Calcium reactors

[yote]

I'm thinking that I my adding a calcium reactor in the near future.The problem is,I dont know anything about them,except for what I've read on retail sites.
I know I'd need a controller,PH probe,and CO2 bottle.Other than that,I'm lost.
Any advice and tips would be appreciated.

[McCrary]

GEO makes a really good calcium reactor, I use their 624 (holds 16lbs of media), you might look into their 612 or 618. The best regulator I've found is from aquariumplants.com, its pretty sweet and its solenoid is top of the line. If you want to control the reactor, which is what I do, you might as well just buy a tank controller because its not a whole lot more expensive and you can do a lot of stuff. But all this stuff ads up quickly, which is why most people choose to dose rather than get a calcium reactor.

[yote]

Thats one the reasons I'd rather set up a reactor.To my way of thinking,it would keep the calcium and alkalinity more stable.Plus I dont like to dose every other day.Which is what I'm having to do now to keep calcium above 350.

[McCrary]

It does keep the calcium/alkalinity very stable when it is setup correctly, but it is a large investment, if your willing to spend the money up front it is a great investment.

[McCrary]

Here are the components that I use:

GEO 624 calcium reactor (this reactor is made from top quality acrylic and has some cool features, like a place for the pH probe on top, a drain valve and a very good pump, mine came with a Pan-am, but the smaller ones come with Eheims. I use a large grain media because it is a true reverse flow reactor ( I say "true" because many reactors just push the water through a tube in the middle that lets it flow to the top, GEO has an external tube that pushes the water through the bottom). It also has a very high flow, which basically circulates the water a number of times before it is released as effulent.

http://www.aquariumplants.com/AQUARI...ST_p/co2-1.htm
This regulator is top of the line, I've had a couple of the major brands and had problems with them, but this one is built beautifully and most importantly, it works.

AquaController Jr. - This bad boy controls everything on my tank, including the calcium reactor and is probably the best piece of equipment I have (in terms of usefulness). If you are going to control a calcium reactor you might as well buy a controller for the whole tank and hook it up to your reactor.

Pinpoint pH monitor- As my levels of effluent increase with my SPS growth the CO2 in the tank can begin to depress the pH, this simple electronic monitor makes sure that I can easily check my pH levels throughout the day and night to make sure my tank is not dipping too low.

CO2 bottle- Any aluminum bottle will do, as long as its 5lbs or more. I use a 5lb bottle and it doesn't have to be refilled too often, some people prefer a 10lb bottle, but unless you have a 300 gallon SPS tank with high calcium demands it probably isn't going to be necessary.

These products will allow you to use a calcium reactor easily and help you succeed. There are a couple tricks if you don't want to spend the money on all this, just tell me what you don't want to get right away and I will tell you what you can do.

[yote]

Thanks McCrary.Thats the info I was looking for.

[RyanG]

Geo makes a great product. Octopus also make a great product that is significantly less money and more user friendly. Was actually looking at both models yesturday. I like the octupus' PH probe setup better than the geo

[McCrary]

Yea, there are definitely other calcium reactors that you can use, I was just showing you the stuff I had. Many of the calcium reactors that are on the market will work just fine, but may not have the tiny details that higher end calcium reactors have. This isn't a big deal for 90% of reefers, but for 10% its necessary. So if you can give a better look at what you want to keep and what you are going to be using it for it will be easier to help you get the one with the best price and quality for your application.

[yote]

Well,As of right now.I have 10 colonies of acros,and millies.The smallest is a couple of 3 to 4 inch pocillopora damicornis,a 6 inch colony of acropora austera.An 8 inch green millepora.And then 7 more different acros that range from 3 to 8 inch colonies.Along with a softball sized hammer,and a golf ball sized torch and a trachyphyllia.
This is in my 75,with 30gal sump/fuge.
I am planning on a bigger tank(if work holds up)some time next spring or summer.Which will be an all SPS system with only 1 or 2 small fish in it.Shooting for at least a 125.

[McCrary]

Wow, your dosing must be insane. Yea, get the GEO 624, if your that into SPS and have that many colonies. Octopus makes some good stuff, but they just aren't on the same level as GEO. You will know what I mean if you get a chance to see them in person. Oh and don't wait too long, acrylic prices are on the rise due to the increase in the cost of petroleum products (acrylic is made from petroleum). Hey, throw up a couple pics so I can drool over your colonies, my tank is still growing so I love seeing tanks that are more grown out.