Mystery Calcium Reactor

[Crustaceon]

I picked up this beauty from a local reefer here in San Diego many years ago and have no idea exactly what brand it is or if it’s maybe hand made. The guy had no clue either. I’d like to buy a circulation pump for it and get it up and running because why not. Yes, the body and bubble counter are solvent welded to that acrylic panel. It’s weird. Anyone have a clue what this is or at least a pump recommendation?

 

[KrisReef]

That looks home made, like a copy of the Knopp C calk reactor- those units generally used an Eheim hobby pump because they were reliable workhorse units for pumping sludgy water. The task you have is to find the other half of that spears union or something else to replace it with. I also would run it reverse flow, so you pump into the bottom of the chamber and draw water from off the top. Helps keep the sludge and grit out of the impeller.
The glass crackpipe thingy is probably there to somehow bleed off excess CO2 that plagued these older reactors? Put a Carbon Doser and a Kamoer feed pump on that supertanker and you can run the Shamu Reef Tank for a year or more between r
Media refills.

 

[Crustaceon]

That looks home made, like a copy of the Knopp C calk reactor- those units generally used an Eheim hobby pump because they were reliable workhorse units for pumping sludgy water. The task you have is to find the other half of that spears union or something else to replace it with. I also would run it reverse flow, so you pump into the bottom of the chamber and draw water from off the top. Helps keep the sludge and grit out of the impeller.
The glass crackpipe thingy is probably there to somehow bleed off excess CO2 that plagued these older reactors? Put a Carbon Doser and a Kamoer feed pump on that supertanker and you can run the Shamu Reef Tank for a year or more between r
Media refills.

That looks home made, like a copy of the Knopp C calk reactor- those units generally used an Eheim hobby pump because they were reliable workhorse units for pumping sludgy water. The task you have is to find the other half of that spears union or something else to replace it with. I also would run it reverse flow, so you pump into the bottom of the chamber and draw water from off the top. Helps keep the sludge and grit out of the impeller.
The glass crackpipe thingy is probably there to somehow bleed off excess CO2 that plagued these older reactors? Put a Carbon Doser and a Kamoer feed pump on that supertanker and you can run the Shamu Reef Tank for a year or more between r
Media refills.

Very interesting. I have a kamoer fx-stp and considered either going the carbondoser route or old school with a tunze reg. At this point I’m weighing whether or not it’s worth it from a cost perspective to modify this reactor or pick up an aquamaxx T2 and call it good.

 

[KrisReef]

A reactor is just a big tube for circulation but there is some value in getting a model that has been proven in the field. Good luck!

 

[vetteguy53081]

This may be a media reactor turned into a Calcium reactor unit

 

[Crustaceon]

This may be a media reactor turned into a Calcium reactor unit

I considered the possibility of that too. I also know it was common for older calcium reactors to not use a probe too. What makes me lean towards it being an old-style calRx is the attached bubble counter.

 

[Crustaceon]

A reactor is just a big tube for circulation but there is some value in getting a model that has been proven in the field. Good luck!

Thank you. I’m trying to weigh the cost of a circulation pump, a ph probe bung, plumbing, etc. to convert this to an updraft style calrx which means i’m probably in the $200 ballpark OR I could just get an Aquamaxx T2 for around $250. lol. I’m kinda of thinking that would be the more logical move.

 

[Crustaceon]

We have resolution! Resolution I say!! Thank you everyone for your input and recommendations BUT… I just picked up a brand new in box Skimz cm122 CalRx and a crusty and used but fully functional Carbondoser for $350 from a very cool and VERY generous local reefer with a very nice tank. . I understand might have to disable the co2 recirculation to quiet the reactor, which is no biggie, but not a bad day overall though. Very excited. Woo!