Calcium Reactor Info

[MurseBS]

Me being still new I am trying to figure out what the deal is with calcium reactors. Do they go along with the skimmer? if so where in the loop. Or do they act alone. Thanks for the info guys.

 

[AZDesertRat]

No, they are a stand alone device. It is basically a reactor chamber you fill up with aragonite media then circulate water through it with CO2 gas bubbled in to lower the pH. The lowered pH puts some of the calcium in the media back into solution raising the calcium in the tank.

George has good instructions on how they work at the bottom of the page here:
CR612

 

[MurseBS]

So instead of a skimmer you would use these?

 

[MurseBS]

In your opinion whats the best for under the tank hardware.

 

[AZDesertRat]

They serve two very different purposes. A skimmer removes organics and nutrients from a system to help keep nitrates and water quality in check. A calcium reactor helps boost calcium levels in a system that is heavily stocked with stony corals that require calcium for growth.

Under my 100G display I have a 30G sump which houses a ASM G2 protein skimmer, a refugium filled with macroalgaes like chaetomorpha and lit opposite the display, a Phosban reactor, another reactor filled with activated carbon, my titanium heater, a calcium reactor and my return pump.

Bare minimum would be the heater, a bag of activated carbon, a protein skimmer and the return pump in my opinion. A calcium reactor is not needed unless you are heavily stocked with SPS and/or LPS corals and regular testing with a good test kit shows you have calcium and alkalinity demands. Calcium can also be supplied by regular water changes with a good salt mix, a kalk reactor or a two or three part mix dosed either by hand or with a dosing pump.

 

[MurseBS]

awesome thank you

 

[SD Actuary]

A calcium reactor helps boost calcium levels in a system that is heavily stocked with stony corals that require calcium for growth.

Phosban reactor, another reactor filled with activated carbon

In a tank heavily stocked with LPS and Zoanthids, would a calcium reactor be ideal? Also, would you see a noticeable difference between using a Phosban reactor or simply floating a media bag filled with activated carbon in your sump under high flow?

 

[CJO]

You won't have as much of a need with LPS and zoanthids (although the LPS do use calcium in smaller quantities and coralline algae can eat up calcium and magnesium). The reactor would likely do a better job, but I did fine with a bag for quite a while.

CJ

 

[patent]

So instead of a skimmer you would use these?

You definitely want a skimmer before you want a carx. By the time you have enough corals to need a CaRx you would have long since seen the benefits of the skimmer, and you can supplement Ca and Alk with two part solution or something like that if you don't have the budget for both.

 

[tomle]

welcome!