Calcium Reactor Questions

[dmorel]

Hiya gang,

You guys that are using calcium reactors, or just otherwise in the know...

Can I place a reactor outside of the cabinet, and just still get the effluent into the sump?
I don't really have much room under the tank anymore :)~

Generally speaking how are you finding your reactors?
The best thing since sliced bread or about as useful as decaf coffee?

Thanks,
-dm

[Playfair]

I think it's best to MAKE room under your sump... The effluent line is easilly clogged with air bubbles that can mess up your drip rate. They are cool looking, but you'll definitely win the "science experiment" award having all those hoses and junk dangling around...

Are you still looking for a set up? Don't know if I mentioned before that Keith had a DIY reactor available.

I find it necessary at this point, but only because I was maxed out on Bionic. It's already paid for itself, being that I was using $25/month of esv, and now it only costs about $5...
If you are having probs with your balance, then a rxr won't help. They are only really good at maintaining equal levels of Ca and buffer.

[Stoli]

First, lets start with the notion that virtually everyone on this board knows more than me about virtually everything. Playfair, is in that category by a factor of ten.

That said, I have to disagree with a few of his comments. I recently put in a Korallin reactor. It took a while to get past the initial set up but now it is doing a great job of keeping both calcium and alk up. I did boost calcium with a supplement but in hindsight, if I had been a bit more patient, I think it would have risen just fine without the supplements.

Also, with regard to placement, I think you could place it outside the cabinet (not that my wife would ever allow it) without too much difficulty. It's true that the effluent lines can become clogged but I'm not sure why placement would make that much of a difference. Of course, the longer the effluent line, the more likely you are to have a clog so perhaps that was Playfair's point.

Finally, with regard to your last question, I do think the reactor was a great addition. More or less, a set it and forget it system.
Big money saver over the two part supps. Plus, it seems to have really boosted growth in the tank.

Anyway, just thought I'd put in my $.02.

[dmorel]

I certainly don't have anywhere the number of hard corals that you do (david p), most of my stuff is soft in fact, but I am starting to really be interested in getting more acros and I am definitely getting some montipora capricornus as soon as I can. Right now I am adding calc once a day and managing to keep it right around 400.
I am not having any real troubles with my balances, or any of my tank params (knock on wood) so I am trusting this will work well for me.

I am hoping that Stoli's point is good, because I can place the reactor next to the stand and run in through the back a WHOLE LOT easier then getting the thing in under the tank with the sump.
I have a bunch of stuff off to the side already, so there is sort of an "area" that is pseudo boxed off, so the aesthetic is not an issue. The run would only be about 9" more, as I could place the reactor next to the stand, making the only extra length going around the back of the stand.
I would have to take out my 29g. sump/refugium to put in the reactor, so this is my reason to hesitate. Not as big a deal if I do a ~20g. water change at the same time, but I would still have to disturb the sand bed and algae et all in the refugium if I move it and it is just starting to settle down from the last time!

Thanks for the tip about Keith, but I do have one on the way now.
(Patience is a virtue that I have lacked since childhood)

Thanks for your replies guys, I trust that I will find my experience with the reactor to be as good as you both have.

Been reading the threads by people who have set up reactors recently (like stolis thread from a little while ago) and hoping I have no troubles, going to get on after morning coffee tomorrow.

Man, I need to go to bed! I am starting to type in fragmented paragraphs :(
It's hard to believe that I am saying that, 5 years ago midnight was like early evening.



Thanks guys!

-dm

[Stoli]

dm:

Where are you located? (Profile says Metropolis. Was just there visiting a friend with a bat fetish) Having just set mine up, in hindsight it would have been nice to have a set of experienced eyes and hands helping out. Many offered but I was too stupid to accept. If you need a hand and your in the Rochester area, give a shout. I'd be happy to assist.

[dmorel]

Stoli,
I am in bushnells basin, one minute off the 490 exit, right next to the bagel shop if you know where that is.

I am definately not going to turn down an offer of assistance, and I believe that I purchased the same reactor you did, so that could be a bonus.

I am going out in a little while to get some supplies, and run an errand (my son's hot wheel race track he just got has broken pseudo mysteriously and needs to be returned to Target).

The one thing I HAVE to do is warn you about my house.
It's weird. It used to be a chicken coop (I am not making this up) that was converted to a living space and a studio for an artist. He died 20 years ago and his second wife lived here poor and alone since then. It is still in a pretty serious state of disrepair, and there are a fair amount of cobwebs, so if you scare easy you might want to turn me down. It's not gross or anything, but it definately is not like going to Dave or Kevin's place.

The upshot is you could leave with a fresh frag or two, and I live about 5 minutes from that living seas place if you have never been. I actualy stopped in last night and they are getting WAY better then they were. There is a new guy who seems to have taken over care of the tanks and it is now looking a lot better there then it did a few months ago. He loves Todd too, it's funny to hear him talk about him that way. (Hey, I wish I was Todd too, I just don't make it so obvious)

Give me a holler if you want to come by (or anyone else who is feeling generous/bored/whatever)
home:218.0483
cell:750.5465 (while that happens to be 750-KINK it doesn't cost anything to call)

-david