Calcium reactors are pretty simple really. You take some reactor media (which is really just dead coral skeleton) and add a bit of CO2. The CO2 drives down the pH in the reactor so that the media begins to dissolve into the water. This process puts the calcium, alkalinity and trace elements into the water that your corals/clams require to grow.
Some reactors a two chambers to dissipate the CO2 from the effluent water before it hits the tank. However, properly designed single chamber reactors shouldn't cause any significant pH swing in your tank.
German-made reactors such as deltec, schuran and korallin are very effective but pricey. What turned my away from them is that they tend to be quite complicated to set up and dial in with poor instructions.
I decided to go with a GEO reactor. It is built like a tank and dead easy to set up and dial in. All connections are clearly labelled and you get nice bonuses like a pH probe port and an adjustable effluent valve.
Aside from a reactor and reactor media, you'll need to get a CO2 tank, a regulator, and needlevalve. Don't cheap out on the regulator and needlevalve as precise control of CO2 injection is absolutely essential to the reactor working properly.
You'll also need a pH controller and solenoid. This is to prevent too much CO2 from entering the reactor and turning the media into mush.
Finally, you'll need to keep a very close eye on your Ca and Alk levels for at least the first several weeks as you dial in the reactor. You should also keep some 2-part solution on hand to adjust your levels as the reactor should be used to MAINTAIN levels rather than increasing them.
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