Calcium reactor

[clown]

If you use ESV or any other two part liquid, and keep up on the dosing as needed, will a calcium reactor grow corals faster than a 2 part?

 

[MBZ]

I'm not sure on the answer but a Ca reactor will deliver a constant supply 24/7 verses a spike every time you dose with a 2 part.

Mark

 

[bimmerzs]

If you use a good dosing setup such as the profilux or litermeter, the total daily dose is split up in micro injections throughout the day in order to prevent the spikes that MBZ mentioned. As always...stability is key.


Cheers,

 

[Wes]

moved to current forum

 

[DaveJ]

I've never heard of one method growing faster than the other... As Ron pointed out, how you dose is as important as what levels you maintain. Steady parameters will give corals the freedom to focus on growing, instead of dealing with shifts and spikes. Constant small doses will lead to a happy tank. You'll get isolated spikes where you dose, but if you do that in the sump or overflow, its all leveled out and dispersed by the time it hits the main tank.

I would suspect that dosing would be better however due to the typically higher pH values you get wiht 2-part if you use the ash component for alkalinity. Higher pH in the 8.3-8.5 range encourages better growth. People using Reactors often have a lower standing pH value due to the CO2 usage in the reactors. This is NOT always the case, but is rather common to see them down in the 8.1 to 8.2 range most of the time.

Higher alkalinity is also supposed to encourage growth which is why you see some folks running up around 10-12dkh, that usually means a higher pH.

 

[Squirt]

I love it when DaveJ posts. I always learn something new!
Catherine

 

[kthomas]

I can tell you about both. I used a calcium reactor for over a year and i've been dosing for over a month. Just a little background on reading this. My reactor was an MRC dual chamber rated for a 500 gallon tank that I was using on my 90g. So I think it was just overkill once it peaked.

[Calcium reactor]

Pros: Once dialed in it is virtually maintanence free until you start adding new corals and the demand goes up.

Cons: If it starts getting to where you can't dial it in properly it can be hectic. Your pH will be lower if you can't seem to dial it in.

[Two Part]

Pros: If you have a dosing pump you can pretty much automate it. It stays consistant. It keeps you pH up.

Cons: You have to mix it yourself. Yo have to measure it and do calculations You have to test your parameters pretty often until everything gets going

 

[Guest]

for a 24 and 46 gallon tank a ca reactor is not a choice i would use ...i would go two part or kalk. a ca reactor could crash your tank pretty quick due to low ph due to the co2.

i switched to two part from a ca reactor as i was getting alk and ph issues..

getting a good dosing system is make life so easy and plus you can spread out the dosage throughout the day. i use a profilux controller with a 3 stage dosing pump so i can dose alk, ca and mg.

 

[bimmerzs]

@kuyatwo wrote:

Pampee,
That's like almost impossible on a properly setup reactor, and a big reason to alway's use a properly setup controller when using a reactor. I wouldn't recommend laying out that much cash for a reactor or a dosing setup for such a smaller tank unless you will without a doubt, upgrade in the future. I would do manual dosing on something that size to be honest. Member blide is a perfect example of someone with a 20G tank with a Ca reactor, he will be the first to tell that that tank is basically on auto pilot to the point that he has to remember to go in and feed the fish. :lol: Of course he has a lil more water volume than most smaller setup's. :lol: http://www.dfwmas.org/Forums/viewtopic.php?t=39771&highlight=

Cheers,

 

[Guest]

The thing with blides tank he uses kalk to get ph up on that setup per his eqpt list.


If you look at most cost efficient charts ca reactor is a very expensive way to maintain alk ca balance on small volume or low ca consumption reef tanks.

If I had to choose I would have higher ph from a kalkwasser than low ph from ca reactor

 

[kthomas]

That's what my issue was with mine. I could not keep my pH above 8.0 for the life of me. I didn't dose kalk, but when i did it screwed everything up because my Alk and Ca would skyrocket.

Dosing is much more stable and my pH stays 8-8.4

I know when my Mg is low because my pH drops. My Mg could be high and still wouldn't help maintain my pH even if the Alk and Ca were where they needed to be.

I bought two Drew's dosers and i have them hooked up to space saver 1g jugs controlled by my ACIII.

 

[bimmerzs]

@kuyatwo wrote:

Yep but is that just because he uses a reactor or more a function of the size of the reactor. You factor in the the volume and surface area of the media and the the fact that you still need to dissolve the media, it may not be possible to truely optimize the amount of C02 or create enough action to blow off enough to prevent ph driving downward. Also remember that he kept the equipment from his previous setup and "optimized" it to workk on his nano.

@kuyatwo wrote:

Not debating that but getting a litermeter or profilux ain't exactly cheaper, and if you do the full balling method that surpasses a reactor setup costwise pretty fast if you don't second source all the chem's.

@kuyatwo wrote:

We all know that the suggested ph range for reef tank's is 7.8-8.4 ish, most drive for a arbitrary number that they are happy with rather than if their critters are happy, growing and thriving. More folks have jacked their tank's up trying to force/maintain a ph of 8.3 than folks that run their tanks at a stable ph of 7.9 or 8.0. If everyboby is happy in my tank at 8.0 and water chemistry is balanced, doesn't sound like anythings broke to me.... but thats just my opinion, and everybody has one of those. :lol: I have not read anything or ran across anyone, that was not able to keep parameters stable using either method provied it was properly setup and implemented. Sure....dosing doesn't ph as does pumping c02 into the water but I gotta go back to the proper implementation point. In the end... stability is what we strive for, how you get there can be varied and boil's down pretty much to what works best for your circumstance. :wink:

Cheers,

 

[DaveJ]

Boys boys

I'm not normally one to spout RHF.. but here is a snipet on pH.

Again.. its not the number you should target, but the stability and balance between the 'holy trinity' as I like to refer to it as. Most pH ranges between 7.8 and 8.4 are just fine for our tanks SO LONG as the calcium, Mg and alkalinity are kept up to snuff too.

Folks with calcium reactors typically have lower pH so they bump the calcium and alkalinity (450+ and 10-12dkh) up to help off-set that. Folks who dose who typically have higher pH typically go for a lower Ca an Alk number (420-450 and 8-10dkh).

As far as the cost... there is virtually no difference between the methods for setup.If you want to automate, the cost is going to be the same regardless of which way you go equipment wise. There are cheaper dosers around but even those are not significantly less than a reactor setup.

In the end, the method one chooses should be based on preferred method, ease of use, reliability and the persons own ability to manage the equipment they purchase to keep things in check. Some find a reactor easier, others the dosing. The corals don't care... so long as the parms are stable and within ranges for the method used.