calcium reactor or kalk reactor..

As many experienced reefers you ask this question to, you'll get just as many different answers. There is no "answer" to this question, only opinions. Any of the three big methods (cal reactor, dosing pump, kalk reactor/top off) can work, and there's pros/cons to each.

I love my BM doser, but I use the three pumps to do Cal, Alk, and Mg daily. True, you can use the expansion unit to do more things with it, but what you need to know is that you can only program the pumps on a 24 hour basis; it does not keep track of days. Meaning you will not be able to set it to anything less than 1ml/day.

Also, almost all of those who go the dosing route do not buy pre-mixed products; they mix their own with BRS being the most popular source for raw chemicals.

 

What is the real difference between a kalk and a calcium besides cost they both do the samething dont they?

 

I don't find much variation at all as far as evaporation goes. Maybe a few percent variation daily within a given month. Not enough to worry about.

I like kalk for the simplicity. The more complex something is, the more chance of failure IME.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Im not looking for answers ive done my research im just wondering what the best eoute really is, i like to mess with my tank but not everyday i have a phosban reactor coming along with a jbj auto top off but im liking the idea of javing the tank somewhat maintain itself so a dosing pump is sort of out, i am at work once i get home ill heavily research all options again but im looking for differences between the kalk reactors and calcium reactors do they both do the samething just in different ways?

 

I agree with this 100%. It's very easy to make a simple Kalk reactor too... a piece of 6" PVC with an overflow, a plumbed-in circ pump and associated hardware will do it. If you want to get really fancy you can use clear PVC so you can see how much powder is left at the bottom of the reactor (which is what I'll be doing on mine). It's a lot more expensive though.

 

Ill be following your thread when you start making yours i may make one i like the whole diy idea

 

I have done 0 math to dial in my dosing pumps. All I did was start with the suggested amount and take a reading. The next week I took a new reading and turned them up or down accordingly... At week 3 I did it again making smaller adjustments... This all took me exactly 5 seconds longer than just taking the test that I am going to take no matter what so I have a record.

I actually have an entire calcium reactor set up sitting in my closet because of how damn easy it ended up being to dial in my dosing pumps.. I don't want to mess it up lol.

Once set up calcium reactors can easily go 9+ months or more without ever being adjusted. But adjusting an auto dosing system based on changes from the last week just takes basic observation and the push of a couple buttons. And no matter what method you use, you should still test your parameters on a regular basis to catch any equipment failures prior to a bleaching event.


I use my apex to conrol basic BRS dosing pumps. Simple, easy and effective. Eventually I'll get my calcium reactor set up as I do believe it's cheaper and over the long term, once I learn how to use it, will be easier to maintain. (only reason I bought the calcium reactor was I went to buy a big clam and the guy offered the whole set up to me for $200 bucks...)

But right now.. My dosing pumps took me 0 prior knowledge to install and start using in about a half hour... most of which was spent figuring out where to mount them .

 

I didn't read through your entire thread so I'm sure some of this might have been mentioned already. Your answer would have a lot to do with your preference, I've done kalk, 2-part, CA reactor, dosing pumps over the years. Here are a few things to consider when trying to make the decision:

Kalk reactor:
This will keep your pH up and your alk and CA in check but you have to make sure you test regularly until you figure out the amounts or you could cause some problems in your system. I dripped kalk and used a kalk reactor, what I hated about both was the regular mix or refill process. I went through ~8 gallons a week and even though I use to wear a resparator, I still always ended up with a slight nose bleed...so I switched back to 2-part. you have to be careful and do this is a well ventelated area.

2-part dosing:
This is a great option to keeping your parms stable but in the long run could be expensive depending on the size of your tank and the 2-part you choose. It still require regular manual dosing or if you're using dosing pumps, you still have to refill on a regular basis. Not a big problem if you have the time, but could be an inconvenience if you travel alot.

CA Reactor:
Expensive up front cost, but you will recop this cost in the long run in you're in the hobby for the long haul. Most that run a CA reactor complain about a common problem, low pH. I currently have that problem, switching from Kalk and 2-part where my pH use to be ~8.3 to now 7.8-8.1. My tank being in the basement makes this worse, however as long as my corals are happy, I don't pay any attention to it...I haven't tested my parms in close to a year.
The up side to having a CA reactor is "set it and forget it", I have a 15 lb CO2 tank so I only have to refill the media once a year and my C02 runs more than a year. It could take a week or 2 to get it dialed in initially, but it's definitely worth it. If you get a reactor, get a good one like a GEO or a Korallin or you'll constantly be fighting this battle.

Just a few things that came to mind, hope this helps.

 

Thats exactly what i was looking for thank you very much im thinking the reactor would be the best bet for me, i like the set it and let it be, i dont like messing with things i get to the point where i have to add something and then boom it goes south ive got a guy another forum that sells wholesale i believe its a reef octopus is what im looking at for 500$ for everything, probe, media, co2 (filled) and of course the reactor is that a pretty good deal? He will even set it up for me as he has done a bunch of them before...

 

If your going to do major sps reacter all the way