Calcium Reactor or Kalk Reactor?
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purplegorilla
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Those 2 do different things..In my tank the kalkwasser only maintain the Calcium level but does nothing for my Alkalinity , therefore I use the Calcium reactor to help maintain my Alkalinity. So it is best to use both with the Kalkwasser acting as top off.
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I think you have it backwards
Kalk reactor = mainly Alk
Calcium reactor = mainly calcium
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Erm... Kalk adds both. Calcium reactor adds both. I use kalk and supplement with 2-part as my tank is a mixed reef and does not require a calc reactor to maintain levels.
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I kind of Agree, I said mainly because I don't think Kalk adds much calcium in relationship to alk.
But in a calcium reactor, the media can make the deference as to what comes out. alk & calcium
I cant think of any media you can add to a kalk reactor to raise the calcium.
purplegorilla
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I dunno, but over a period of time I noticed my Alkalinity level drops faster comparing to my calcium level.
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1988&articleid=2999">http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1988&articleid=2999</a>
[QUOTE=]
Disadvantages: Unfortunately, there are also some shortcomings to the use of kalkwasser. The disadvantages include:
Over time, the use of kalkwasser lowers the alkalinity in the tank. As a result, buffer also has to be added from time to time when kalkwasser is used.[/QUOTE]
Kalkwasser jacks calcium and pH while generally speaking depressing alkalinity. It is best to add some bicarbonate if you are going to dose kalkwaser. Kalkwasser is also useful if you have pH problems due to dosing via a calcium reactor, but I am coming to the opinion that water changes are better for raising pH in that scenario.
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Someone had it backwards Ooops it was me:confused2:
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Here's almost everything you'll need to know about kalk.
http://www.reefscapes.net/articles/breefcase/kalkwasser.html">http://www.reefscapes.net/articles/breefcase/kalkwasser.html</a>
And here's the rest: Calcium hydroxide has a calcium level of only 2800ppm when mixed at the correct ratio. That's very low for trying to raise calcium. It helps for moderate usage maintenance, though.
A Ca reactor and Kalk reactor are beneficial singly, but work better as a team. The Ca reactor generally can lower the pH of the system because the effluent typically does not come back out at 8.3. A Ca is great at maintaining alkalinity and calcium on any system. To raise calcium to the proper level you can use any number of calcium boosting products(I prefer Seachem Reef Complete for it's high concentration[160,000ppm] and ease of use) and from there maintain it using the reactor. To raise alkalinity, use a buffer. The buffer will have a temporary effect on pH.
An easy way to maintain pH at 8.3~ is by using a slow drip of kalk. A kalk reactor is just a more controlled way of doing it. Kalk by itself will help somewhat with calcium and alkalinity, at the cost of magnesium*, on its own but the main benefit is better than 'just water' as top off water.
*Very high pH will cause magnesium carbonate to precipitate out. That's the white drop that appears when a kalk drop hits the water.
http://www.reefscapes.net/articles/breefcase/kalkwasser.html">http://www.reefscapes.net/articles/breefcase/kalkwasser.html</a>
And here's the rest: Calcium hydroxide has a calcium level of only 2800ppm when mixed at the correct ratio. That's very low for trying to raise calcium. It helps for moderate usage maintenance, though.
A Ca reactor and Kalk reactor are beneficial singly, but work better as a team. The Ca reactor generally can lower the pH of the system because the effluent typically does not come back out at 8.3. A Ca is great at maintaining alkalinity and calcium on any system. To raise calcium to the proper level you can use any number of calcium boosting products(I prefer Seachem Reef Complete for it's high concentration[160,000ppm] and ease of use) and from there maintain it using the reactor. To raise alkalinity, use a buffer. The buffer will have a temporary effect on pH.
An easy way to maintain pH at 8.3~ is by using a slow drip of kalk. A kalk reactor is just a more controlled way of doing it. Kalk by itself will help somewhat with calcium and alkalinity, at the cost of magnesium*, on its own but the main benefit is better than 'just water' as top off water.
*Very high pH will cause magnesium carbonate to precipitate out. That's the white drop that appears when a kalk drop hits the water.
What's the water volume of the system? That would have make a difference on what I would recommend.
Without knowing that info, I'd give the following advice:
For a larger water volume with a relatively high calcium demand or if you just want to have an easier time maintaining a balanced system without dosing, I also subscribe to the jessezm method posted above.
Without knowing that info, I'd give the following advice:
For a larger water volume with a relatively high calcium demand or if you just want to have an easier time maintaining a balanced system without dosing, I also subscribe to the jessezm method posted above.
I also do all 3... Kalk, CA reactor, and a bit of baking soda.... I watch the PH swing (which give me a good feel for buffering, a.k.a. Alk levels) over the day and over the week, and tweak the Kalk and Soda. I keep the CA reactor running at a moderate to low level. Required combination will depend on the tank consumption, water changes ( amount and kind of salt, i.e. "reef" type with higher calcium, etc.) and other factors, of course.
Sad bit true: I was thinking I had not changed reactor media in a while, and changed it yesterday. I found the note I wrote on the chamber that it was last filled on Jan 27th of 07... It is oversized, and I have a second output chamber to help with PH and give it a bit more to work with, so it was not completely off, however it was kind of dumb.
If I remember correctly from my original research, the CA reactor may also provide a bit of trace supplement. It is a least worth it to add that to your research list.
-Mike
Sad bit true: I was thinking I had not changed reactor media in a while, and changed it yesterday. I found the note I wrote on the chamber that it was last filled on Jan 27th of 07... It is oversized, and I have a second output chamber to help with PH and give it a bit more to work with, so it was not completely off, however it was kind of dumb.
If I remember correctly from my original research, the CA reactor may also provide a bit of trace supplement. It is a least worth it to add that to your research list.
-Mike
