Calc reactor recomendations

[David Grigor]

I have no idea how accurate it is and how it wears over time. I just making the assumption that output would be the consistant from day to day just need to regulate how long it is on to get the desired volumne.

[stuckey_t]

Just to clarify, I'm not running Kalkwasser through my rig. I am running one dosing pump that uses a double tube. I have (2) 5 gallon buckets made up of what is basically b-ionic 2-part calcium and alkalinity solutions. The recipe for those who don't already have it is here:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php I used Farley's recipe number 2 to keep an elevated PH around the 8.3 range

I put one half of the double tube in the calcium bucket and one half in the alkalinty(carbonate) bucket. Then like David mentioned, I run both of the tubes into my sump but have them apart from each other so they don't drip right on top of each other and precip.

I then tested my tank a couple times a day for about a week to get the dosing pump set to the ml/ hour that matched how fast my tank was using calcium and carbonate. Salifert test kits are about the best for quick measurements of your parameters.

A couple nice things I've found about the dosing pump / homemade 2 part recipe setup: I don't have to spend $800+ bones for a calcium reactor/CO2/regulator etc..., the cost to make 5 gallon buckets of 2 part is maybe about $5-$10??!, I always know that I am putting in exactly the amount of chemicals that the tank is consuming, and it is about as uncomplicated as you can get.

I've been using the dosing pump for about 5 months now and the corals continue to grow, have the same color, and I do regular water changes for safety sake in case my homemade recipe got a little skewed from mixing while doing this

[David Grigor]

Hey stuckey....

Is this in addition to a top off method. Or are you diluting your A / B so when dosed it ends matching your evopration rates ?

[jquigley78]

Thanks for the info Stuckey, that is exactly what I was thinking of, except with the addition of dosing kalkwasser as my make up water as well. David has me pondering using the aqualifts so I am doing a little research and calculating how they will work for the price compared to the Nautillus II. About how many ml an hour and day are you dosing? Also what size is your tank/total volume?

[stuckey_t]

The only top off method I use is adding straight oxygenated RO water for sump evaporation. I have about 250 gallons + of total water so 2-3 gallons a day for evap doesn't mess it up too much. I know if you had a smaller volume of water you would want to keep a closer eye on it but that's adding more gizmos to my simplistic way of doing it. After Vertical's tank crash that one time from Kalkwasser top off and the faulty float valve I don't really feel like taking a chance with using that system on my tank. With the ml per hour system you basically can keep your calcium demands constant once you find out the consumption rate by the corals in your tank.

[stuckey_t]

Here's another way to look at the way I do it.

Measure Calcium today at 9pm. Measure it again tomorrow at 9pm. The difference between these two measurements is the parts per million of calcium your corals are using each day. Add this much calcium back into the tank each day using your dosing pump

Do the same for Alkalinity

I know this sounds overly simple but this is the way I do it and it works.

Just be sure to keep your test kits handy and measure consumption rates on your tank regularly to make sure you are in accepted ranges for a reef tank. If you are not do a couple of large water changes and start over