Calcium reactor vs. lime water topoff
- Thread starter ninjamini
- Start date
fender
Active Member
Cliffs note version:
Limewater is adding lime to water, mixing it and slowly dripping the Calcium hydroxied into your tank. Maintains Calcium and Carbonate (Alk) and keeps the pH on the high side. Relatively cheap and easy to do. Water + pickling lime (or Kalk mix if you like to spend the $$$) + container and drip line = ~$10 dollars. You can also use a Kalk reactor which mixed the lime and water and delivers it to the tank, more along the lines of $100+.
Calcium reactor mixes water with CO2 (from a compressed CO2 tank) using a controller (usually) to reduce the waters pH (forming carbonic acid). This acid is pumped through media (Calcium Carbonate, much like crushed coral) and as it flows through it dissolves the media releasing Calcium and Carbonate and strontium, magnesium, trace elements. This solution is then delivered to the tank. Cost = $200 - 1000.
You get more than Calcium and Carbonate (alk) with this setup but you also get lower pH.
Limewater is adding lime to water, mixing it and slowly dripping the Calcium hydroxied into your tank. Maintains Calcium and Carbonate (Alk) and keeps the pH on the high side. Relatively cheap and easy to do. Water + pickling lime (or Kalk mix if you like to spend the $$$) + container and drip line = ~$10 dollars. You can also use a Kalk reactor which mixed the lime and water and delivers it to the tank, more along the lines of $100+.
Calcium reactor mixes water with CO2 (from a compressed CO2 tank) using a controller (usually) to reduce the waters pH (forming carbonic acid). This acid is pumped through media (Calcium Carbonate, much like crushed coral) and as it flows through it dissolves the media releasing Calcium and Carbonate and strontium, magnesium, trace elements. This solution is then delivered to the tank. Cost = $200 - 1000.
You get more than Calcium and Carbonate (alk) with this setup but you also get lower pH.