do i need a calcium reactor?

[grizz99]

hi, i have a new 75 gal tank and i plan on putting all sorts of different types of coral and anything else. my question is do i need a calcium reactor? would it save me that much time? also how about kalk, what is the best way to go about doing this?

 

[Anonymous]

do i need a calcium reactor?

No. There are other alternatives, such as kalk reactor, kalkwassor, two parts, etc.

would it save me that much time?

Yes, especially if you have hard time keeping the calcium up.

how about kalk,

It works, but it is usually not as cost effective as ca rxtor when used long term, unless you have a good source of bulk kalk.

what is the best way to go about doing this?

Find out all about your alteratives by doing researching and reading, and decide base on what you read and your personal preference.

 

[Anonymous]

I use a calcium reactor on my 75 and love it. It makes the daily maintence so much less than all the other alternatives IMHO. If you can afford one, I would get one!

Louey

 

[grizz99]

thanks, i think that i'm gonna get one, but it's gonna set me back a couple bucks. what brands would you recommend for me? any to stay away from? thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

Fortunately, almost all of the ca rxtors are pretty good. I guess the manufacture figure that they can't get a sucker to buy junk reactor since if you need to get one, you pretty much know what you are doing.

However, this also means that they can be a bit difficult to setup and use if you don't know what to look for. Ask around and see the feedback for ease of use. You can talk to the people in reef hardware stores (online ones such as most of RDO sponsors like PremiumAquatics, MarineDepot, etc. are better than most LFS, IMO), and they will give you some suggestion.

 

[grizz99]

do i need anything else? controllers, kalk reactor? i was probably going to go with either the precision marine CR422, or the GEO reactor. any things i need to know before i make the purchase?

 

[Anonymous]

Kalk readtor is the dual of ca reactor. Most people (99%) only need one or the other, not both. I don't think you will need the controller or the solenoid, but if you get your regulator from a reef hardware store, you will probably end up paying for the solenoid...

Just making sure, to run your ca rxtor, you need the CO2 cyliner, CO2 gas, regulator, needle valve. You may have to get a separate bubble counter if the reactor does not come with one build-in, and a way to feed the reactor if it does not designed to do it by itself.

 

[Rainman]

We all need a ca reactor, or a bigger one

 

[grizz99]

ok, i'm definately gonna get a ca reactor, now i've read that they can reduce the ph in the tank, has anyone had any problems with this? how did you solve it? or wasn't it much of a problem at all? also what kind of media would you guys recommend? thanks

 

[Jolieve]

If you want to save some cash... there is slightly more time consuming way to drip calcium into the tank, but... it will cost you about 7$. It's called "The Little Dripper". This gadget is designed to drip water into lizard habitats, but it is also excellent for dripping kalk into your tank. Here's a link to it:

http://www.petsmart.com/products/product_27689.shtml

Just an FYI, I use this to drip calcium in my tank. It's a neat gadget.

Joli

 

[Anonymous]

Dripping kalkwasser can be useful if the calcium demand is not very high. It is definitely something you should be aware of before making your purchase decision. Its cons are the constant mixing and dripping it need. Can be time consuming at times.

The pH issue with both ca rxtor and kalk is solved by dripping in a high flow area. When the CO2 in the output of the reactor equilibrates with the air, there is only minimal pH issue associate with the use of ca rxtor.

 

[grizz99]

thanks for the input. the reason i want to go with the reactor is once i get my tank up and going i want as little unneeded maintenance as possible. i figure i'll have my hands full doing the other stuff necessary to keep the tank going that i'd rather not deal with the drip.
now i'm just waiting for my RO/DI to get the tank filled with water. after that i'll add the salt and let it filter for a couple days empty. then i need to order my live sand and live rock. i've been looking for a good place to order this stuff and was wondering what places you recommend.

 

[Anonymous]

MarineDepot and Jeff's offer LR and LS. You can also look for aquacultured florida rock, as well as getting rock from your LFS or local reefers.

 

[Anonymous]

www.harboraquatics.com for LR. $$$ well spent.