Calcium Reactors?? Worth the money?

[smarls]

OK, just wondering if they are worth the money and/or the trouble? Noticeable difference in the quality of the tank?
I currently dose with b-ionic, and was wondering if I would see a huge difference if I added a calcium reactor?
thanks for any thoughts,
Stewart

 

[richard rendos]

Exactly...depends on the size of the tank, and the calcium demand. If you have a small tank, or a tank with mostly soft corals it probably is not worth it. If you have a big tank full of SPS and clams...it will be one of the best purchases you will make.

 

[smarls]

The tank is a 55, and I have three small SPS.
Sounds to me that the consensus is that dosing is probably fine for a tank this size.
Thanks for all the feedback.

 

[bang guy]

Richard - I know you're an SPS kind-o-guy so this may seem unlikely to you but it's easily repeatable in my experience. I've found that some softies like Button Polyps and Leather Corals have even more Calcium and Carbonate demand than most SPS (definately not all). I don't believe they contain more CaCO3 than SPS on a unit basis but the softies mentioned, and others, do have a consiterable CaCO3 structure in their sclerites and they grow so incredibly fast.
I only bring this up because many hobbiests seem to be under the false impression that softies don't use Calcium.
CaCO3 reactors are worth their weight in gold if your tank has a high demand or you want to spend most of your time observing your tank instead of adding stuff to the water
Guy

 

[mlm]

After adding mine I found that the sps growth rate went throught the roof due to the always available calcium.