reactor help

[todd516]

Is anyone using or does anyone know much about the aquacare turbo chalk reactors. The system with the controler does everything you could want in a reactor and without the gas build up. Im looking to buy one but would like some reviews.

[mark]

they look complicated and pricey.

btw never had a problem with gas build-up in my less than $200 DIY reactor and that was even without a controller.

[todd516]

Very interesting. I am new to this hobby and have heard that a calcium reactor will drive down the ph and you should drip kalk at night do you do this.

[Aquattro]

Very interesting. I am new to this hobby and have heard that a calcium reactor will drive down the ph and you should drip kalk at night do you do this.

I don't. You really don't inject that much CO2, it shouldn't afect pH much, if any.

[mark]

Unless I'm missing something, the Aquacare turbo chalk reactor is what is normally referred to as a Ca Reactor. Difference with theirs is they inject air so the effluent is coming out at 7.3 rather than 6.5-6.8 that's common is single chamber types.

There are types (dual chamber) where the effluent from the first chamber passes through a second chamber where no CO2 added. This raises the overall output effluent.

Separate from the above are Kalk or Kalkwasser reactors which are stand alone units where the effluent's pH is something like 12+.

Don't think the Aquacare is combining these functions (doesn't appear the Neutralization tube contains a Kalk solution).

btw, I'm another guy with a Ca reactor that doesn't drip kalk.

[mark]

short Aquacare thread (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1484007) from RC

[kwirky]

a properly designed calcium reactor won't release too much CO2 into your tank and you'll end up with a higher pH rather than the low pH cheap/older-designed reactors cause.

as for the aquacare reactor it's a kalk reactor that uses CO2 to dissolve the lime in aquarium water instead of in freshwater like most reactors do. You can do the same thing for MUCH MUCH cheaper with a regular old Kalk reactor that's fed freshwater and no pH trouble caused by CO2. No fancy proprietary CO2 meter and there are lots on the market that are tried and true.

I'd recommend putting your $$ into a calcium reactor that's been around for a while and has good things said about it such as the Korallin, or a litermeter dosing system.

But that's just my opinion :)

[mark]

isn't kalk Calcium Hydroxide and the granules that Aquacare uses made from Calcium Carbonate (which is same as the Aragonite media used in a Ca Reactor)?

[aquatechy]

Does anyone even know where it would be possible to get Aquacare products in BC/Canada?