[Delphinus]

What I do right now, is I run a Ca reactor and I dose Kalk in my topup water. I will eventually add a kalk reactor although the progression I'm taking seems to be backwards, most people start with a kalk reactor and progress to a Ca reactor after that. The reason I'm going to a kalk reactor after my Ca reactor is that I find while the reactor is doing its job, I started dosing kalk to try to help maintain a stable pH (and see if the raised pH would help get rid of my dinoflagellate bloom that I had been battling lately); and what I found was that after about 2 weeks of the kalk in my topup, I couldn't beleive my eyes as far as the colour of coraline algae all of a sudden. Previously barren white rock are now purple and pink ... and all over. I had no idea this was going on under all the dinoflagellate goo. So ... I can't say that the kalk was 100% behind this epiphany, too many variables at play, but basically in my mind I think I've found a good thing and I want to run with it.

So yes for a beginner start maybe with the kalk, and see where that goes for you. Just my advice anyways. No reason not to go into a Ca reactor right away either (except that it is, a "not insignificant" investment. I think I'm out somewhere between $300-$400 on my reactor -- that's the reactor, the CO2 cylinder, the regulator, the bubble counter, the CO2 solenoid shutoff valve, and the recirc pump). My take on it is, you'll likely not regret either choice, but the kalk reactor is definitely less $$$.

HTH