Large (150+ gal) SPS Reefs: Reactor or Doser?

[reef life]

I have a 618 on a 180 gallon reef tank. Works great but I still dose for Alk,Kalk, Mag.

 

[Kbra]

So why use a reactor and dose Alk? Just undersized?

 

[Acrokeeper3729]

I also dose Kalk with my top off and dose mag every once in a while but I know some guys add some dolomite in the reactor to dose Mag as well.
Reef life, can you crank up the CO2 and efluent on your Geo 618 to make it keep up or is it pretty much at its limit? I have never used a geo but I would think it could keep up on even a heavy stocked 180?

 

[Kbra]

I also dose Kalk with my top off and dose mag every once in a while but I know some guys add some dolomite in the reactor to dose Mag as well.
Reef life, can you crank up the CO2 and efluent on your Geo 618 to make it keep up or is it pretty much at its limit? I have never used a geo but I would think it could keep up on even a heavy stocked 180?

You use kalk because the reactor can't keep up?

 

[Kbra]

Kalk is for the calcium only right? What about Alk?

 

[Acrokeeper3729]

My reactor can keep up if I dial it up to flow faster and turn the bubble count up higher but I prefer to run it at a medium pace so the media doesn't melt too fast and never clogs up the tubing. Running my reactor this way and also adding Kalk to my top off water keeps my alkalinity and calcium pretty much perfect and also keeps my PH up. Kalk doses both, Alkalinity, and Calcium in equal parts. similar to a calcium reactor. The other reason I use it is because my tank is in the basement and tanks in basements can often have low PH. Calcium reactors can also lower PH as well so adding kalk to all my top off water does a few good things. It adds Alkalinity, Calcium, and boosts PH. It would never be enough to support a large sps tank on its own, as its only added in with top off water, but its a great addition to a calcium reactor.

 

[Kbra]

Ok. Maybe ill start with two part and a kalk reactor until it can't keep up then replace the two part with the calcium reactor...

 

[FMF0331]

I'm using the bubble magnus doser and absolutley love it. I'm also using the brs 2 part - so the cost is not as high.

 

[zebe00]

I use 2 part on my 135 cube, and I did on my 210 in wall as well. I used to use B-Ionic which was getting expensive, but with sites like BRS, it is much more affordable than it used to be. Space is a concern as well, if you have a fish room, a reactor is much easier than if it's under the tank.