How do calcium reactors automatically keep up with coral growth?

You won't find an auto one at the hobbyist level. There are calcium monitors out there, but they aren't that reliable from the reviews and the probes require a bunch of maintenance to work even at that level. But that's the only way to continuously monitor calcium levels.

Now, there are always new products on the market.... but if you've heard it's existed past a year.... I don't believe it.

You fine tune your dose with measuring calcium levels manually and adjusting CO2. When your unit is fine-tuned, you leave it be.

I could be wrong.... but I haven't seen one yet.

 

They are not automatic, you may need to adjust the drip rate or bubble count as you add additional stony corals. Its all based on your test results which still need to be performed even with a reactor though maybe not as often with a stable system.

 

ok, i think i might get what your saying,

1) the water coming into the reator gets its ph lowered by the co2.
2) the water inside the reactor dissolves the media creating a solution that is at max capicity of ca/alk based on the ph inside the reactor which is controlled with a controller and your co2 flow

then the part i was missing:

3) the water leaving the reactor raises in pH, and loses some of the calicium through precipitation but still leaves at "max" capicity of Ca


so its kind of like the reactor "replenishes" the water????

 

so as the demand increases it will take more co2 to lower the ph inside the reactor to dissolve the media?? makes sense (i think)

 

Yes..... kind of... sort of....

But this isn't done automatically. You have to do the tests and adjust the reactor.

 

*head spinning* just tagging along here

 

Could be more CO2 but more likely it will be an increased drip rate or effluent rate. A reactor sits and recirculates the saturated water around inside the chamber over and over, you set the drip or feed rate based on your demand. Adding more CO2 may not be beneficial as it will turn the media to mush, you just need to feed more effluent so it raises the pH in the reactor chamber which makes the CO2 start bubbling again to make more effluent to replace what you are feeding, not a lower pH. Thats where your pH controller comes into play, you set it to come on at 6.xx pH and go off at a slightly lower 6.xx pH, the xx is dependent on the media you are using and the design of your unit. Some medias like lower or higher pH than others.

 

What's the part that's not being understood?

 

ok so bottom line its not automatic at all (as far as keeping up with demand)

so hypotheticly: we replace the reactor with a 2 part system. the drip rate would have to be adjusted just as the doser would be in a 2part set up

 

i think i am getting it now. i either misinterpeted what others have wrote, or they are just wrong. reactors dont keep up with demand

thanks