Calcium Reactor Recommendations

dangros · Jul 3, 2017

I did some research 2 years ago and the result was a GEO's Reef 612. The customer service was top notch and from what I'm seeing after 2 years of product use, great quality.
I have limited horizontal room in my sump so I asked if there was a way to manage with less space. He custom built the reactor so that it fits perfectly. I don't think you can go wrong here and from what I've seen, there have been no complaints on any of the products.

hybridazn · Jul 3, 2017

greg 45 said:
So you would rather have a corvette looking pretty with a lawnmower motor in it.
I would rather have a crappy looking car that ran a 5 second quarter mile.
Pretty looking and not working properly , leaking , poor build quality don't cut it in my book .
Most units weigh nothing compared to his products , also no cheep uniseal's to leak / what a cheep way out
This is just my opinion

No, I'd rather function and fashion. For what he charges, they should have both as well.

diablomaster9045 · Jul 3, 2017

Dan Man said:
My current tank is a 90 gallon however I will eventually get a bigger one I'm sure. The reviews on various calcium reactors can be all over the place from "solid build quality" to "very cheaply made" so I am having a hard time sorting through all of that stuff. The other issue is that here in Denver no one has all of them lined up where you can look at them and compare and contrast.

Get a life reef since you're in denver. The guy who makes them is just up in longmont. Awesome reactors. My LCR-1 has been running for 8 years now.

Thales · Jul 3, 2017

gcarroll said:
You talk as though this is a big problem in the calcium reactor market. Bill hasn't even made enough of those reactors, for there to even be an adequate sample to evaluate. Has he even made 100 of these? How many has Geo made? I certainly have not heard those type of complaints coming from them.

I am not saying that Bill doesn't make a good product. I am saying that your claims of the other's on the market not being comparable to his product are IMO greatly exaggerated! Just because a product weighs more doesn't mean it is built better. Adding weight to a product to give the appearance of quality has been done before (see Beats headphones). Not saying that Bill does this but just saying that it is absolutely not a measure of quality!

Hey Greg! I love Bill's CaRx. I have two of them. The main thing I like is that there are no thumb screws, and it is incredibly easy to refill the chamber. I generally don't care about what reef equipment is made of (remember the ER cast cell acrylic selling point?), but for a CaRx that is external to a sump, I like the material and the form factor of Bill's stuff.

outeastreefer · Jul 3, 2017

Lifereef set and forget it.

SchnitzelReef · Jul 3, 2017

I've been using a Geo calcium reactor for 2+ years. It's built solid, and very simple and efficient design. I've used a Korallin and an Aquamaxx calcium reactor, and Geo is by far the best.

Like others have mentioned, many calcium reactor designs are similar, it's best to go with a simple setup that has a good reputation. That is the reason I went with Geo.

d2mini · Jul 3, 2017

outeastreefer said:
Lifereef set and forget it.

But a baaaaad location for the pH probe. The whole reactor has to be drained in order to recalibrate if the need arises.
Some also don't like the reverse flow. And don't get the quick connect fitting on the feed line... clogs too easily.

d2mini · Jul 3, 2017

There's no doubt Geo makes a real good reactor. So many positive reviews.
There is also no doubt that Bill's stuff is built to the next level.
Not that it works any better... but definitely built to last. His stuff is commercial quality, built no differently than anything he builds for his enormous personal setup or the many projects he consults/builds for.

diablomaster9045 · Jul 3, 2017

d2mini said:
But a baaaaad location for the pH probe. The whole reactor has to be drained in order to recalibrate if the need arises.
Some also don't like the reverse flow. And don't get the quick connect fitting on the feed line... clogs too easily.

Interesting thought on the probe location. I wonder how the location differs in effectiveness. With the life reefs we know exactly the ph of the camber since it's in the chamber. If it is in the plumbing on the circulation pump, I wonder how often the water in the T that holds the probe gets cycled. I kinda want to add a second PH probe to my lifereef in the same plumbing format as Aquarium Engineering's and see how the PH compares. Hmmm. Time to order 2 new PH probes and some plumbing parts. As I agree it sucks to calibrate the probes, but accuracy of telling what the ph is exactly is more important.

gcarroll · Jul 3, 2017

Thales said:
Hey Greg! I love Bill's CaRx. I have two of them. The main thing I like is that there are no thumb screws, and it is incredibly easy to refill the chamber. I generally don't care about what reef equipment is made of (remember the ER cast cell acrylic selling point?), but for a CaRx that is external to a sump, I like the material and the form factor of Bill's stuff.

Now that the call has gone out on Facebook to defend Bill's products...

