choosing a calcium reactor

[Rus]

looking for input on what you all consider the best choice in calcium reactors . it will be for our 150 gal reef , it does not have an extremely heavy load of sps at the moment but it will increase over time.
any thoughts or suggestions are welcome


tank pic.

[hooked]

Hey Rus,

I can't be much help on a calcium reactor, I just wanted to say your tank looks awesome

[Rick O]

I would never go back to the days before a reactor. Check out Myreef Creations dual chamber reactor.

[Rus]

thanks for the compliments hooked , Rick that is the one i'm leaning towards right now, do think it's the best value for the money?

[Rick O]

Originally posted by Rus
do think it's the best value for the money?

Yes. The quality of the construction is superb plus you'll get prompt assistance if you need help setting it up or dialing it in.

[Rus]

do you know much about the other brands out there , to be honest i've not really heard much about many of them.

[Rus]

what do you run on your tank ?

[Rick O]

Originally posted by Rus
what do you run on your tank ?

I have a GEO dual stage on my 120. It's a fine reactor, nothing wrong with it at all. I got it a long time ago before I knew much about the Myreef products. Since then I've become more familiar with Myreef reactors. Andy (Myreef) is in our reef club and I've had a chance to visit his facilities. I'm impressed with the workmanship. He made my 60 gallon acrylic propagation tank and the construction is as good as the larger manufacturers. I'll soon be getting a Myreef reactor for it.

[Rick O]

BTW, do a search and I think you'll see that the feedback is excellent for his products.

[Rus]

thanks for the info Rick , i think that will be they way i go i have heard nothing bad about them at all.

by the way what do you estimate your yearly cost running the reactor as compared to prior [ kalk or additives i presume ]



thanks again

[Minnreefer]

I also have a geo reactor that I got used but I have heard many good things about Myreef's stuf. The yearly cost are maybe 1 refill of the CO2 and maybe 1 refill of the reactor media, I don't know waht the cost are for kalk.

HTH

Jon

[Rick O]

Originally posted by Rus
by the way what do you estimate your yearly cost running the reactor as compared to prior [ kalk or additives i presume ]



thanks again

Hmmm. I refill my C02 tank 2-3 times a year at a cost of somewhere around $13 each time. A dual chamber reactor holds 14# of media. Carib Sea ARM would cost you around $36. This should last a long time. Don't know how long but I would say at least a year. That's about it for the reactor.

Any estimate of additive costs would be strictly a guess but I wouldn't think it would be out of line to speculate that you would go through at least 2 gallons of two part additive each month in a 150 gallon tank. That comes to about $336 per year.

My decision to go with a reactor was based mainly on convenience. I got tired of dosing additives every day. On top of that I wasn't able to keep my ca over 400 consistently. I'm not saying that the reactor is maintenance free but it only requires an occasional tweaking and cleaning of the tubing once or twice a year.

[R1Bill]

Rus,

Nice Tank! Looks to me that the recommendations you are getting are good. But, you may want to consider building one yourself. I just completed mine. It's easy, ugly and was cheap. There are tons of links on the net on how to build one. Look at:

http://www.google.com/search?as_q=DI...h=&safe=images

Good Luck!

Bill

[DennisW]

Ive been running a 4" Precision Marine reactor for about 3 years. It has worked flawlessly so far. I think that If I were going to buy a new reactor today, I would go with the one by Korallin. It is more money than a MyReef but I think it has a lot more features. Efficient use of CO2 is a biggy (meaning less CO2 into your tank which suppresses PH)!!! I think it uses like 10 bubbles per MINUTE! Plus it has an excess CO2 "blow off" valve. It is also very compact (pump is on top of column and also is self priming). It also uses German sized, rigid tubeing which is a little wider and will keep your effluent drip more steady. Taka a look at it.

Korallin Calcium Reactor

HTH
Dennis