Ca Reactor media and side effects..

[DJ88]

Found an interesting thread on RC today. One that has me wondering as well. If my bryopsis problem could be due to my reactor media.

WHo here uses what media in their reactors and have you noticed an increase in any type of algae growth. Specifically hair or bryopsis....

Please let me be wrong about this. I love running my reactor effluent at 7.0 - 7.1.

all thoughts/input are welcome.

One thing I have noticed with really close inspection of my media is that it looks like it is more than crushed coral. I swear there are shells and such in there. Or at least parts of shells. Do mollusk shells not contain phosphates? I rememebr a LFS owner saying crushed oyster shells were the way to go for a substrate and finding out somehow that they held phospahtes in them... Christy?? Do you do much in this area? Mollusks and shell fish I mean.

Here is the thread.

RC thread

[ 12 June 2002, 19:38: Message edited by: DJ88 ]

[ruck'n'reefer]

Now that you mention it, I have had increased hair algae since the reactor. I'll have to read that thread. I am not using ARM though. Just the cheapo stuff....

[Aquattro]

Darren, I've been using the ARM for about 5 months with no problems at all. Effluent is ~6.9. You are correct about oyster shells containing PO4.

[reefburnaby]

Hi,

I just switched to ARM, but I haven't noticed any change in unwanted algae growth. No problems so far...and it uses less CO2 than my other stuff.

I run my effluent at 6.9 on my first stage, but the second stage reduces it to 7.6-7.7.

- Victor.

[Doug]

Darren, I had a fair amount of bubble algae growing in the 170, while running the various reactors I was trying.

Problem is, I feed a ton, so cant contribute it to the reactor alone, I dont think. But I always wondered.

I used only Caribsea ARM. But ran my effluent at 6.5. That kept the calcium at 420ppm and alk at 13dkh.

I swapped the reactor for a large Vario kalk reactor. Its going to be running on my current two tanks. I dont know if it can keep up with the two though. May have to add a reactor also.

As of now I have no algae growing, just a few bubbles left over from before. Will see how this works. I think its more important than we relize, to remove as much of the residual co2 as possible before entering the tank. This would make the use of a second chamber very important.

I dont know how effective it is, dripping it near a skimmer for instance or some other method of blowing it off. For sure, one must make sure the drip is above the water line.

[stephane]

Doug I run the kalkwasser reactor for 2-3 years
no calcium one + I feed litle recently more but no difference I have buble algea (valvonia)to not a ton but they seem to alway find a place to grow somewere
most of the time on a new piece of base rock or a dead coral they dont seem to be able to fix there self on old rock encrusting with life but attack new piece. When they become old they are recover whit coraline but still grow, those are pita but I learn to live whit them because I dont want to add a mitrax crab in the tank.

[ 13 June 2002, 06:44: Message edited by: stephane ]

[coldincanada]

I have used ARM for a year and a half with no algae problems at all.

Jay

[ldzielak]

Darren,

I would have to say that I noticed algae growth too only after starting up my Ca reactor. But it has not been that much of a problem, I have some algae in my sump (unidentified) that will out compete anything so far with out spreading in the main tank.