calcium reactor vs dosing pump
 

So if you guys had a choice, and could afford either set up, what would you get and why, a calcium reactor or a couple of dosing pumps with a two part selotion????

Im thinking calcium reactor but i dont like the idea of having a co2 bottle in the stand.

I've always used a reactor and wouldn't switch. I fill the tank once a year and replace media every 6 months, otherwise a set and forget setup. I also believe the quality of dissolved media is better for the tank, vs dosing that can leave salts of the compounds being dosed (chloride, sulfates, etc)

This is why I choice dosing. However, it does get quite costly the higher in volume you go. At a certain volume you're better off (more economical) to use a CA reactor.

I agree. It was tricky for me when first setting up my reactor but once dialed in it's pretty simple.

It was shown to be around the 180 gallon mark according to a pretty thorough experiment done by some random dude off reef central. I still prefer having ultimate control though and chose to ignore that with my 404g and ran a doser...

... which became too costly to run. hey wait one dang second... :biggrin:

Ca reactor all the way, I switched to dosing before after thinking it was better, it was not, switched back. With dosing you have to control each element individually meaning measuring each element more often, you have to maintain each container and the lines are pretty prone to clogging IME. It's a lot more work for no gain.

With Ca reactor it's pretty much set and forget, ph controller maintains reactor ph so you just have to watch for a steady drip. Fill media like once a year and really you only have to measure Alk which is an easy test. The CO2 lasts a very long time, you can get small 5lb bottles and all together it should take up much less space than a dosing system. If your issue with the CO2 bottle related to safety you can strap it down to prevent it from going anywhere but really it's no different than a fire extinguisher.

i am thinking of going with a nano type calcium reactor, my tank that i just finished setting up is only a 75G, do you guys recommend any type of reactor in particular?

I love my reactor. Set it and sit back and relax. I have a vertex rx-6. It takes up a lot of space. The rx-4 is smaller but still would take up a lot of space. I'm sure someone with more knowledge of other reactors will chime in.

I dose, I also mix up 5 Gallons of CA, Mg, and Alk at a time, so it's really not too much of a head ache.

For those people who use a reactor, Does a Ca reactor also add Alk too ?

Yes it does, it adds Mag and trace elements as well, it dissolves dried coral so pretty much whatever is needed to grow coral skeleton is added. You can also get supplemental chambers added to for extra dosing of certain elements.

Really, I can install a ca reactor and forget about dosing? Is it easier to achieve my parameters? Anyone selling in in the lower mainland?

I use caribsea coarse rocks and I have a bit of zeo mag rocks added in my reactor. They are rocks that are high in mg.

My tank seems to require the little bit of extra mag to keep it all stable.

Reactor all the way here as well. Get a vertex RX-4 with the extra chamber to deal with your Mg at the same time. For some reason the last week or two I've been having issues with my Alk dropping so I've been manually dosing, but it's the first time in over a year of touching anything. I love it.

Agree on the reactor. Although I am dosing at this time I'm hoping that within 9 mths vertex will have their act together with a release of a rumored new design or upgrade from the old design.

i have done some more research and heard that calcium reactors put extra phosphates into the system, is this true? im just looking for a setup that will be easier to maintain over the long term

I haven't heard that, but suspect that's true. But, phosphate is part of all organisms and corals need some phosphates. FWIW, I've always run a reactor, and my measurable PO4 is always 0ppm using a Hanna checker. I wouldn't worry about it.
Keep in mind all the food you add to the tank has phosphate, it's not necessarily a bad thing.

I've heard about the phosphate issue but it was directed at certin brands. But I do believe that corals do utilize some po4.

You may be able to "cure" the media though I'm not certin about that

I used a calcium reactor every day for over 6 years without issue. Once you figure out how it works and get it dialed in, it is a very stable piece of equipment which will give you great results.

I use a dosing pump now on a small system (90G) and it is not nearly as reliable as a calcium reactor.

That being said, dosing pumps can be effective, look at Darryl V's tank.

I dose via a pump right now and would go back to a reactor in a hearbeat if I could. Unfortunately sourcing media is very difficult as the supply seems to be inconsistent in size, regularlity and pricing. The set it and forget aspect is extremely appealing and works like a dream (once you've got it dialed in right).


Brad,

Where do you find media?

Calcium reactor here, much easier for larger tanks.

Currently there are no vertex reactors on the market! And everywhere I go they recommend dosing pumps instead, starting to feel like these places are looking for a sale instead of giving helpful advice

I buy 50 pound bags of large grain crushed coral.