Calcium Generator/Reactor Question

[Mace Windu]

I am planning to keep all manner of soft/hard corals sps & lps and inverts. Do I need a calcium reactor or can you substitute this with an admixture?

 

[Anonymous]

There are several alternatives to ca rxtor.
(0, ca rxtor)
1, kalkwassor
2, kalk reactor
3, two part calcium additives
4, snake oil/dust/dirt

Depends on your budget and time, 1-3 are all good options. Options 4 is for people without budget and time constraints.

The following is a short term ranking of cost (purchase $)
4<3<1<2<0
The following is a long term ranking of cost ($)
2 ~ 0 < 3 ~1 < 4
The following is time for setup (hour)
4<3<1<2<0
The following is time for keeping the routine running (hour)
0 ~ 2 < 1 < 3 ~ 4

Hope this helps.

 

[Mace Windu]

So basically a Calcium reactor is the least time consuming and the best although it cost the most but long term cost there probably isn't much in it anyway!?

 

[ChrisRD]

It really depends on what you're going to keep in the system (ie. what your Ca/Alk demand will be), but basically, if you're going to have lots of stony corals and/or clams in that 150 gallon tank, a calcium reactor would be my first choice.

I actually like running a Nilsen reactor (kalk reactor) in combination with a calcium reactor as they both have their advantages. If you have a system with very high Ca/Alk demand this option works really well.