I'm thinking about a calcium reactor also ..

[Berggy]

What is recommended for calcium reactors for us small tank people ... say 50-60 gallons?

All my searches seem to find reactors for large tanks.

Can I diy this? If so ... what volume should I make it ... and what hardware is the best to get?

Thoughts?

[ckusnierek]

Here is my DIY
It was an easy one as long as you have the equipment to build it.
It's cost $35 for the plastic to make the reactor
Another $20 for PVC
$50 for pump
$150 for controller
$100 for Co2 tank
$100 for Co2 reg.
And probally another $50 in misc....

HOLY #$%@! This thing cost me a lot when I add it all up

[martyn242]

What's one of those for - sorry new to the hobby, just getting to grips with everything

[Berggy]

Well after reading and costing I decided to do the large vat of kalkwasser with a cover on top ... it was a LOT cheaper and may be all I need for the moment.

Built it a few weeks ago with a 10 gal tank. Fill it with RO/DI then stir in 4-5 tablespoons of Mrs. wages pickeling lime and cover it up. The Aqua Lifter runs for 7 minutes every 12 hours.

For the first time ever, my sunday night water tests were perfect for Ca/dKh all I needed was a few tablespoons of Mg.

So far so good.

[ckusnierek]

Yeah on smaller tanks that are not loaded with Stonies a kalk was probally a better option.

[Berggy]

Originally Posted by martyn242

What's one of those for - sorry new to the hobby, just getting to grips with everything

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