LC8Sumi
Well-Known Member
Hello All & Happy New Year!
My tank (54G RS Reefer 250) was started in 2017, and I've been dosing it. I'm currently running a Schuran Jetstream 1 Calcium reactor since 2018.11, but I'm not satisfied with the results.
Cons:
- It is very inconsistent. This is because it is driven off the manifold, and the valve that controls the flow clogs up easily. Maybe in a day or two the flow changes. If I turn off/on the return, it throws it off again. I have to tinker with it every 1-2 days + also have to measure alk every day because of this. I understand that the best way to possibly resolve this would be to get a peripump, but they're not cheap.
- It takes up a lot of space. The CO2 tank, the reactor itself are both very big
- It is loud. It has an old special modded Eheim AC pump, and it hums & rattles
- It is not giving the results I've expected. Previously when I saw a gorgeous looking tank, it was almost always running with a CaRx. But my corals aren't coloring better than with dosing, so I guess there is something more to it, than supplementing the (trace) elements well - which I thought the reactor is perfect for
- It is very hard to source natural media for it anymore, as crushed coral have been banned in europe basicly. I have a year worth left at home, but then I'd have to switch to artificial media (and that doesn't have any trace elements in them I believe)
Pros:
- Even though I have to tinker with it daily or bidaily, it's a bit less challenging than dosing was, although I've used to have the cheapest Jebao doser
- I don't have to mix solutions, worry about their strength/precipitate, monitor their level, run out of them, etc.
- It adds the elements in the perfect ratio, so don't have to do math & worry about imbalanced levels or NaCl buildup
But as I add more and more acropora I just realise how much more stability I would need to get them to color up perfectly, and that is just not possible with my current setup (I sometimes go away for a couple days, so can't re-set the flow on the reactor every day). Seems like the only way around this, and I mean that's an "it might work, but not 100%" approach would be to get a peripump. But I've figured that for the price of a peripump I could grab a decent doser (GHL 2.1), which seem to have fixed problems that I had with the Jebao. It would be a lot easier to set the dosing amounts with it + it monitors how much it dosed, so gives an approx. about the solution levels. I could also grab a KH Director in the long run & basicly nail the Alk-Ca-Traces trio perfectly with it. Now my only concerns with this is, that if I wanted the full setup, that'd be a KH Director, and 3x4 dosers -> ~$1500, which is a lot for such a swap. That said, I don't have to buy it at once, I could just go with a single 4 head doser as a start, try to dial in the Alk-Ca-Mg levels, and go from there.
Anyway. I know the fashion nowdays dictates converting to a calcium reactor, but are there other people out here who have decided to go back to dosing? And if so what were the reasons and what are the results?
My tank (54G RS Reefer 250) was started in 2017, and I've been dosing it. I'm currently running a Schuran Jetstream 1 Calcium reactor since 2018.11, but I'm not satisfied with the results.
Cons:
- It is very inconsistent. This is because it is driven off the manifold, and the valve that controls the flow clogs up easily. Maybe in a day or two the flow changes. If I turn off/on the return, it throws it off again. I have to tinker with it every 1-2 days + also have to measure alk every day because of this. I understand that the best way to possibly resolve this would be to get a peripump, but they're not cheap.
- It takes up a lot of space. The CO2 tank, the reactor itself are both very big
- It is loud. It has an old special modded Eheim AC pump, and it hums & rattles
- It is not giving the results I've expected. Previously when I saw a gorgeous looking tank, it was almost always running with a CaRx. But my corals aren't coloring better than with dosing, so I guess there is something more to it, than supplementing the (trace) elements well - which I thought the reactor is perfect for
- It is very hard to source natural media for it anymore, as crushed coral have been banned in europe basicly. I have a year worth left at home, but then I'd have to switch to artificial media (and that doesn't have any trace elements in them I believe)
Pros:
- Even though I have to tinker with it daily or bidaily, it's a bit less challenging than dosing was, although I've used to have the cheapest Jebao doser
- I don't have to mix solutions, worry about their strength/precipitate, monitor their level, run out of them, etc.
- It adds the elements in the perfect ratio, so don't have to do math & worry about imbalanced levels or NaCl buildup
But as I add more and more acropora I just realise how much more stability I would need to get them to color up perfectly, and that is just not possible with my current setup (I sometimes go away for a couple days, so can't re-set the flow on the reactor every day). Seems like the only way around this, and I mean that's an "it might work, but not 100%" approach would be to get a peripump. But I've figured that for the price of a peripump I could grab a decent doser (GHL 2.1), which seem to have fixed problems that I had with the Jebao. It would be a lot easier to set the dosing amounts with it + it monitors how much it dosed, so gives an approx. about the solution levels. I could also grab a KH Director in the long run & basicly nail the Alk-Ca-Traces trio perfectly with it. Now my only concerns with this is, that if I wanted the full setup, that'd be a KH Director, and 3x4 dosers -> ~$1500, which is a lot for such a swap. That said, I don't have to buy it at once, I could just go with a single 4 head doser as a start, try to dial in the Alk-Ca-Mg levels, and go from there.
Anyway. I know the fashion nowdays dictates converting to a calcium reactor, but are there other people out here who have decided to go back to dosing? And if so what were the reasons and what are the results?
