Calcium Reactors ???

[Reefer Rob]

Never had a calcium reactor... never wanted one. High Ca/kH demand, SPS tank. Automate you 2 part (3 part), it's the easiest way!

[StirCrazy]

just a note, you can use your return pump to feed the Ca reactor, but not all the return can go through it. you just "T" off the return side with a 1/4" line and a valve to regulate how much you are supplying.

[reefermadness]

This is from Randy's Article -- What your Grandmother never told you about limewater


What Is Lime?

According to the National Lime Association, “lime” is defined as either quicklime or hydrated lime. These materials are made by heating calcium carbonate until the carbon dioxide is driven off, forming quicklime (calcium oxide):

1. CaCO3 à CaO + CO2

Water can then be added to form hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide; referred to subsequently in this article as just lime):

2. CaO + H2O à Ca(OH)2

Both lime and quicklime are suitable for making limewater (kalkwasser) and otherwise supplementing calcium and alkalinity in reef aquaria. There are some important differences between the use of lime and quicklime that will be discussed in subsequent sections. These differences relate to the fact that quicklime is slightly more potent and gets hot when water is added to it (equation 2).

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php

I've never known that limewater only supplies calcium is a common misconception?

[Oxymoron]

Lots of great info in this thread thank you all.
Would anyone know of a particular reactor with a very small footprint yet still suitable for a 90 gal tank? Im hoping on having a combination of softies and sps.
Thanks
Oxy

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by reefermadness

I've never known that limewater only supplies calcium is a common misconception?

It should be that it does a better job of supplying Ca than it does Alk, and in a high usage tank it won't keep up as it is only added by make up water. but in the same turn, if you have a tank that the alk is stable but the Ca drops then it works.

the biggest advantage to the Ca reactor is that it buffers the Alk way better and can maintains it slightly elivated compared to Ca.

I used to run my alk at 12dkh as I found once I got above 11 my colors just popped. when I took my Ca reactor off line for a redesigning, my Kalk reactor couldn't keep up on its own with 7 gals per day of make up water in a 120 gal system. This was a high consumption tank with extreamly fast SPS growth.

now having said all this, in one tank it might work perfectly, where the other it may not, every tank is different, and what works for one won't nessasarly work for another.

Steve