Your thoughts on Calcium Reactors

[Marcus71]

I am buying a CR, I am sure I have everything I need, I want your thoughts on a used or new CRs. I am almost sold on a guys MRC6 dual chamber 1 year old.

I am also looking at a Koraalin 1502


here is my set up

125 with a 55 sump, 200lbs live rock, tons of corals and some fish, 3 250 double end lights.

any help appreciated before i make the buy.

 

[MarkGP]

Both are great reactors! What kind of corals do you have (sps?) and any clams?

 

[Marcus71]

i had clams but they passed 2 weeks ago, i think due to calcium drop, lots of sps doing good so far.

 

[corals b 4 bills]

I bought the korallin 1502. nice set-up but I didn't know that it needs an aqualifter pump to move water through it, not a big deal just waiting for my shipment to come in on tuesday from marine depot. definately a good design and small footprint.

 

[edwardlmarshall]

I have a Korallin 1502. I teed it off of my return pump after realizing that it needed some sort of pump to provide in-flow. So far, so good. Alkalinity is a steady 10 dKH and calcium is 350 ppm, and it doesn't depress my pH at all. So, in essence, it's doing exactly what it's supposed to.

 

[MarkGP]

Sorry to hear about the clams! If you have the load for a reactor then go for it. Definitely get a two chamber as a single chamber can dump a lot of co2 in the tank.

 

[erendon]

I use a Aqua Medic 1000. I have used it for years. I think a CR is great for a SPS tank. It keeps my Cal & Alk on target.

 

[hahnmeister]

I have a Korallin 1502, its one of my favorites. You can turn it into a schuran with a 1-2" piece of 1/4" air hose too... just stick it in the inlet with so it curves up into the area where the CO2 can build up. This way, the CO2 will get sucked into the pump again like a venturi, rather than just stay in the top of the reactor. Of course, with this reactor, this normally wont even happen.

As far as feeding, never needed an aqualifter. It sucks water in from the sump, and puts it back there (not even gravity feed or something) on its own. The inlet is on the suction side of the pump, and the outlet is on the pressure side. Never needed an aqualifter.