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HOT TIPS Column: December 2004 Issue of Advanced Aquarist

December's theme is "Calcium Reactor Tips." Please submit any tips or tricks you have found for tweaking your calcium reactor/kalkwasser reactor for optimal perfomance, your dosing schedule, etc. Your tips and tricks will help new and existing reefkeepers and also helps to bring the hobby to the next level (plus it's just cool to get published in a magazine like Advanced Aquarist).

When published, your hot tip will have your username published (along with your real name if you so desire). Every month we will be running a new HOT TIP thread so stay tuned and help out when you can.

The staff at both Reefs.org and Advanced Aquarist would like to thank you for your continued interest and support of our online community, magazine, and services.

Let the submissions begin!

Best regards,

Reefs.org and Advanced Aquarist staff

[Bone]

A pH meter will come in handy! And test the alkalinity of your tank water, not the alk of the reactor effluent.

[Mouse]

Check your reactor often, the taps can quickly become blocked with deposits, causing a buildup of C02 inside the unit.

My second tip would be to get a fluidised reactor if you can afford it, their much more efficient with the media, and can allmost use all of it up without getting blocked up.

and dont use little copper plated taps for the dripper, you may find youll never get Ich again, but all your inverts and corals will die.

[npaden]

My tip would be to forget about bubble counts and drip rates. The size of the bubbles and drip on each brand of reactor will be different. If you want to compare how your reactor is running compared to someone else's you need to know the PH of the effluent and the rate of the effluent.

I set my reactor so that the effluent runs into a cup in my sump. I keep a PH probe in the cup 24/7. At a glance I can look at the PH of the effluent in the cup and how fast the effluent is running out of the cup into the sump and know that my reactor is working properly. When dialing in the reactor you can adjust it by changing the effluent rate up or down and adjusting the bubble count to keep the PH of the effluent at the level you want it. This also helps to off gas co2 as the effluent runs from the cup into your sump and will help keep the PH in your tank from dropping as much when you run a reactor.

I run my reactor at 6.7 PH after the 2nd chamber at an effluent rate of 400ml per minute. That's for a 415 gallon tank with plenty of stony corals.

FWIW, Nathan

[Louey]

I find the a flowmeter for the CO2 make adjust the PH of the effluent a snap

Like Nathan, I have the effleunt run into a cup (actually, an empty container that 35MM films comes in is perfect) in the sump. I keep a PH probe in that cup.

I pump water to the reactor through a needle valve. This makes it easy to control the drip rate.

Louey

[reefland]

If you have problems maintaining magnesium levels as well then add pure dolomite to the reactor to help elevate Mg levels (happens pretty slow).

Dolomite is a mineral containing both calcium and magnesium carbonate, CaMg(CO3)2. As it dissolves it will add both calcium and magnesium.

The amount to add depends on the system demands and configuration of the reactor. It is not uncommon for 10% to 20% of the media used to be dolomite. Monitor and adjust as needed.

Get the dolomite from a reliable source and make sure it is pure.