Can I hook up a CA Reactor to my 29gl?

[SLAYCHILD]

I was wondering if I could hook up a Ca Reactor to my 29, or will it be a waist of money?

[bigdscobra]

Waist of money... Do regular waterchanges and you will be fine. My cal stays at 460 with just water changes.

[SLAYCHILD]

Would this be everything Ill need?

http://img469.imageshack.us/img469/4168/es335025sx.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/9276/tz11111bu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/4717/co11139zi.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img469.imageshack.us/img469/2851/cs05254kl.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[hobogato]

Waist of money... Do regular waterchanges and you will be fine. My cal stays at 460 with just water changes.

i agree. this is more for maintaining alkalinity than increasing calc. anyway. if you want to increase calc, drip kalk as topoff.

[SLAYCHILD]

Ok thanks guys. Well do any of you think I should up grade or add anything to my tank to help it out. Like a bigger skimmer. Get rid of the wet/dry and add a sump? And so on? Let me know.

[thedude]

I'd definitely upgrade the sump and skimmer before adding a calcium reactor. And for reference, I'm getting a calcium reactor for my 30 cube because daily I drip kalk and still have to add an ungodly amount of bionic to keep everything stable.

[hobogato]

I'd definitely upgrade the sump and skimmer before adding a calcium reactor. And for reference, I'm getting a calcium reactor for my 30 cube because daily I drip kalk and still have to add an ungodly amount of bionic to keep everything stable.

you have a much higher demand for calcium than the normal 30 gal tank owner eh? :D

[thedude]

Ok I'll give you a little information about my system since yes, I use a little bit more calcium that normal 8)

It's a 30 gallon Oceanic cube, drilled for a calfo overflow. I have no sand and used black starboard for the bottom. It has approximately 20 pounds of live rock in it, one small dottyback, and almost entirely SPS corals. I do weekly water changes of ~7 gallons of RO/DI water with seachem's new reef salt. Flow is provided by the mag 9.5 return, run through a 1/10th hp chiller, and two Tunze 7400's in tank. The whole tank is skimmed by a Euroreef CS6-1.

So, are you going to need a calcium reactor on a normal tank this small? The answer is almost always no, unless you're planning on keeping very high calcium demanding corals like SPS.

[hobogato]

like to see some pics of your tank - sounds sweet!

[SLAYCHILD]

Hell ya I would love to see that one also!! Someone to look up to and set some goals, LOL

[SLAYCHILD]

What is a calfo overflow?

[thedude]

I'll have to get someone over here with a decent digital camera to get some pictures of my tank and post them for ya'll. Everything right now is small so it's got a lot of growing to do, but this is my favorite setup I've had.

A calfo overflow utilizes surface area unlike a conventional overflow. It spans the entire length of the tank, extending only a few inches into the water, to allow all of the surface water to be turned over. Proteins in saltwater rise to the top of the water, and this method facilitates nutrient export. Anthony Calfo is a strong proponent of them and has pictures in his book of coral propogation, a book I would recommend to everyone.

John

[matt]

A calcium reactor might very well not be a waste of money; it's amazing to me that someone would just say that without knowing anything about your system. If you're keeping corals and other photosynthetic animals under bright light, you need to constantly replenish calcium and carbonate somehow, and water changes are not the answer. If you're doing nothing now, you might start by dripping KW and see if that can keep up with your demand. Usually the calcium level will be okay but the carbonate level will drop in a medium stocked reef; so you can then add baking soda as a source of carbonate. If that's not enough, or if both calcium and carbonate are dropping, supplement with B-ionic or some 2 part supplement. A calcium reactor has the ability to keep all levels replenished in the highest demand tanks. The only thing is, they're usually designed for larger tanks, but you can use one on a smaller tank no problem; in fact, it's better to have a way oversized reactor than a small one. You can slow down the effluent drip, which increases contact tiem in the reactor and should allow you to get a higher dkh effluent at a given ph.

Before you run out and buy one, though, you need to have a good idea of what your current demand is and how you might otherwise supplement. Comparing this purchase to a skimmer and/or sump kind of makes me think you're not real clear right now on whether or not you need one.

Anyhow, you asked kind of an open question "what can I do to improve my tank?" I used to have a 29 gallon, and the best thing I ever did for the animals in it was to replace the tank with a 45 breeder; it's a much better shape for a reef and only 6" longer so it doesn't take up much more room. Other than that, if you post what kind of animals you have and what you'd like to keep, I could probably offer better suggestions.

[bigdscobra]

LOL thats funny^ Water changes are everything!!!! especailly on little tanks you dont want to add adatives!!!! I have a fully stocked 29g way more than most people have in a 55g and dont dose anything and have great coloration and amazing growth. Salt mixes have more trace elements, cal and everything else than you need.

The best thing you can upgrade is sump, close-loop, a fuge, and skimmer. If you can increase the amout of water you have by adding a larger sump/fuge than that would be your best bet.

[thedude]

I'll agree to a apoint especially regarding trace elements. With regular water changes, you should never have to dose trace elements. But calcium is an entirely different story. Most small reef tanks that are loaded with coral do require a calcium supplement of some kind. With a reactor in place, this becomes automatic and the system as a whole becomes more stable. Calcium in heavily stocked small tanks is used up much more quickly than regular water changes can handle.


John