Quote:
Originally Posted by martyn242
What's one of those for - sorry new to the hobby, just getting to grips with everything
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Calcium and Alkalinity and Magnesium are the food for your SPS/LPL and purple algae etc. and must be replaced/maintained to keep them all alive.
2 ways (of many) of supplying the calcium and alkalinity in correct proportion are 1. Kalkwasser and 2.
Calcium reactor.
Calcium hydroxide in my case is mixed with RO/DI to make Kalkwasser, and dosed in slowly as needed. It is kinda cheap to get going, precipitates metals and phosphates etc., but may not supply enough for your needs ... unless the evaporation rate is very high ... but along with evaporation goes the heat so us north folk would spend extra money on heating water.
Reactors bubble carbon dioxide through the water in the chamber to lower the pH enough to disolve the aragonite and drip the calcium/alkalinity into the water ... it needs a controller to regulate the gas and pH of the chamber or tank ... thus the high cost. However it can supply as much material as you need with no reguard to the evaporation because it is adding material to the salt water.
Go here for more info:
Supplimenting
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...hf/index.php#2
Reactors:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php
Kalkwasser:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php
Read em 6 times or so ... really let it sink in ... and bring coffee
