Calcium Reactor or not?

[chris l]

I have been thinking about getting a calcium reactor. I have been having some trouble getting my calcium where it should be and staying there. I drip kalk 24/7 but that doesn't seem to help. I have been adding a calcium supplement everyday with little results. Do you think I need one? It's a 44g with two clams around 8 sps frags and 1 colony along with hammer, bubble and some softies. Thanks for any ideas!!

 

[richard rendos]

a calcium reactor is a great investment...but I would try a different test kit to make sure you are getting an acurate reading. Also, what is your alkalinity and pH? All these things tie together directly. If your alkalinity is really high, your calcium will read low. You may need to adjust alkalinity to get the calcium in balance.

 

[chris l]

alk is 4 meg/l and the ph is pretty constant 8.19-8.24. How long does the media last in the reactor?

 

[chris l]

golfish.........what is the benefit of the dual stage over the single stage except being good up to 500 gallons. I only have a 44g tank.

 

[richard rendos]

alk sounds good...media for me lasts about 3-4 months. The advantage of the dual reactor is this:
In a single chamber reactor, there is excess CO2 that escapes the chamber and back into your aquarium. The second reaction chamber uses that excess CO2 to dissolve more media. Excess CO2 realeased back into your tank can cause algae problems.

 

[chris l]

Richard.......what do you think the entire setup would cost me to get up and running. I think the myreef reactor is ($215). Thanks.

 

[richard rendos]

that sounds about right - $400 - $500 total for everything.