Calcium Reactor or Kalk Stirrer

nater · Jun 29, 2013

i am setting up my 200 gallon sps dominated system and i am planning on using my calcium reactor on as i did on my prior 220 system. i had great success with it and i do love the ease of use and the somewhat stable operation. so this leads me to my question which concerns a new kalk stirrer system that is coming to the market. it is called the kalk king.rated up to 500 gallons. it is supposed to be very reliable and has many built in safety features which i like. Now , what do you think is a better way to give your coral the calcium and alk they need to grow skeletal structure? does kalk give the ample amounts of both calc and alk , or do you always need to add some of one or the other. I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to kalkwasser. which do you preffer? and any input would be appreciated.

Daimyo68 · Jun 30, 2013

- The Kalk Reactor, no matter how big, will not keep up with the demand down the road if your going sps dominated again. You will eventually end up having to dose Cal and Alk with other means.
- If there is not enough demand, Alk can spike

If your Cal reactor has been faithful to you, set it up again and continue to run it. It's more "hands off" also once you have it setup, vs having to replace Kalk powder due to a small container/chamber.

Aquaph8 · Jun 30, 2013

I started my tank with kalk and eventually had to add other means to support my cal/alk but I still love running my kalk reactor for the boost it gives my PH which can be beneficial for someone using a calcium reactor that will cause your PH to drop some.

nater · Jun 30, 2013

thanks alot for your input. i was pretty much assuming the same thing once i did some more research. i feel that down the line a kalk reactor can be a good additive to the calcium reactor. this new kalk stirrer coming out is supposed to be pretty good from what i can see and very much so, set and forget. all that would be needed is to fill and empty. i like the fact that kalk can help smooth out your ph if done right. which can only lead to good things.

Daimyo68 · Jun 30, 2013

The Kalk King looks promising, and the price is right for everything you get. I would rather see an actual "stirring" motor rather than the typical "mixing pump".

Let us know if you pick it up, I'd love to hear how it works out for ya.

nater · Jul 1, 2013

Daimyo68 said:
The Kalk King looks promising, and the price is right for everything you get. I would rather see an actual "stirring" motor rather than the typical "mixing pump".

Let us know if you pick it up, I'd love to hear how it works out for ya.

will do , i have a pre order in for one. i am going to set that up on my 34 gallon as a frag tank for new sps to check for pests, and possibly a clown fish/anemone tank.