CACIUM REACTOR AND KALKWASSER REACTOR

[RICKY81]

I'm currently in the process of setting up my 210gal tank and working on the stuff that i need to run this tank and some of the issues that i have heard of but have absolutely no knowledge what so ever is on the CALCIUM AND KALKWASSER REACTOR.....

QUESTIONS??
Do i really need both, or can i just drip them?
What's the differrence from the Calcium and the Kalkwasser reactors?

[hobogato]

calcium reactor uses tank water, aragonite media and CO2 to increase alkalinity and calcium. it can however decrease the pH of the tank. kalk reactor uses RO/DI water and kalwasser (CaOH) to increase the calcium level of the tank. it can cause alkalinity issues by itself. the two compliment each other well - the kalk reactor reacts with the excess CO2 in the water from the Calc reactor effluent to keep the tank pH stable. you will also have to work on keeping your magnesium levels up to keep the solubility of the calcium and alkalinity (buffering capacity of the water) high.

you can use something like B-ionic (or other brands) to keep these levels where they should be either by manually adding them or using an automatic doser. there are also recipes for home made two part and three part chemicals to dose to maintain calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium levels.

i know you wanted a simple anser, there just isnt one that i know of....

[RICKY81]

OK ok..think im getting this. so bottom line, i need a calcium reactor and i can just drip the kalkwasser with a homemade dripper..... and the other question is i can do either/or route whether its with calcium reactor or the two part B-ionic chemicals or do i need to do both of these together Calcium reactor + two part B-ionic dosing?

[hobogato]

many people run a calcium reactor and drip kw. some run only kw and add buffer when needed. some people have such a high rate of use of calc in their tanks that they have both reactors and still have to dose calc additive and buffer (or b-ionic two part)

dont forget about magnesium tho :)

[RICKY81]

thanks Ace this is pretty good explanation, i guess i will be looking into a Calcium reactor system if am going to be going with SPS, and nope i'm keeping Magnessium in mind.

[wesheltonj]

You have a third choice. Its the Balling method, it uses a 3 part system thats pumped into the tank/sump at a controlled rate. It requires a 10% water change weekly. Fauna Marin is the leader in this method and DT has a similar 3 part.

But generally its best to have both a CR & KR if you are going to have one or the other

[R.Allard]

whoooo!!! first of all if your just setting up your tank you dont need anything.
my suggestion is to set up your tank itll be 3-4 months min before your putting corals in it and do your home work. it all depends on what you have in your tank. if you have a 210 full of sps corals and a really heavy load than fine invest in a reactor. but itll be awhile
before you need it. remember nothing good happens fast in an aquarium set up.
and this is just MO but if this is your first big tank you should be picking the brains of people who have them.
i dont mean to sound harsh or discouraging. but i have seen allot of people over the last 20 yrs or so get fed up and leave the hobby because they tried to force a tank together.
if you want information ask 5 or 10 ppl and see what they have to say. most of the time
you ll find one answer that sticks out. thats not to say its the one your gonna want to hear.funny how life is like that...:)
Robert

[Bill S]

Robert, that's really a great point. So, I'll reiterate it:

1) SPS generally doesn't do well in freshly set up tanks - give it a couple of months, then start slowly...

2) Calcium demands are low until SPS really gets going. In a heavily loaded large tank - like mine WAS - a Ca reactor and Kalk reactor are really the only way to go. BUT, you many be as much as a year before you will need it.

[hobogato]

sorry ricky, i should have also pointed out what robert said. i was just trying to let you know what the two reactors do, but didnt think to tell you that it would be at least 6 months before you would need them on a new tank (since that is about the minimum time most people agree on for a tank to age before adding hard corals).

[princer7]

You can use ZeoMag in the calcium reactor (10% of the volume) to help keep your Magnesium levels up too.

[gjuarez]

Hey ricky, first question.. What type of of inhabitants do you plan on keeping? You might not need either based on what you are trying to accomplish?

[JeffCo]

Pretty sure he keeps SPS. So, in the long run a cal reactor and kalk reactor would be ideal. But you don't need these right away. I would at least get something setup like an auto top off connected to a kalk reactor.

Using an A+B additive get's to be a pain in a big tank.

[RICKY81]

Hey ricky, first question.. What type of of inhabitants do you plan on keeping? You might not need either based on what you are trying to accomplish?

assuming that your asking about coral wise... i currently have a few sps, palys,zoas and some softies in my current 75gal setup but i do plan on going with plenty of SPS and mix reef with the 210gal setup....i guess starting off by driping in the kalkwasser isn't such a bad idea.