calcium reactor or kalkreactor

[juan319]

Would like to know difference between a calcium reactor and a kalkreactors, which is better (75 gallons).
Are you using one, which would you recommend for a 75 gallons.
:givebeer:

 

[NYreefNoob]

i maintained mine with dosing kalkwasser through my ato, didnt use a reactor, if ya got the extra $ then get a cal reacto, more stable and almost set and forget. do you plan to run a heavy sps tank ?

 

[batt600]

I wouldnt use kalkwasser at all it binds po4 in your live rock and then it will leach out down the line. Use a calcium reactor or just does the 2 parts thats what i do in a fully stocked Sps tank and have no problems.

 

[regal]

I wouldnt use kalkwasser at all it binds po4 in your live rock and then it will leach out down the line. ...

Who told you that? It is true that kalk will bind with PO4 and heavy metal but only at high conc. and form a precipitate when you mix it to make your topoff soln. That's why you should leave the solid stuff behind and only use the kalk solution. Once it is in the tank, the solution gets diluted very quickly and if it does bind with something in the tank water, it should precipitate out of solution and why would it bind PO4 preferential to the live rock.

 

[batt600]

Who told you that? It is true that kalk will bind with PO4 and heavy metal but only at high conc. and form a precipitate when you mix it to make your topoff soln. That's why you should leave the solid stuff behind and only use the kalk solution. Once it is in the tank, the solution gets diluted very quickly and if it does bind with something in the tank water, it should precipitate out of solution and why would it bind PO4 preferential to the live rock.

Its true when i started using zoevita there was a forum that give a break down what kalk does to po4 and why not to use it . Do some reseach on kalk and you well see how bad it is to use it.

Here read this.

Greetings All !


Kalkwasser precipitates phosphate out of solution, creating what is, in effect, a "phosphate reservoir" within the system. Changes in the pH of microhabitats where these precipitates settle can cause phosphate to be released back into solution. Since the ZEOvit system is designed to export phosphate, adding something which creates a reservoir is considered counter-productive.

Dr. Albert Thiel wrote a description of this process, with specific regard to "unexplained" algae blooms. Some quotes ...


It has been postulated, and proven, that the long term use of Kalkwasser precipitates phosphates out of the water (which Kalkwasser really does by the way) and that these phosphate based compounds settle "on" and "in" the rock (live rock) in the aquarium, as well as "in" and "on" the substrate that may be present in the aquarium.

... Phosphates that are "bound" in an insoluble form and are, therefore, not available to algae "can" and "will" go into solution because of pH fluctuations in certain areas of the aquarium, areas where a much lower pH exists or develops, than the actual pH of the aquarium itself.

... When the pH drops in those areas of the aquarium, these insoluble compounds break up. Because they are in low pH areas the compounds dissociate, resulting in ortho-phosphate that goes back into solution, giving rise to the sudden appearance of micro-algae growth, a growth that was totally "unexpected" and "unpredictable" given the tank's water quality conditions ... .

Extracted from:
Sudden and Unexplained Micro-Algae Outbreaks (http://www.netpets.org/fish/reference/reefref/algaeoutbrk.html)
Dr. Albert Thiel

 

[regal]

Thanks for the link. But you have to decide what you want to believe. He stated "it has been postulated and proven" without references. Most of the ppl dose kalk in the sump. So even precipitation of PO4 occurs, it only happens in there. Kalk is nothing more than Ca and OH. (which gets converted to whatever when it reaches the tank e.g.bicarbonate) By the time it reaches the main tank, the OH is so diluted/gone that it should have little effects. I use both a calcium reactor and a kalk reactor and know many know do without any issues.

 

[beerfish]

Since the article is not dated, and cites no references with dates attached, I can't really take this article as a staple of modern reef keeping. I've looked at some of his other writings, and they appear to be very outdated. He mentions protein skimmers in one of his writings and provides only air pump, air stone, and venturi styles as options. At the time of the writing, this article may have been true, but I don't believe it to be applicable in 2010.

While kalk does precipitate phosphates, this is not a bad thing. With the availability of high flow powerheads to prevent settling on rock and sand, and more powerful skimmers, reef keepers are now able to use kalk to a greater advantage. Once phosphates are precipitated out, they are now easily removed by a properly functioning (and properly rated) protein skimmer. This gives kalk the added benefit of aiding in the removal of phosphate from the system.

I've always used kalk on my tanks, and have never had an issue with it. As was mentioned earlier, however, it does require a bit more upkeep than a well set up calcium reactor.