Has anyone switch from calcium reactor to dosing, and why?

[stephj03]

You could also have the Trident control the solenoid on your reg. I set mine to do this.

But I'm also interested in setting a dos to make up for any failure. Great idea IMO.

 

[nezw0001]

i know Ca Reactors are supposed to be set it and forget it but that wasn't my experience. I could never get my bubble rate even. It would be good for a while then i'd check it and it would not be bubbling. I was going through tanks every 4-6 weeks. The effluent line would routinely plug. With the dosing I have had no problems. Guess i'm just weird.

 

[dank reefer]

I just switched from DOS to a CalRX in December, and after tuning it in for about 2 weeks, I have not need to touch it. keeps my Alk steady at 9.1, Cal at 450-465. The only thing Ill dose now will be Acropower, and maybe Mag if the tank is lacking, but the reactor seems to be keeping my mag at around 1425.

I have seen several post lately about folks switching back to dosing after using a reactor, and the common theme is that they have a hard time tuning the reactor. Is it intimidating, He!! YES! Does your stomach hurt when you adjust the reactor, and in the back of your mind you're thinking you're going to nuke your tank, YES! Until you get kicked in the sack, and realize that all will be OK, as long as you go slow when setting it up, and keeping your hands off of it every single day trying to adjust, then you will be fine.

I followed @jda way of setting up the rector with the exception that I am not running my effluent at 25dkh. But besides that, its been running like a champ.

 

[OrionN]

Ca reactor isn’t going to nuke your tank. All the CO2 does not going into the tank. It just escape into the environment. If you overdose it, it just cause high Alkalinity and Ca. If you use coral base media, Mag and all the trace element will be in there.

 

[Clownreef]

Switched to dosing. Easier in my experience, less moving parts. People complain about pricing but as the old wise saying goes.."If you have money for the bourbon, you have money for the ice".

 

[OrionN]

Switched to dosing. Easier in my experience, less moving parts. People complain about pricing but as the old wise saying goes.."If you have money for the bourbon, you have money for the ice".

I am not sure about less moving parts. I change the 20 lbs Ca container one a year or so. I add media every 608 months other wise don't do anything else.
This versus daily dosing two parts.

 

[stephj03]

I think both the expectations of the avg hobbyist have changed. It use to be there was a lot of daily chores associated with a tank and that was considered normal. But things have advanced and ppl now expect a lot less tinkering once the build is done.

The way CaRx are run has advanced as well, but not for the same price tag and I think that leads a lot of ppl to choosing between an old style rig that is cheaper and needs a lot more attention vs a more expensive one that you hardly touch.

 

[stephj03]

A common setup use to be:
Korallin
Milwaukee dual gauge, single stage reg
Maxijet or manifold feed
Manually tuned effluent valve.

This could be accomplished for $400-$1000 depending on new/used.

But the reg, feed and effluent need as much or more monitoring/tuning as a dosing pump.

I think a lot of ppl that switch back to dosing are comparing to a setup like above. Switching away from that kind of rig is a good move across the board. From what I see, issues with tuning the above setup on a tank of less than 100g is the primary reason ppl go back to dosing when they do.


But, for an extra $400-$1000, you could switch to a setup with a peristaltic pump, and a true dual stage reg or carbon doser. I think you'd be hard pressed to find many ppl that have switched away from this setup.

 

[Clownreef]

I am not sure about less moving parts. I change the 20 lbs Ca container one a year or so. I add media every 608 months other wise don't do anything else.
This versus daily dosing two parts.

The doser sucks liquid out of a bottle.

Easier.

 

[stephj03]

Believe it or not, a CaRx feels easier than that if setup the modern way.

Change media every few mo and refill CO2 on tank anniversaries.

The right regulator and the right feed pump make the difference.

 

[OrionN]

I mean to say: ...change the 20 lbs CO2 tank every year or so and add Media to the Ca reactor every 6-8 months. Other than that I just leave the Ca reactor a lone. I even add cooking oil to the bubble counter so i don't have to mess with it ever.
To do two parts additive, you have to mixed them at least weekly. You have to check Magnesium of the tank. My tank just on auto pilot. I occasionally check Ca and Alkalinity. That is it, nothing else other than feed the tank, and water change.
And clean the skimmer. I am getting one of those blade to self clean the skimmer, and let it drain directly to the drain soon.

 

[jda]

I will never use 2/3 part because a misstep or failure (on) and the tank is nuked. It would take 2 weeks of failure from my CaRx to mess with my tank... they just cannot do too much to raise or lower levels all that quickly, but are great at keeping them maintained.

If people cannot figure out how to tune a reactor, then PM me or do a search. It seems hard at first, but then all of a sudden, you "get it." Seems like I help people for a while and then all of a sudden they stop sending PMs because it "just hit" them how to do it.

I do keep baking soda, dowflake and epsom salt around just in case we have a power outage or something and I need to dose by hand for a while.

