Need some calcium reactor help! A LITTLE HELP WOULD BE NICE

Tarolisol · #1 11-04-2006, 05:46 AM

I have been a little skeptical of my dKH test, so maybe ill buy a better brand and get back to everyone.

but say i dont have anything to supplement my calcium would that be a problem, i dont have any corals at the moment

also if i just adjust the rait of water entering my tank rom the calc reactor wouldnt that effect my PH of my tank?

support@proline · #2 11-04-2006, 06:34 AM

Sean ,what brand of test kits are you using?
Pay albert a visit he does have salifert & Elos Test kit ,KH test kits are usually pretty cheap does not matter what brand .Make sense to double check.
Don't worry once you figure how to dial the reactor ,they be easy to work with.
I think Ed & Tony have pointed you to the right direction.

Tarolisol · #3 11-04-2006, 03:07 PM

Yeah, i was just at golds yesturday and got the Elos Mg kit. I might just upgrade all my kits, i am using aqua pharmacuticals at the moment.

Tarolisol · #4 11-09-2006, 02:12 AM

Well, to keep up with this post.
My magnesium level is 1.100 or somthnig like that, not sure if thats good or bad.

Also i cant seem to bring my calcium up. Ive been adding argamilk for several days now but cant get it above 240ppm. My alk is at about 11-12dKH. Im beggining to think there is something wrong with my calcium kit, or can argamilk go bad.

Also my PH has been slightly increasing it has gone up to 8.45 from 8.3. Cant really explain this.

support@proline · #5 11-10-2006, 03:21 AM

Hi Sean
Just checking on how you doing with this?
your MG should be around 1300 to 1350 ppm, your low MG can cause some problems with the balance.
The Zeomag that you have comming to you can be just placed on the top of the media in the chamber ,stuff is very strong ,please use in the ratio of 10% zeomag to 90% aragonite media.
For a quick Mg fix you can use an additive.any brand will do .
what is your bubble / minute for co2
How many drops/ minute of effluent exits ,the reactor?
Sorry for late response ,but keep us posted please.

Pescador · #6 11-10-2006, 03:49 AM

Aragamilk won't bring your CA levels up. It is basically an aragonite slurry. You need a calcium supplement like Reef Complete (that has Mg as well) or the calcium part of a two part supplement.
Don't dose anything for your alk so it can fall and let your CA go up.
It could take a couple weeks to bring your level up until it's in balance with your alk and then your reactor will maintain it.
You can use a calcium supplement to raise your levels but to maintain them you have to use a balanced two part supplement or your reactor.

Tarolisol · #7 11-10-2006, 03:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by support@proline

Hi Sean
Just checking on how you doing with this?
your MG should be around 1300 to 1350 ppm, your low MG can cause some problems with the balance.
The Zeomag that you have comming to you can be just placed on the top of the media in the chamber ,stuff is very strong ,please use in the ratio of 10% zeomag to 90% aragonite media.
For a quick Mg fix you can use an additive.any brand will do .
what is your bubble / minute for co2
How many drops/ minute of effluent exits ,the reactor?
Sorry for late response ,but keep us posted please.

The reactor is doing probly a dubble per second, maybe slightly less. As for efulent i have no clue buts its probly pretty high since its coming out quite quickly.

kari · #8 11-10-2006, 02:59 PM

After the mg is at normal level maybe use something cheap like calcium chloride (Turbo Calcium) and baked baking soda for adjusting alk and calcium levels.

I'm planning on trying the mg media in the reactor aswell but wonder if over dosing can become a problem. It would be a bummer if levels get too high and the need to dump all the media comes up. Possibly the easiest fix is to use a salt brand with the correct mg content and do some water changes. I find the bottled mg additives get too costly with larger tanks.