New member
I am not using a feed pump. Although I considered a peristalic pump for a little while.
Mine sits level with my sump, so I do not really need a feed pump. It only becomes a necessity if you have a huge flow issue or ned to pump water up into the reactor.
The siphon effect from the circulation pump draws all the water through, that I believe I should ever really need.
There is no pH probe port on the korallin rectors since a pH controller is not really needed. You could put a pH monitor on the effluent line, but it would just be for show.
I was dubious at first, but the overwhelming response has been that you really do not need a pH controller for one of these at all.
I got a Hanna pH pen/ORP probe combo unit and just run the effluent over the pen to determine my ph when setting it up.
ORP is just an interesting side thing for now, but someday.....ozone for each of my 90 gallon reefs!
I decided on the larger media since it takes longer for it to disintergrate into smaller pieces and become a liability in the reactor.
Reasoning: Each piece of media is slowly dissolving in the reactor. Small pieces do not lose overall volume as a mass so much as they lose volume per piece. So losing half your total media with tiny media particles means the remaining parts are almost dustlike sized. Losing half your mass of larger pieces leaves you with decent sized pieces still.
I do not want to worry about losing flow through my reactor from the tiny particles getting compacted as they dissolve. Nor do I want to worry about the media getting sucked up into my circulatory pump. So I got the larger media.
Mine sits level with my sump, so I do not really need a feed pump. It only becomes a necessity if you have a huge flow issue or ned to pump water up into the reactor.
The siphon effect from the circulation pump draws all the water through, that I believe I should ever really need.
There is no pH probe port on the korallin rectors since a pH controller is not really needed. You could put a pH monitor on the effluent line, but it would just be for show.
I was dubious at first, but the overwhelming response has been that you really do not need a pH controller for one of these at all.
I got a Hanna pH pen/ORP probe combo unit and just run the effluent over the pen to determine my ph when setting it up.
ORP is just an interesting side thing for now, but someday.....ozone for each of my 90 gallon reefs!
I decided on the larger media since it takes longer for it to disintergrate into smaller pieces and become a liability in the reactor.
Reasoning: Each piece of media is slowly dissolving in the reactor. Small pieces do not lose overall volume as a mass so much as they lose volume per piece. So losing half your total media with tiny media particles means the remaining parts are almost dustlike sized. Losing half your mass of larger pieces leaves you with decent sized pieces still.
I do not want to worry about losing flow through my reactor from the tiny particles getting compacted as they dissolve. Nor do I want to worry about the media getting sucked up into my circulatory pump. So I got the larger media.
Last edited:
robertloop
Member
I have a korallin. Love it. Although I have a PH monitor, its used for the tank levels. Dont really need it for the reactor. I use carib sea media. No complaints here. I run the efluent line into the intake on my skimmer and the tank PH stays about 7.9~8 without kalk. PH was around 7.8~7.7 untill running the effulent into the skimmer. 
I have no pro/con to offer though as I only have experience with one reactor.
Robert
I have no pro/con to offer though as I only have experience with one reactor.
Robert
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