Should i use a calcium reactor

I've put together a list of the Top 4 signs you should be on the lookout for to let you know it's time for a calcium reactor.

When the amount you spend on two-part supplements is higher than your electric bill , it might be time to get a calcium reactor. I'm exaggerating to make a point, but if you're adding gallons of two-part to your reef tank to maintain calcium and alkalinity levels each month, my example may no longer seem off base once you start doing the math. If you have a small tank, like a nano reef, you may never find yourself in this position: a couple of bottles of two-part and a disciplined maintenance routine and you'll be straight for months.

For larger reef aquariums, you may end up dumping quite a bit of two-part solution into your tank. As days, weeks, months and years pass, the time and cost of dosing can really add up!

While the initial monetary investment in a calcium reactor is pretty hefty as far as aquarium equipment goes , the long-term costs are minimal comparatively speaking. Sign into your Marine Depot account to check how much you're spending annually on two-part supplements to determine if a calcium reactor may make more fiscal sense.

When you find that your tank is so demanding you actually forget to dose any one of the many additives you are using, it's probably a good time to start shopping for a calcium reactor. Back in my two-part dosing days, I would occasionally forget to add vital chemicals to my tank due to work or play. This is a serious no-no! As we all know, keeping water parameters stable is extremely important to the health and vitality of reef tanks. Corals can show signs of improper care rather quickly; neglecting your dosing regimen for even a few days may cause issues.

Once you've dialed in the settings of a calcium reactor , there is very little left to do. A quick check each day to ensure the CO2 bubbles are bubbling properly and that effluent water is dripping at the appropriate rate is about all you'll need to remember.

If your water parameters are constantly fluctuating, I would suggest looking into a calcium a reactor. I mentioned it earlier, but it bears repeating: stability is one of the major keys to having a healthy tank. Sure, dosing two-part solutions and kalkwasser are effective ways to maintain calcium levels. But they can also cause levels to rise quickly when first dosed and drop gradually over the next 24 hours while consumed by the livestock in your tank.

The cycle continues each time you dose: levels quickly rise and then fall. A calcium reactor provides a steady supply of calcium and other elements into your water to provide a more stable, ocean-like environment There's no reason you can't set up and run a calcium reactor from the start of a new tank.

As the calcium demands of your new tank increase from new coral frags and colonies, you can adjust the settings of your calcium reactor and dial them in to match the increased uptake by your livestock. Set the reactor up to make a stable concentration then set the right dose. Effectively the same mentality as two part solutions but you have a reactor that produces one part calcium and alkalinity solution, on demand. STEP ONE - Creating a consistently stable concentration is the ticket because so long as you know the solution always has the same amount of calcium and alkalinity, dosing the right amount is just a matter of a little more or a little less effluent solution.

The easiest way to get a stable concentration of calcium and alkalinity from your reactor is use a pH controller to automatically control the amount of CO2 going into your calcium reactor. The pH controller will ensure the exact amount of CO2 is being fed into the reactor at all times to maintain the set pH. For example, by pegging the pH inside your reactor at 6.

That concentration scales up and down with pH changes. We recommend pegging pH safely at 6. Once you have that stable concentration, you have an on-demand calcium and alkalinity producing machine. STEP TWO - All that is left is figuring out how much to dose and adjust the rate at which this concentrated solution exits your reactor which is super easy.

If the levels are increasing, simply decrease that dosage amount to 15mL per minute. This method is so precise there are even calculators to help you figure out exactly what the effluent flow rate and concentration should be. To measure and set the dosage rate, the easiest option is to use a continuous duty dosing pump like the Kamoer FX-STP that has a dial to adjust the flow rate through your reactor. The digital display shows you the precise water flow conveniently measured in mL per minute.

Some higher end reactors, like the Vertex RX-C 6D Calcium Reactor , include a flow meter and needle valve for adjusting the effluent dose rate. You can also use a needle valve then collect and measure how much solution you get in one minute with a graduated cylinder or similar measuring device. Everything we do here at BRS is to help you be successful with your reef aquarium, ultimately your success is our success. If you are exploring the idea of a calcium reactor, check out this reactor playlist we put together and start with our easy calcium reactor setup video that specifically goes into detail about how to set up a calcium reactor.

Be the first to know about the sales, specials, new products, the latest BRSTV episodes and win free prizes! The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. Close Call Email. Shop By Categories. Author: Robert Farnsworth. Why reefers use calcium reactors We started our mission to explain calcium reactors to the masses with an entire video about the advantages of a calcium reactor over traditional methods of supplementation such as two part calcium and alkalinity supplements.

Recycle old coral to grow new coral. When to replace the media? Calcium reactor media needs replacement WAY before the reactor is empty.

As a calcium reactor begins to dissolve the media inside of it, at first the level will drop from the top but eventually, a lot of dissolution will occur inside of the mass of media without dropping.

You need to manage the low pH effluent. A calcium reactor will drop your aquarium pH. The very nature of dissolving limestone and aragonite using carbon dioxide means that the effluent water going into your tank has a very low pH.

Therefore you really want a dedicated way to treat the low pH and CO2 of the effluent, so one best practice is to have a secondary chamber of finer media to absorb some of the CO2. Another thing you can do is to direct the effluent into the skimmer intake, or better yet a combination of a secondary media chamber than then flows into the protein skimmer for degassing of the acidifying gas.

Use a dosing pump to feed the calcium reactor. Likewise, make sure to use some kind of prefilter before a dosing pump used to supply the feed water in order to avoid any problems at the beginning of the chain.

Inspect your calcium reactor to ensure it is functioning properly. A calcium reactor is cruise control for your reef tank alkalinity, and some of your calcium too, but regular observation will help keep things working as expected.