Anyone using Schuran or Gen-x large media in their calcium reactors?

[kh971]

I am using the medium grade korallith, and funny, it seems like the top of the stack is melting and nothing in the middle or bottom is.I know it has to be, but it is playing tricks on my eyes I know. The media is almost rock like and is not exhibiting the mushiness of ARM that I have used for 3 years, It is melting perfectly, but very slowly.
Mufret where did you get your dolomite?

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Yeah, Mufret beat me to it. Magnesium is one thing I do occasionally add to my system, as it is frequently lower. And as Mufret said, dolomite added to the media usually helps that.

Calcification is really a remarkable procees, but is biochemically pretty stable and uniform. It has been well studied, as anyone who went to Tom Wyatts meetings will attest to.

Mufret, the one thing I will re-mention, is under ideal circumstances, with the larger media, you have less surface area in contact for calcium reaction. So, you may need to adjust again for target levels.

 

[mufret]

I know some adjustments will be required once I change media types. Part of the challenge and pleasure that I get out of the hobby is the "tinkering" involved in trying new things and/or retrofitting old ideas and equipment with the new "technologies" that are never ending in this hobby.

As for the dolomite, I'm not sure where you can find any these days and will have to find that out once I run through my "stash". The supply I have is a result of being in and out of this hobby for way too many years! In the "old days", dolomite was used as a substrate and then, along with crushed coral, as the media of choice for trickle (wet/dry) filters before the advent of the bioball.