 

[Reefahholic]

I do keep baking soda, dowflake and epsom salt around just in case we have a power outage or something and I need to dose by hand for a while.

Now that's oldschool! J/k

I keep some BRS mixed up just for that very purpose. Although I do have bags unopened too. Plus the GHL 2.1 is on standby if the power is on and the reactor is having issues...which I do not see that happening.

I have extra tubing, heads, pumps, etc. Then only thing I need is a nice little Honda Generator.

 

[Reefahholic]

I can honestly say I've dosed about every 2-3 part around. ESV is really the only true 2-part. That being said...I find the reactor to be much easier. Do keep in mind that I've been looking at switching over for the last few years with people like @Diesel and @PSXerholic trying to convince me for several years now, so that could be why I find it easier because I've always looked at the videos and thought about how I would run my own. I did not wanna make trips to a welding shop which is why I waited so long. Turns out....it was so easy. Much easier than I originally thought. I really don't know why I waited this long.

For anybody curious....here's how long it took me to fill 2x 5lb cylinders:

 

[PSXerholic]

I can honestly say I've dosed about every 2-3 part around. ESV is really the only true 2-part. That being said...I find the reactor to be much easier. Do keep in mind that I've been looking at switching over for the last few years with people like @Diesel and @PSXerholic trying to convince me for several years now, so that could be why I find it easier because I've always looked at the videos and thought about how I would run my own. I did not wanna make trips to a welding shop which is why I waited so long. Turns out....it was so easy. Much easier than I originally thought. I really don't know why I waited this long.

For anybody curious....here's how long it took me to fill 2x 5lb cylinders:

Very good Sir! ;-)
Another reason I had to walk away from dosing was the 8Gallons per week in liquids to be dosed, as well the Sodium/Chloride balance went out of whack after a while.
Not to mention all these trace elements been supplemented with the correct media ;-)

 

[Reefahholic]

Very good Sir! ;-)
Another reason I had to walk away from dosing was the 8Gallons per week in liquids to be dosed, as well the Sodium/Chloride balance went out of whack after a while.
Not to mention all these trace elements been supplemented with the correct media ;-)

HaHa...you mean those basketball sized colonies threw the ionic balance off?!!

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

I will never use 2/3 part because a misstep or failure (on) and the tank is nuked. It would take 2 weeks of failure from my CaRx to mess with my tank... they just cannot do too much to raise or lower levels all that quickly, but are great at keeping them maintained.

This is my thought too. I prefer a CalRx for this reason.

 

[C. Eymann]

This is my thought too. I prefer a CalRx for this reason.

This point is often down played or even wildly misunderstood by those who dont have experience with reactors.

The most probable way a reactor would "crash" a tank would be via a leak. Lets say a kid messes with the regulator/cranks bubble count way up, the reactor will probably spring a leak due to pressure build up long before its effect on the tanks actual chemistry will cause harm, quickly crashing a tank with a reactor would take actual effort, it doesn't happen overnight via mistake or poor tuning unless like mentioned a leak happens.

Its a misconception that should be thrown out, typical reactor effluent can range from 17- 35dkh
where as two part alkalinity components are usually over 5,000dkh.

Its pretty obvious that a OD of a solution with a dkh of say 25 will be far less detrimental than the OD of a solution with 5,000dkh

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Most people who couldn’t get their reactor working and switched back to dosing should have asked for help from an experienced calcium reactor user to help them set it up. Then I would bet 90% of users would have never went back to dosing.
There are many ways to run a reactor and this is what messes up a lot of users. The simplest and best way is to not control the ph and always use a peri pump with the best regulator or use a carbon doser. If everyone tried this first and most of the misinformation about crashes that c. Eymann was mentioning was not out there in threads I bet most people would be running reactors. DIY reactors would be a big thing as well since they are pretty expensive but not hard to make.

 

[hatfielj]

A common setup use to be:
Korallin
Milwaukee dual gauge, single stage reg
Maxijet or manifold feed
Manually tuned effluent valve.

This could be accomplished for $400-$1000 depending on new/used.

But the reg, feed and effluent need as much or more monitoring/tuning as a dosing pump.

I think a lot of ppl that switch back to dosing are comparing to a setup like above. Switching away from that kind of rig is a good move across the board. From what I see, issues with tuning the above setup on a tank of less than 100g is the primary reason ppl go back to dosing when they do.


But, for an extra $400-$1000, you could switch to a setup with a peristaltic pump, and a true dual stage reg or carbon doser. I think you'd be hard pressed to find many ppl that have switched away from this setup.

Yes. This exactly for me. I was sick of my effluent line constantly slowing down and needing to be readjusted. I thought about investing in a good peristaltic pump but just gave up and went back to dosing. Couldn’t justify the extra cost of an expensive pump. My current set up is dosing. IF this tank ever becomes successful enough that dosing begins to become expensive, I’ll consider a Ca reactor again with a peristaltic pump as you describe.