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09 Feb 2019

Why Calcium Reactors For Reef Aquariums

Posted By : Guest

Why do we need Calcium Reactors for reef aquariums? In nature, seawater bathes coral reefs and provides many minerals and elements. Of all the minerals and elements present in natural seawater, no mineral is consumed as quickly or in large amounts as calcium. Hard corals, which are the building blocks of the coral reef, demand large amounts of calcium to build their skeletons. Providing enough calcium to meet the demands of all the corals, invertebrates, and algae in a closed ecosystem creates a real challenge for the hobbyist.

To help you meet this challenge, consider adding a calcium reactor to your aquarium system. Calcium reactors automate the process of replenishing calcium as well as other minerals and trace elements.

A calcium reactor is essentially a chamber full of aragonite, which is the crushed skeleton of ancient hard corals. Aquarium water is pumped through this chamber along with pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2). The CO2 lowers the pH in the chamber to an acidic level, which dissolves aragonite into the aquarium water. In addition to dissolving the calcium, this process also dissolves nearly all the minerals and trace elements the coral used in order to grow. Therefore, a calcium reactor takes much of the guesswork out of adding trace elements to your reef aquarium, because it replenishes these minerals and elements in the near exact proportions that the corals need to thrive.

A calcium reactor is placed in the sump of a wet/dry filter. Everything you'll need for successful installation of such a system includes: a calcium reactor with a re-circulating pump, a CO2 bottle with regulator and solenoid valve, pH controller and probe, and the aragonite media. It is also wise to periodically check the accuracy of the pH controller with a pH test kit to ensure that the calcium reactor is working properly.

Consider the following setup:

While there is considerable start-up costs associated with implementing such a system, a calcium reactor may prove to be a wise long-term investment by saving you time, money, and frustration while maximizing your coral growth. The Deltec PF509 Calcium Reactor is considered the 'baby' of Deltec's 5th generation range of Fluidized Calcium Reactors. It is more than capable however of providing the correct level of calcium for a small to medium sized reef tank.

The Deltec PF509 Calcium Reactor has a new bayonet style fitting which makes cleaning and maintenance quick and easy. It comes complete with 2kg of Deltec Hy Carb media. We recommend you add Pinpoint CO2 regulator kit and Pinpoint pH Controller (includes pH probe) from American Marine, then you will have everything that you need to plug and play. The Deltec PF509 Calcium Reactor is suitable for tanks up to 500l, so is great for those with a smaller tank who may upgrade.

For those of you that want something more high-end, consider the Deltec CR Twin Tech which is a new automatic calcium reactor with a lot of bells and whistles. At first look the Deltec CR Twin Tech is a lot for the eyes to take in, but there’s a nice serving of German engineering with each and every piece. The first big difference between the CR Twin Tech and other automatic calcium reactors is the inclusion of an extra tube which is separate from the mixing chamber itself. This allows the water level to remain more stable even as the CO2 mixing chamber has aggressive water flow moving through it.

The innovative Deltec CR Twin-Tech calcium reactor has several unique features providing simplicity of control but also relating to the way that the system feeds the reactor with water from the aquarium. The smart controller on the Twin-Tech uses a built in flow meter to accurately measure the volume of water passing into the reactor, information it uses to control a standard DC feed pump. This feature allows the user to know exactly how much reactor effluent, in litres, is being added to the aquarium within each 24-hour period, which is shown on a large LCD display in the centre of the controller. The water flow can be adjusted by the user between 10 and 350lt per day simply by pressing two up and down buttons on the panel.