Best Ca reactor

[wombat1]

I'm looking to take the plunge and get a Ca reactor, but I want a fairly cheap yet reliable unit. I suppose I could just build my own but I'd rather trust the pros. What's your favorite unit for the price???

 

[dvb]

I have the K2R. It was expensive but works pretty well. I had two problems at first with it.

1) Inspector 12 or whomever forgot to put in an O-ring and the thing leaked onto my floor all night. NOT GOOD!

2) Safety valve on my CO2 tank blew and released a frezzing cloud of gas into my living room that scared the sh** out of my wife.

Aside from that I like it. I wish that the dripper was a little more exact. and I would like to hook it up to a ph controller for night time ph drops.

After using it for almost a year, it has worked well.

 

[newkie]

Calcium reactors are such simple devices. Its not like comparing protein skimmers. Basically think of water running in a loop. A part of this loop is the media, usually high-grade aragonite. So the main loop is simply pumping the same water through the media over and over. Now we introduce C02 gas to the loop. This lowers the pH of the water in the loop which causes the aragonite to melt. Now we introduce a slow feed from the loop to the tank. This drips the low pH, highly calcified water back in to the system. We also have a low power pump which keeps the loop filled with water. Basically it just pumps in enough tank water to replace the water that drips out. The main idea here is that the same water passes through the loop over and over before it finally drips out which allows the pH to drop thus melting the aragonite. That's the basics of it, pretty simply really. The rest you may be wondering about is the C02 equipment which typically consists of a 5# C02 tank ($50), a C02 regulator ($50), a flow meter or needle valve to fine tune the amount of C02, and a bubble counter so you can visually see how much C02 is being introduced by counting bubbles/min. Most reactors are pretty much the same. All are relatively low maintenance after they have been fine tuned (by adjusting the amount of C02, measuring the effluent pH (output from reactor), etc). Some have a second tower to strip out more C02 as some people worry that the C02 from the reactor will lower the pH of the entire tank (but if you put the output in a high agitation area such as near the protein skimmer input this is not a problem). Search for Sanjay's DIY plans which show you how to build one. Even if you buy one its workings will be made clear by his excellent article.

As for buying one they're practically all the same. As long as it holds enough media for your tank, comes with a quality recirculation pump (eheims are popular), and is easy to service you're in good shape. My tip for easy servicing is to go with flanged tops.
HTH

 

[newkie]

Functionality wise all reactors are pretty much the same. I've been looking at picking up a new one and have checked out Geo, MyReef, and Coralhound. MyReef's in the lead due to the number of stated options. While I'm sure the other DIYers would accomodate whatever you want the choices with MyReef are clearly stated and obvious. One question I have about MyReef's dual chamber design is why is the second chamber the same diameter as the first. To me it makes more sense to have a 6" main chamber and a 4.5" second chamber. The media in the second chamber will dissolve much, much slower so having this extra capacity seems unnecessary and will likely entail rinsing the media when servicing the main chamber in order to remove silt (preventing clogging... good run-on senetence eh?). Coralhound's looks similar and comes with an Eheim, a very good pump. Both chambers are again the same size. Geo's is odd because the second chamber is unattached and again the same size. It's nicer when they are both attached to a platform like the other two. Aside from Geo's economy version all models have a flanged top, a very important feature. Not only are the economy seals leak-prone but its a pain in the arse to get the media out when servicing. For that reason I think flanged tops are the single most important feature. The next most important thing is the base of the chamber.. is it clog prone? will media be able to slip underneath the platform finding its way in to the plumbing causing a clog? Lastly have unions to remove the pump. This is a great feature when servicing to (a) keep the pump from getting wet and more importantly (b) to be able to remove any stray media from the recirculation loop. HTH

PS: since this was written myreef took my advice and their larger dual chamber now has a smaller diameter second chamber. As well he is now using cell cast acrylic instead of extruded. I would avoid any reactor made from extruded acrylic.

 

[t gallo]

I HAVE ANDY'S DUAL REACTOR, KNEW VERSION AND THE SECOND CHAMBER IS 4.5 GOOD PRICE AND QUALITY.

 

[wombat1]

After reading Sanjay's article, I think I'll just build my own. It was very informative. Why can't I just build it out of PVC tubing?? I want to make it 4" PVC, and have a threaded cap on the top that I can easily remove and teflon tape again. How often do they need to be serviced?? Just to replace the media right?? The design seems pretty simple, kind of like a DIY skimmer where you want max contact time with the media (aragonite, bubbles, etc.). BTW, I have a pinpoint monitor which I assume will be helpful when getting the effluent flow rate right. Thanks for your help and info.



Stupid newbie question: What stops bacteria from growing on the aragonite and making the reactor a fluidized bed filter?? Is it because the aragonite is dissolving and preventing the bacteria from attaching??

 

[fishpoo]

i made mine just like Sanjay's plans, only reversed the threads and used soft tubing from pump to top of reactor. You really can use pvc. I used clear acrylic from Aquaticeosystems but i don't see the big advantage to seeing in the reator. I would service it every six months and you don't have to see inside. The effluent ph or alkalinity will tell you if you need to add media.
One suggestion i have is to put the effluent valve on the outgoing side. I get a nice steady drip and no adjustment needed for a long time. Also the screw on cap is no problem at all. I use teflon dope instead of tape and buy one of those strap wrenches. How often do you remove the top anyway? every six months on average. I think the bottom end- which is a toilet flange is much stronger than the average made reactor. The bottom pipe going into the body of the reactor is the weakest link in a commercially made reactor. PVC pipe screwed into the flange is much stronger than an acrylic attachment
here's a pic.

 

[fishpoo]

here's the effluent valve i made from two pieces of plastic and two screws. It simply squeezes the hose. In this way you won't get a build up of calcium like a valve would.

 

[fishpoo]

while on the subject, here's one i just made out of 2" pvc and a maxijet. This is for a friends nano.

 

[wombat1]

Thanks for those pics. I like the valve idea, but why not throttle the effluent flow by using a needle valve on the input side?? Seems like you wouldn't have to worry about Ca buildup that way. I also want the effluent dripping into a really high flow area, right?? Like the inside of a surge bucket?? Or would it be better to release it in a bed of macroalgae to soak up the CO2??

 

[wombat1]

). Some have a second tower to strip out more C02 as some people worry that the C02 from the reactor will lower the pH of the entire tank (but if you put the output in a high agitation area such as near the protein skimmer input this is not a problem).

Wouldn't putting a high ca concentration solution near the intake of a pump cause precipitation and shorten the pump life?? If you could find a way to plumb the effluent output inside the main body of the skimmer, though....oooh good idea, right??

 

[fishpoo]

i had a needle valve on the incomming side for about two months and all was fine, but i soon had to constantly readjust the drip. I figure what was going one here was the buildup of co2. Since i took off the valve and use the squeeze valve i don't have to adjust for about three weeks. Then just a slight adjustment.
I just let it drip in the sump. The return pump is enough movement to get the co2 out but your idea sounds better.