Calcium Reactor vs. Kalk reactor

[chort55]

Looking to find out whats the difference, whats the benefits of one over the other.... good idea to use them both together?

Just looking for general info here really.... but I am running a 180g w/ roughly 220-250g of total water volume, and currently focused on SPS

 

[islander84]

calcium reactor replenishes most all trace minerals that sps will need. Kalk normally just replaces calcium...however on larger systems it will raise ph faster than calcium depnding on systems demand for cal......it will also help maintain alk somewhat..but nothing else

 

[CJO]

The calcium reactor adds a lot of alkalinity and some calcium and even less of the other elements (you can also put in some zeomag or similar to help with the magnesium) and tends to lower the tank's pH. A kalk reactor adds calcium to the system and raises the tank's pH.

CJ

 

[VegasRick]

Both add calcium and alkalinity.
Calcium reactors will add a small amount of trace elements such as magnesium and strontium and other elements that are, depending on the type of media used. The media is usually coral skeletons. Throughout time the amount of magnesium, strontium and other trace elements in sea water has changed, and the coral skeletons from those time periods also reflect levels that were present.
KW are slightly more limited because of its tendency to raise the pH and add only ca and alk and whatever impurities might be in the calcium hydroxide. KW helps maintain a higher pH in tanks that have excess co2

 

[nixer]

kalk is not adjustable.
with calcium reactor you have some fine tuning (ca and alk ratio can be adjusted)

 

[turbo21]

kalk is not adjustable.
with calcium reactor you have some fine tuning (ca and alk ratio can be adjusted)

Am i wrong in saying Kalk is adjustable by how much of it you are dripping?

bob

 

[Murfman]

I run both on my 300. I added the Kalk reactor to deal with pH drops. As stated the Ca reactor will put mainly Alk and some trace elements and the Kalk handles the Ca.

 

[nixer]

Am i wrong in saying Kalk is adjustable by how much of it you are dripping?

bob

the solution has equal parts of ca and alk which that ratio you cannot change.
sure you can add more kalk or less, but at some point one of the levels are going to drop

which is why murfman uses both.