Calcium Reactor $$$

[Anonymous]

We do resurch in three countries and have seen:

GBR: rH 0-9 = heavy reductions
Figi: 10-17= slight reductionss
Maldives: rH8- 25= neutral
RedSea: rH 26- 34= slightly oxidations
Florida: rH35- 42= heavy oxidations

With the use you should do some resurch on this Value:
Ex -iodine SD=+/-20mg/l,calcium+/-5mg/l or strontium SD = +/-5%
during operations of time of respective values.
Using the Reactor with out chilled uv-co2-ozone, the (No3- No2 +No3- No2- + NH4+ -- NO2-, will be affected, resulting in a improper break of H2o.

We did that already in Spain. Of course, we were paying the Japanese to do it. And they had contracted it out to the Saudi's. Then of course, Egypt was invited in. Last I heard, a bunch of women were fatwahed for it.

Such is life.

 

[IcantTHINKofONE]

My tank does not have any calcium supplementation. It is a newly established 230 gallon tank with only 75 pounds of live rock so far, 5inch southdown DSB and 4 96 watt PCs and a 80 gallon sump/refugium. The tank has been cycling for about a month now. I do not have the money for nor am I decided on lighting to make it a full reef yet. I was hoping to keep some larger fish now and find them a new home when I got my reef lights. I was planning to keep a Volitan lion, emperor angel, snowflake morray eel, and a tang or maybe 2. I also wanted to try to add mushrooms. I hope it works out and please don't think I am a cruel person...the first sign of the mushrooms lack of health, I will transport them to a friend's reef. After mushrooms I wanted to try a leather or some polyps. So Maybe the 50 gallon water change every 2 weeks will be enough calcium supplementation for just a couple mushrooms and a leather and polyps? When I decide on my lights and can afford them I will definately get a calcium reactor also. I was under the impression that water changes will replenish calcium through the salt? I may very well be wrong lol as I am a newbie. Thanx for reading.

 

[brokekyle]

So Maybe the 50 gallon water change every 2 weeks will be enough calcium supplementation

Maybe.. but in most tanks with live rock I would use KW for all make up water..it'll also help maitain your ALK and PH ..

 

[IcantTHINKofONE]

brokekyle, How does Kalkwasser work? I have a 55 gallon reservoir with ro/di water. Should i add the kalk to this? The reservoir is hooked up to a float switch in the sump so it tops off evaporated water automatically.

 

[IcantTHINKofONE]

Also, what is the calcium level of newly mixed saltwater? I don;t have a Ca test kit yet.

 

[aquarist=broke]

IcToO,

Just putting kalk in your RO water isn't a good idea. Kalk mix has a really high pH, and I only drip dose. My tank eats about a gallon a day of kalk water.

The calcium level of your salt mix is usually written on the bag or pail. If you must know, I could probably use the internet to find your answer.

If you don't mind having a ghetto kalk water doser, post and you shall recieve.

 

[randy holmes-farley]

? I have a 55 gallon reservoir with ro/di water. Should i add the kalk to this? The reservoir is hooked up to a float switch in the sump so it tops off evaporated water automatically.

If the pump that delivers the RO water is slow enough, that's a fine setup. In fact, it's what I use. The pump that I use can only pump 3 gal/day, so the limewater goes in slowly even when called for by the float switch.

 

[O P Ing]

hi.
I don't recommand using the 55 gal resrvoir for the kalk. For your tank size, it is a lot of kalk to be sitting around. Unless it is air tight (keep out the CO2), you will lose the kalk when it precip out as calcium carbonate due to the carbonic acid. Of course for some people, kalk is cheap as dirt, but from your description, it seems to me you are not familiar enough to do the same thing that Randy et al. is doing. (I hope you don't feel my statement is condesending...)

Furthermore, dosing kalk with auto top off system may not be a good idea. Without the specifics of your setup, I will not recommand using doser with kalk. With a high pH, unless you have appropriate tranducer/float switch and pump, you may damage your equipement by running kalk thru them if they are only to be used for RO/DI, and not for corrosive liquid.

You may want to check out kalkreactor (easier to DIY than CaRxtor), or get a delicated dripper for kalk...

 

[IcantTHINKofONE]

My RO unit (Kent) flows directly into my reservoir pale. The pale has a float switch that turns the RO off when full. then in the pale, there is a powerhead with a long hose that leads to the sump. In the sump is one of those Spectrapure auto top-off systems (the one that shuts the powerhead off when it is full).

 

[O P Ing]

hi.
You setup is fine with kalk, but I still don't feel comfortable with adding kalk to your 55 gal bucket.

1, waste of kalk due to CO2 in the air, and resulting precipitate that will clog your powerhead and other moving part. This is further worsen by the fact that your water is not DIed.

2, dumping saturated kalk to your sump via a powerhead may be too much for your 300 gal system even if you have a large sump. The calcium in the kalk may come out right away, and cause pH swing and paradoxically decrease your calcium concentration.

3, other alternatives (see dripper/kalkreactor/ca rxtor) exists that does not cost very much and much easier to do than kalk as top off.

 

[IcantTHINKofONE]

Anyone here have a cheap DIY dripper enough for my system?

 

[brokekyle]

Anyone here have a cheap DIY dripper enough for my system?

you can try this...
the Larry Jackson inverte bottle

http://home.pacbell.net/kylesr/invert.html

 

[dragon0121]

I bought a 3 gallon Sterilit container, rectangular 8" x 12" (?) and about 6" high, with lid. I drilled a small hole in the side about 1" above bottom. Used Marine Goop to glue in place an IV drip line. Mix up 5 gallons of KW in a bucket and syphon into the Setilite container, set above sump on 2 1"x4"'s and drip into sump at night. Doesn't get any easier than that, and I've been doing it for 2 1/2 years so far.

 

[brokekyle]

Used Marine Goop to glue in place an IV drip line. .

IV drips get clogged all the time...been there done that

 

[IcantTHINKofONE]

How about doing what dragon said but instead of an IV drip use one of those air regulatiors with airline tubing (the ones used for freshwater). Will that work?

 

[danmhippo]

Calcium deposit will form around the screws that controlls how much air (water in your setup) goes out, and the setup will fail sooner or later. I think the IV regulator will work best with setup like that.

 

[IcantTHINKofONE]

Where do I get a IV regulator? And should I clean (flush) it out every so often? vinegar? freshwater? alcohol?

 

[brokekyle]

Where do I get a IV regulator? And should I clean (flush) it out every so often? vinegar? freshwater? alcohol?

I got one from my doctor.. suggest you get aleast 2.. for cleaning I used a peice of wire

 

[IcantTHINKofONE]

OK I was at my doctor today for other reasons than my reef :lol: But I didn't ask him if he had one cuz I don't know what to ask for. What is it? plastic? metal? big? small? What's it look like?

 

[Anonymous]

Wasn't your tank going to be a FOWLR, with possibly a few softies that would be compatiable? If so, your calcium demand may not be very high at all and water changes and an occasional addition of one of the many different 2 part additives may be all you need.