what makes a good calcium reactor?

[pdxmonkeyboy]

so i am slowly gathering gear to make the switch from dosing to a calrx. It is possible that i am missing something, but it is basically an acrylic tube with a recirc pump, various inlets/outlets and a ph probe holder.

Sooo i have a friend who purchased a huge lot of aquatic gear and there are a bunch of different reactor parts that I could cobble together. As long as it didnt leak.. would it still work the same as a reef octopus or geo??

thanks for any advice.

 

[mtraylor]

They are really not that complicated. You could always byo. To me a good reactor has a good media department that is readily accessible that doesnt leak. A great circulation pump that doesnt need servicing and doesnt make noise. A clear precise bubble counter. The unit must be made of good heavy pvc/acrylic as to stand test of time. Not the thin crap. Oh and steady effluint. This is accomplished by a good ball valve on effluient.

For me this is why i purchased geo reactor many years ago. Checked all the boxes.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

well i am planning on running a sicci or mag pump. I also would use a peristalic pump for effluent control.

what i cant seem to figure out if a digital co2 regulator is worth the money if i have an apex ph monitor to shut things off if it goes out of whack.

 

[Dennis Cartier]

I would suggest ease of maintenance and stability. The biggest complaint I hear in CaRx threads is that they were not able to get their reactor dialed in. Some of the newer designs (Dastaco, Pacific Sun, Aquarium Engineering) have designs to automate portions of the CaRx functions (mainly control of Co2). For controlling the effulent rate, peristaltic pumps are popular. These help with keeping the effulent steady and clog free.

Dennis

 

[sandswhitson]

I would put an aquarium plants regulator and peristaltic pump as the items to splurge on as you said the rest is just an acrylic tube that holds media. I hated my calcium reactors until I got a digital regulator and peristaltic feed pump.

 

[billwill]

I built mine using a large avast marine media reactor kit. I then created the ca rx bits required based on looking at my smaller one and other brands. Works perfect!

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

so do you guys think that the aquatic plants reg is still required if you are using a ph probe to help control it?

i mean, if it is, it is and i am fine with that buy man those things are pricey! (as i just had an WWC OG bounce delivered. lol)

 

[mtraylor]

No way. But you do need a good regulator to properly dial in your C02. The needle valve is very important. If you run a controller and ph probe in the reactor you just need a good regulator. YOu can get one starting out at about 150 to 170 range. I have one in this range and I built my own as well. Once you get a good regulator, dialing in the reactor is simple.

 

[lapin]

Note:
You dont want a solenoid turning on and off to control your Ph. It should be used for an emergency if Ph drops below a certain point. You want to control Ph with bubble count and effluent.

 

[sandswhitson]

Is an aquarium plants regulator necessary? No, but with the old regulator I had I relied heavily on my PH probe and controller as a safety to keep from dumping too much CO2 in to the reactor especially as tank pressure changed I had to adjust bubble count. With the aquarium plants regulator I never have had to touch it and my controller never has to act as a safety. Maybe I had a bad regulator but with the good dual stages costing more than half of an aquarium plants one it is a no brainer for me to spend a little more and get the aquarium plants one.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Note:
You dont want a solenoid turning on and off to control your Ph. It should be used for an emergency if Ph drops below a certain point. You want to control Ph with bubble count and effluent.

good to know.

i do recall a video however where he set the effluent at a slow stream and then just controlled the ph with his apex. if he needed more cal and alk he just lowered the ph setting on the apex.

i just wonder if this is an easier way now that most people have controllers.

I have a 300g with about 5k worth of stick in it..you could say that the whole reactor thing is making me quite nervous

 

[Neo Jeo]

Here’s your answer!

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Is an aquarium plants regulator necessary? No, but with the old regulator I had I relied heavily on my PH probe and controller as a safety to keep from dumping too much CO2 in to the reactor especially as tank pressure changed I had to adjust bubble count. With the aquarium plants regulator I never have had to touch it and my controller never has to act as a safety. Maybe I had a bad regulator but with the good dual stages costing more than half of an aquarium plants one it is a no brainer for me to spend a little more and get the aquarium plants one.

ok, i have heard this on several occasions. i think i will sell my welder and get the whole shebang.

thanks again for the input!!
when i was a kid if we wanted to know something we had to look in the encyclopedia!
lol

 

[JMetaxas]

Find a used MTC Pro-Cal. The best.

 

[ca1ore]

Note:
You dont want a solenoid turning on and off to control your Ph. It should be used for an emergency if Ph drops below a certain point. You want to control Ph with bubble count and effluent.

I agree that this is the best way to run a CaRx - significantly mitigates the chances of a CO2 'dump'. Been running mine this way for years; I just cycle the solenoid a couple of times a day so it doesn't get stuck. I never bought the aquarium plants carbon-doser. I use, also sold by them, a Milwaukee regulator - 15 years and still going strong LOL. Peristaltic pump is a very worthwhile addition though. I bought a pretty basic MasterFlex off ebay about 5 years ago. Not the quietest thing but it is reliable.

 

[ca1ore]

Find a used MTC Pro-Cal. The best.

Seconded …. mine is now 20 years old and still running. Aren't you selling one …… LOL

 

[jda]

They are all more similar than different, but reverse flow and a good pump that can run dry (if co2 fills up) are good. Ehiem are the best CaRx pumps since they can run for days while dry and not get damaged... they also last for decades. Reverse flow is not as big of a deal now with the larger media - in the olden days when media was smaller, I had a CaRx with a PanWorld pressure pump and sometimes it could not pump water through the media top-down as it got compacted.

I also like the pump intake inside of the chamber to be from the top (reverse flow) but also extended down an inch of two to trap excess co2 and help with your tune.

I use Korallin since they have the three things that I want - reverse flow, ehiem pumps and co2 trapping - but there are literally dozens that I would be happy with.

I also will never recommend that co2 be controlled by a pH controller. Never. Learn to test effluent and how to tune it by hand and you will be set for life. It is not hard. To me, this seems to be the the determining factor about why more people fail or succeed. A well tuned reactor does not need the pH ever tested and will barely have an effect on your tank pH.

 

[JMetaxas]

Seconded …. mine is now 20 years old and still running. Aren't you selling one …… LOL

Yes, I have two though !!

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

negotiating on a used MTC

 

[125mph]

I good calcium reactor is one that doesnt leak..

Unforunately, my Vertex $500 reactor I had leaked from day one. After using it for a year, I switched to the GEO calcium reactor.. is quie a simple reactor and has worked well for 2.5 years... and unfortunately, today it just started leaking at the uniseal...

sucks!!! I'm putting silicon around the uniseal, hope it fixes it or thats another $350 down the drain.