Calcium Reactors!

[aidos]

I am personally looking 4 a new Calcium Reactor, and have come across the Korallin Calcium Reactor 1501 that is rated at up to 400G. i have a 75 gallon reef that has some LPS, SPS, sofites and 2 clams. Now i work 2 jobs and uni, so it allways hard 4 me to keep on top of my pH, Alk and Cal so i wanted to know if this reactor that will be what im after? i have heard these reactors can be troublesome when first calibrating to your tanks needs but once setup they are excellent. But are there better reactors out there in the same price range?
We are also trying to get some at my work (LFS) but as we are in Australia it can be difficult to get what u want in this trade. Do u think this will be a good product for our customers and worth pushing the suppliers to get them over here??
I have a limited understanding on calcium reactor, i understand the way they work but have not been exposed to the range of models out there, so any help from u fellow reefers will be greatly appreciated?
Cheers Aidos :happyfish

 

[reefnut]

I have no experience with the Korallin reactor but they seem to be an ok unit. How much are they wanting?? Is it a single or dual chamber?? Does it come with the CO2 equipment??

 

[aidos]

I have no experience with the Korallin reactor but they seem to be an ok unit. How much are they wanting?? Is it a single or dual chamber?? Does it come with the CO2 equipment??
its a single chamber system and it comes with eheim pump and a choice of either a 1kg or 2kg CO2 bottle and the regulator. They are around $600 all up in the USA but here in Aus i would think that they will be around the $1000-$1200 mark, but i will get it at cost price

,so im not worried about the price really i just wanna make sure i get the best possible piece of equipment.
i also want it to be able to run my future tank, which i hope to be around the 300G mark!
Cheers :happyfish

 

[reefnut]

A dual chamber would be better but sounds like a ok deal. Does the regulator come with a solenoid valve?? If not, you want one IMO. Hopefully someone with personal experience with them will chime in!!
On top of the equipment listed I'd also get another pump (powerhead) to feed the reactor and a PH controller.

 

[aidos]

yeah it would be excellent to hear from anyone that has had experience with this model!
As far as i know it does have a solinoid valve but i will double cheak
The eheim pump does feed the reactor and from what i have read it is not necessary to have a pH controller as the design does not allow CO2 back in to the tank in amounts that will lower the pH. although i will buy one if it is needed, or later down the track.
cheers :happyfish

 

[reefnut]

I just found this so you are right...
Self-suction water intake by the silent Eheim pump eliminates the use of a dedicated powerhead, gravity-fed or tee-off methods. It also serves for water recirculation.
A PH controller is important IMO because you can monitor and control the effluent's PH. Meaning if the effluent's PH drops to low it will turn the CO2 off until the PH has gone up. I understand they claim no CO2 enters the tank but the reactor's output (effluent) will have a LOW PH. Most people run around 6.6-6.8 PH or even as high as 7.2 depending on the media you are using.
Another way people use the controller is to monitor the tank's PH. Say if the tank's PH drops below 8.0 then it would turn off the CO2. I like to monitor the efflent my self.

 

[aidos]

yeah i will definetly look at getting a pH controller, that way i'm alot safer and hopefully no pH drops, meaning healthy tank. think i will just run it on tank pH though, but the effluent method is interesting!
Thanks 4 all ya help reefnut, been excellent! i know that it is a piece of equipment that will benifit the inhabitants of my system and also save me so time so that i can enjoy my tank!
just a question of wat model to buy now, wish i lived in the States, range of models is so limited here and is usually 1-2 years behind

hopefully we will get this Korallin 1501 ova here soon
cheers reefnut :happyfish

 

[aidos]

Bump

 

[aidos]

Bump

 

[golfish]

I helped a buddy setup a Korallin reactor a few years ago..I wasn't too impressed. I can't believe how much these things cost :scared: I wonder if Andy at MyReefcreations will ship to you? If so you might want to take a look at his CR-2 reactor, maybe upgrade the pump to an Ehiem..That's the good thing about the Koralline's, they use Ehiem pumps.