Calcium & Alk. Additives - What's best?

[marie]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Agreed. I fill my reactor twice a year, and top off the CO2 maybe that much. The dosing might be a great way, but I think more work, and fairly costly to start up. Again, a reactor ain't cheap either, unless you make your own.

With this topic though, one really should know what the Ca/Alk consumption is, then decide how best to deal with it.

Brad did you use the same with the big tank you used to have? and how much media does your reactor hold?
I'm refilling my reactor every 5 weeks or so with about 6lbs of media and I'm finding it a big pain in the butt

[Aquattro]

Marie, my comments were based on my old tank, my new one isn't growed up enough yet

My reactor holds about 18 pounds of media, so I don't need to change it that often. I find the first annual change is just to remove the finer sludge, it tends to slow the flow after 4 or 5 months.
Still, I never used a pound/week, even at it's peak of growth.

[marie]

I'm pretty sure most of my calcium goes to coraline algae. I have lots and lots of coraline algae

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by marie

I'm pretty sure most of my calcium goes to coraline algae. I have lots and lots of coraline algae

Perhaps. I got to a point where I had none on the glass, not sure why. Corals grew like crazy though....