Richard,
Id like to clarify that again, I think Bill makes a great product! I am 100% with you that I will never buy a calcium reactor with thumb screws. It's great that Bill put a screw on lid on his reactor. Nothing new though. My reactor by ATI from 14 tears ago had the exact same lid. It was basically a copy of the Knop reactor with the exception of they reversed the flow and brought the water into the reactor from the bottom instead of the top. I'm not sure that anyone did an upflow reactor before then but I can tell you that in my eyes, that was innovative. Gone were the days of cleaning that mud from the spent media. From what I am seeing, this ATI reactor has every feature that the Aquarium Engineering reactor has. No uniseals, hot air welded connections, recirculating Co2, upflow, ect... The ATI did have it's downside and it was the crapola Aquabee pump (seen missing in this photo for that reason).

d2mini · Jul 3, 2017

In reactors like geo it's through the top into the main chamber. It's the LifeReef that has the probe in line in the plumbing.

diablomaster9045 · Jul 3, 2017

d2mini said:
In reactors like geo it's through the top into the main chamber. It's the LifeReef that has the probe in line in the plumbing.

Hmmm... weird, my lifereef has the probe port on the top.

melev · Jul 3, 2017

I've been running a Lifereef calcium reactor since 2004. I'm thinking about getting a new one myself, but haven't decided on any specific brand yet.

mtraylor · Jul 3, 2017

Geo is offering 10% off their reactors right now for the 4th. I have had mine for about 9 to 10 years and not an issue.

d2mini · Jul 3, 2017

diablomaster9045 said:
Hmmm... weird, my lifereef has the probe port on the top.

Very odd... i've never seen that. Check his website, they are all mounted low above the pump, as was mine.

ksed · Jul 3, 2017

melev said:
I've been running a Lifereef calcium reactor since 2004. I'm thinking about getting a new one myself, but haven't decided on any specific brand yet.

Mark,
What ever reactor you choose, just get one that does not lock you into using a specific media.

Thales · Jul 3, 2017

gcarroll said:
Now that the call has gone out on Facebook to defend Bill's products...

I like to post on forums sometimes!

Richard,
Id like to clarify that again, I think Bill makes a great product! I am 100% with you that I will never buy a calcium reactor with thumb screws. It's great that Bill put a screw on lid on his reactor. Nothing new though. My reactor by ATI from 14 tears ago had the exact same lid. It was basically a copy of the Knop reactor with the exception of they reversed the flow and brought the water into the reactor from the bottom instead of the top. I'm not sure that anyone did an upflow reactor before then but I can tell you that in my eyes, that was innovative. Gone were the days of cleaning that mud from the spent media. From what I am seeing, this ATI reactor has every feature that the Aquarium Engineering reactor has. No uniseals, hot air welded connections, recirculating Co2, upflow, ect... The ATI did have it's downside and it was the crapola Aquabee pump (seen missing in this photo for that reason).

Great! I had one of those ATI's and always felt that the opening was too small, but more that the threads were always binding and found it hard to open and close. I also didn't live the connection between the pvc and the acrylic, was worried it was going to snap. Is anyone making them, or any other unit without thumb screws, anymore?

Sorry if it seems like I am saying that Bill has done anything new, I am not. I do like that he isn't doing what everyone else does because that is what everyone else does. Smart, simple design, made well.

gcarroll · Jul 3, 2017

Thales said:
I like to post on forums sometimes!

I know you do, that was actually directed to Bill who asked people on Facebook to defend him. Despite not being on Facebook, I am often alerted to that I stir up on there.

Thales said:
Great! I had one of those ATI's and always felt that the opening was too small, but more that the threads were always binding and found it hard to open and close. I also didn't live the connection between the pvc and the acrylic, was worried it was going to snap. Is anyone making them, or any other unit without thumb screws, anymore?

Sorry if it seems like I am saying that Bill has done anything new, I am not. I do like that he isn't doing what everyone else does because that is what everyone else does. Smart, simple design, made well.

No you didn't say that he was doing anything new. I was just sharing my opinion about his design which while I do feel it the best out there, is also similar/identical to several of his predecessors.

Believe it or not, virtually all calcium reactors in the market today still have thumb screws. I believe only Reef Octopus, Vertex, and Aquarium Engineering are currently producing reactors without thumb screws.

Thales · Jul 3, 2017

gcarroll said:
I know you do, that was actually directed to Bill who asked people on Facebook to defend him. Despite not being on Facebook, I am often alerted to s**t that I stir up on there.

He actually didn't ask people to defend him. He didn't understand what was being said and was hoping for some clarification. [/quote]

No you didn't say that he was doing anything new. I was just sharing my opinion about his design which while I do feel it the best out there, is also similar/identical to several of his predecessors.

Gotcha.

Believe it or not, virtually all calcium reactors in the market today still have thumb screws. I believe only Reef Octopus, Vertex, and Aquarium Engineering are currently producing reactors without thumb screws.

Oh, I believe it. I just don't understand it. They sucked in 2000 and before, and they still suck!