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Mattl22

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With a that size tank ur cal / alk needs will be high with sps I personally would go with a very good cal reactor but u might also look into dosing kalk through ur ato this will help offset the amount of 2 part u will need as stated b4 the guys that have real deal sps tanks r using every method avail
 
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Brooklyn, NY
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I'll steer clear of reef2reef ( as I always do) and steer clear of big ballers ( as I always do) and answer the question. I choose not to use a Ca reactor because:

1) in general I am lame with equipment, plumbing and fine tuning gadgets and try to run my system with as few as possible.
2) I can afford to do so because of the unique situation with ESV I mentioned above.

If # 2 wasn't the case, I'd deal with #1 and run a Ca. reactor which is what the VAST majority of extremely advanced hobbyists with larger systems have been doing for the better part of 2 decades.

Can there be problems with Ca reactors absolutely. Can there be problems with dosing 2 part, sure can. Kalk-- for sure. All methods and all system designs have potential pitfalls. The best you can do is understand these potentials to the best of your ability and do everything you can to minimize issues from occurring.

The saber rattling of which approach is " better" is silly IMO as all adherants can point to copius examples of outstanding successes--- and stupendous failures.

So what size baller does this all make me? Please don't answer because I really don't care.
 

ClosetFishGeek

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I been doing this for a very long time my friend , just because i dont post here that much doesn't mean anything . I had over a dozen or more tanks and had cal reactors and all have problem down the line . See i have high end sps and wont trust a cal reactor on my system at all . Dosing is more stable and accurate then a cal reactor bye far .

You have been doing this a very long time and say it doesnt do much for Alk..??...this is completely rediculous. And everything has problems down the line including dosers. I am not picking apart either method; they bolth are great and serve a purpose. But your statements just dont make sense.
 

batt600

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Location
Far Rockaway
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please excuse my ignorant...what's a big baller?


See this is why i dont bother with mr . R2R is all the big time sps people that no one on MR or RC can even come close to . Thay all have rare high end sps none of you even heard of or can even keep, and know there **** and dont start this BS like every one here when some one give there point of view. Now if alot of you what to take your heads out of your A**es and research europe almost 95% of reefer in europe us dosing pumps none of them will ever use a cal reactor.



And for all the others a cal reactor only controlles cal very little alk , so if your system is packed with sps you will be still dosing alk with a cal reactor . Look at reefbum he has a cal reactor and his reactor cant keep up with the alk demand and still doses alk.
 
Last edited:
Location
Brooklyn, NY
Rating - 97.4%
74   2   0
Ok slow day at work so i took the liberty to collect a little data. Using Tony Vargas' book The Coral Reef Aquarium which features 50 of the nicest tanks in the world---still a small sample, but significant enough for our purposes here. Of the outstanding tanks over 70g. featured there

31 use Calcium reactors ( some, sometimes supplemented with kalk or 2 part).

4 use 2/3 part exclusively

8 use other means ( Kalk and /or water changes.)

These tanks are from all over the world, using many different methodologies and all are really, really, really nice. So clearly, the use of Ca reactors is a viable, time tested and very good option for larger reef systems..... and remember I'm one of the few in the book that doesn't use one !!!!
 
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ecchybridLE

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Location
suffolk
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Has anyone here actually answered Ducati's question?
Does anyone dose large systems?
Being that his system is 400++ gallons and going with sps ect.
I have not heard from one person who has a system that large chime in yet.

Ducati. You will have to weed out the pros and cons I guess. I remember coming by your place a while ago. U had the mrc reactor sitting there which was way to small for that system. We talked a little about it. If u wanna setup a reactor , let me know. I'll give u a hand.
 

James404

MH for Life!
Location
Long Island, NY
Rating - 100%
27   0   0
My system is roughly 280g so not as big as his but I do have quite a bit of sps. I agree that if you are using off the shelf 2 parts then yes it can get quite expensive. I personally buy 13lb bags of baking soda from BJ's, calcium chloride can be had for very cheap too from home depot. Until his demand increases I think two part is not a bad alternative, calcium reactors are always more cost effective in the long term though.
 

tomtoothdoc

GOLFER WANNABE
Location
north jersey
Rating - 100%
390   0   0
please excuse my ignorant...what's a big baller?

See this is why i dont bother with mr . R2R is all the big time sps people that no one on MR or RC can even come close to . Thay all have rare high end sps none of you even heard of or can even keep, and know there **** and dont start this BS like every one here when some one give there point of view. Now if alot of you what to take your heads out of your A**es and research europe almost 95% of reefer in europe us dosing pumps none of them will ever use a cal reactor.



And for all the others a cal reactor only controlles cal very little alk , so if your system is packed with sps you will be still dosing alk with a cal reactor . Look at reefbum he has a cal reactor and his reactor cant keep up with the alk demand and still doses alk.


why am i being quoted? for asking what a big baller is?
are your statements directed toward me? whaddup with dat?
 

Thales

Advanced Reefer
Staff member
Vendor
Location
SFBA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'll steer clear of reef2reef ( as I always do) and steer clear of big ballers ( as I always do) and answer the question. I choose not to use a Ca reactor because:

1) in general I am lame with equipment, plumbing and fine tuning gadgets and try to run my system with as few as possible.
2) I can afford to do so because of the unique situation with ESV I mentioned above.

If # 2 wasn't the case, I'd deal with #1 and run a Ca. reactor which is what the VAST majority of extremely advanced hobbyists with larger systems have been doing for the better part of 2 decades.

Can there be problems with Ca reactors absolutely. Can there be problems with dosing 2 part, sure can. Kalk-- for sure. All methods and all system designs have potential pitfalls. The best you can do is understand these potentials to the best of your ability and do everything you can to minimize issues from occurring.

The saber rattling of which approach is " better" is silly IMO as all adherants can point to copius examples of outstanding successes--- and stupendous failures.

So what size baller does this all make me? Please don't answer because I really don't care.

Randy is wise.
 

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