wasp Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 How do you know the coral supplies enough? It's all about how high pH goes during the day. Without Co2 mine hits 8.5. That's cos the corals are not producing enough. I've set the reactor to hold it around 8.3, which is better. "Co2 can slow calcification" A rather incomplete statement. It will slow calcification IN EXCESS, as I have already pointed out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 JDM - Mine works well and is as simple as you could setup. I have a 44gallon drum (210 litres approx), fill of ro/di water. I put a big scoop of kalk in the drum. I have an ehiem pump on a timer, it runs for 30 mins every night about 1 hr before I start adding freshwater. I use a timer with a peri pump to add water from 12am-7am every morning. The trick is to stir the kalk, and then let it settle every night before you use it. But it needs a we while to settle. Pie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 I had a solinoid on mine, but didn't notice any difference between having it or not so I removed it. Pie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puttputt Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 mines the same as pies, altough only 100l barrel. A cup of kalk a week, a small ehiem to stir it occassionally, a dosing dump to dose it at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 So a lot of reactor uses use to use kalk to offset some of the cons of reactors too? - Add that into the equation. When you step back and look at it, it seems an overly convoluted method just to add calcium and alk. Especially when you can just add them directly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 I use 2 buckets of media a year, which are either 5KG or 5L. Ok at 10kg a year, that's 27 grams of calcium carbonate used per day (equivalent to 22.7 g of NaHCO3). Using Randy's Recipie #2 that's 300mL per day of the alk part, and 150mL of the Calcium part (if you use double the weight of CaCl2 used from his recipe) My tank uses 500mL a day of the alk part. Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 Wow. Your tank must be chocka with acro's like Pies! Or, you got a heap of precipitation, which I found a big issue when using 2 part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 I get good growth. I do have a lot of acro's too. All depends on how you add the 2-part, as to whether you get any precipitation. You can't just dump both parts in together all at once. I keep calcium lower than most people, which makes precipitation even less likely to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDM Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 Thank you pies. do you rinse the drum and replace the kalk every month? or do you just top it up from time to time and keep adding kalk? puttputt, what size power head do you use to stir the 100ltr drum? do you think the pump supplied with the auto top off will be ok to use in a drum of kalk, or am i better to forget the brand new auto top off i have just brought and get a dosing pump on a timer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 I havn't cleaned my kalk drum for over a year. Probably over due. It is stired with an Ehiem 1250. The tube that takes water out is about 1 foot above the bottom so it can't suck up any sludge. Pie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 I get good growth. I do have a lot of acro's too. All depends on how you add the 2-part, as to whether you get any precipitation. You can't just dump both parts in together all at once. I keep calcium lower than most people, which makes precipitation even less likely to happen. Well if you're putting that much in, and getting no precipitation, your acros must be climbing out the top! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puttputt Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 Just a small cheap brand pump, shark or something, does not have to be a strong pump. Recommend the dosing pump, adds it slowly throughout the night. my intake is 100mm above the bottom, stuck in an old coral skeleton to keep it away from the sludge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubbles Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 For the DIY inclined http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=587186&perpage=25&pagenumber=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 Great post Bubbles.... and CA reactor for me. To easy and I'm lazy. Tried the two part mix and it's a pain to mix things when you can't be bothered. But the CA reactor does block from time to time and takes 5min to fix. I also add Mg chips which makes it even easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 Tried the two part mix and it's a pain to mix things when you can't be bothered. Mixing chemicals a couple of times a year can be a pain... Just like unblocking the calcium reactor tubs, Tuning the reactor, Replacing the reactor media, Refilling the CO2 bottle, Filling the bubble counter, Mixing the kalk to offset the reactor ph thing can be a pain. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Mixing chemicals a couple of times a year can be a pain... With the amount your adding you must have some mighty big containers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Yip, I have a lot of corals, growing pretty quickly though. Most people would only need to do it a couple of times a year if using 25 Litre containers. I mix the alk one maybe 6 times or 7 times year. The calcium one is done with every second alk fill. With 25 litres. Say Pies tank for example, based on the reactor media he's using at the moment, he would only need to fill a 25 litre container once every 80 days or so (4.5 times a year). An that's a considerable sized tank. In between, that, there is no maintenance, cleaning, unblocking etc. I guess the point is, you can chose how convenient or inconvenient you want a 2-part system to be for you. With a reactor, you often don't have a choice, if you don't do the maintenance, it stops working properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puttputt Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 you are over rating the maintenance on reactors Layton. Mines been running for a year, never touched it other than to fill the media once. Unblocking tubes, thats the 10 second bit once a week - open the tap and close it back down, and again Layton, suphew doesn't even have to do that. You have made good points about the way you dose, don't get carried away (once again) on trying to discredit reactors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 I am with you PuttPutt... I think pictures sy it all. lduncan show us some pictures of your coral growth? If its so good then you will have the same problem as Puttputt and they grow out of your tank! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 don't get carried away (once again) on trying to discredit reactors. Not getting carried away, or trying to discredit reactor. Just being more realistic than "Mines been running for a year, never touched it other than to fill the media once". Don't you think the fact that you have to check it every week to see the tubes aren't blocked, and it's working properly should be factored into the discussion? Don't you think the fact that you also have to mix kalk because you don't like the effect the reactor has on the pH of the tank should be factored in? Just trying to get a more fair comparison of how many people really run their reactors. Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 I am with you PuttPutt... I think pictures sy it all. You really believe that? What do pics show? lduncan show us some pictures of your coral growth? If its so good then you will have the same problem as Puttputt and they grow out of your tank! Why would I have the same problem? Why do you want to see pics of my coral growth? Are you looking for proof of something? Are you looking for proof my tank uses the amount I said it does? Are you looking for proof that 2-part works? Or are you just asking because you've got nothing concrete to add to the discussion on the pros and cons of calcium reactors and 2-part? Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogmatix Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Ive seen Laytons tank in person it's a nice tank and im sure he gets good growth, when i was there nice tips were observable. Shawns tank is a nice tank aswell but for what is basically a one year old sps tank it is in my book amazing. Great colour but more than anything as you said Duke the pics of his tank speak for itself, and his growth is just HUGE. I like, layton could show many pics of two part systems with huge growth but the same can be said for just Ca reactors, or infact just water changes and kalk top up. Personally i find ca ractor and kalk top up works best IMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Best thing about a ca reactor is that its another piece of cool looking equipment to show off to visiters, a couple of containers of water just doesn't cut it :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 True, Some people love gadgets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puttputt Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Best thing about a ca reactor is that its another piece of cool looking equipment to show off to visiters, a couple of containers of water just doesn't cut it :lol: yep, too right I don't think any way is any better at supply Ca and Alk to a tank or that better or different growth will occur, but Layton, I go over to the tank every day, to check it, feed the fish and corals. twice a week I blow the rocks down, every weekend I change water and clean the skimmer. On any one of these visits I might have to adjust the tap - that is really it, no more time than the 10 sec once a week. believe it if you want I don't really care. I fill a container of top up water once a week and throw a handful of kalk into it. Hard work - no. Thing is layton, there has been a number of good reefers on this thread, all saying your dosing looks good, but reactors are so easy, even describing what they do. There have been a couple who have been dosing like you but have changed due to too much mess and work, then there is you?. And i know we are all sheep, ignorant and your right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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