How many people dose kalkwasser with there Calcium Reator
- Thread starter william1
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the reactor will spit a balance of ca and alk (hence why it's important to have a balanced system when you hook up the reactor). The only thing to properly test for is alk. You adjust that by either lowering the drip which will raise your alk because the co2 is in the reactor longer, or raising the bubble count. To get to that perfect area when your tanks balance is depends on your ca depletion. It took me about 2 weeks to get it just right. now my tanks dkh is 9 and what ever the ca is balanced out at. Couldn't tell you, haven't checked ca for a bit now. just remember, when you adjust your reactor, give your tank at least a day to full cycle the new adjustment. Small tweaks over a longer period of time are always better. Too fast can hurt your tank. At one time my tanks DKH was running around 15! I prefer to fun 9-12
Technically it should be called a calcium carbonate reactor since it does both but I digress. And agree with balance first. Don't try to adjust your tank with a reactor. Gte it where you want with supplements first then fire the reactor up. If you don't you will waste weeks trying to adjust and readjust, etc.
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Might be a dumb question, but what do you keep in the second chamber? Is it the same size media or what? I ask because I am hoping to add a calcium reactor to my new setup in the next month and have been looking at the MRC Dual Calcium Reactor. Thanks.
I fill mine half with the same size media and half with ZeoMag or dolomite to keep the MG up also. But generally ya you can just fill both chambers up with the same stuff. You'll burn through the media in the first tank at least twice as fast as the pH melts it the pH in the second chamber is higher so not as much gets melted.
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So you use one chamber for Calcium and one for ZeoMag/Dolomite? Or do you fill each chamber half with calcium half with ZeoMag/Dolomite? Thanks for the help.
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it is not impossible to get you phine just right takes time it will happen oncwthe tsnk is mature
I lowered the bubble count in my Calcium reactor, and raised the setpoint on the controller to 6.6 because my KH was at 12, not too high but a bit. I also upped the effluent flow from the second chamber, and it took two weeks for the KH to go to 11, but I am happy with that right now. I adjusted Ca initially with Kent Turbop Calcium, but it seems to have stabilized and has not required any additions for two weeks either. I test weekly fro Ca, Mg, and Alkalinity (KH).
My second media chamber in the Ca reactor is filled with an equal amount of the ARM crushed coral, same as the first.
Dave
My second media chamber in the Ca reactor is filled with an equal amount of the ARM crushed coral, same as the first.
Dave
Looks like it is your choice. Apparently, most only use it to counter a lowering of the PH since it's calcium/alkalinity benefits are nominal when using a calcium reactor. Maybe you should just hook yours up, see what your PH does, and only run kalk if you get too much PH drop for your liking.
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Which pH controller are you going to use?
