Calcium reactor question

[shez15]

Can someone explain how a calcium reactor works and what it's advantages/disadvantages are? I've been using Seachem liquid calcium in my 55gal reef and have been pleased with its results. Is a calcium reactor that much better than dosing?

[JazzMan]

Calcium reactors make life alot easier. It eliminates the need for dosing.

[Patrick G.]

So is it just a single unit, or does a calcium reactor require several components? How much would I spend on one for a 58 gal. reef?

[MalHavoc]

A calcium reactor normally consists of a plastic tube filled with aragonite sand. Water is taken from your tank, and injected into the bottom of the tube (which is about a foot high, and several inches wide). The water flows up through the sand, and exits at the top and then goes back into the tank.

Normally, this wouldn't do anything. But, if you inject CO₂ gas into the water before it enters the tube, the pH drops and the sand dissolves, releasing calcium and carbonate into the water. That maintains the Ca and Alk levels in your tank.

Some reactors have more than one tube to remove excess CO₂, but the jist of the whole thing is the same.

You can build one reasonably cheaply, if you know what you're doing. There are people in our DIY forum that would be happy to help. You might also want to check out reefs.org for plans.

MyReefCreations.com sells a CR-2 dual stage reactor for $195. Add one of his CO2 packages for $155, and you've got something that's pretty sweet.