Buying Kalk reactor, what is the best in $200 - $250 range?

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BobinCovington

BobinCovington

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Sep 21, 2004
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Covington, Washington
I am finally going to break down and buy a kalk reactor for my 29 gallon tank and sump system. I have seen a few out there, but I am leaning towards the $199 special in the fish store catalog (Dr whatever). It stirs the kalk with a mechanical stir rod similar to Deltec, (but not as nicely made or expensive). I only have about $250 to budget for this peice of equipment (car brakes and shocks took out my aquarium budget)

I am planning to plumb it in line with my make up water and use a Aqua lifter with a float switch

Any comments? All "advice" is appreciated :)
 
That reactor actually looks pretty nice. I'd buy it if I were in the market. I dont really think pump stirred reactors are the way to go unless your using a big garbage can.

Don
 
I'd almost wait a bit longer to save up more money and get the Deltec. They are REALLY proud of their equipment (guessing by the price they offer it at....:shock: ), but I havent heard of a single complaint about their stirrers either....

http://www.deltecusa.us/kalkwasserstirrers/index.php

One thought regarding your planned set up. I would strongly suggest you triple check your float switch, and build in ALOT of safeguards to prevent failure. Dont want to nuke your tank by spiking the pH because your skimmer goes crazy and splashes water all over the floor or because your float switch gets stuck....

Nick
 
I agree with Nick on having a good ato system and some safegaurds. I dont think you need to spend big bucks to get a decent reactor. They are not like calcium reactors that take any real skill or engineering. I only use kalk in the winter because my heat is ventless gas. My reactor is nothing more than a tube with a 1rpm motor sitting on top. The stirrer is just a acrylic rod attatched to scrap of acrylic. What I dont like is the typical ato setup that just pumps water through the reactor every time a float drops. This causes all sorts of precip and wastes alot of kalk. If you go to the deltec usa web site and download the pdf instruction manual for their reactor you will see the most efficient ways to run a reactor along with some failsafes.

Don
 
Hey Bob I think that is the same one I found as custom aquatic, & either one is $200 less! What a bargain, if anything you can easily tweak it if it needs improving but should work out fine.
 
sounds good,thanks for the help (and Don, thanks for your old 29 gallon plexi tank...it's now my sump)

Today I am running PVC under the house from the garage to the living room. I will order the kalk reactor to be installed next weekend.

So my water make up/kalk system will be...

1) a commercial 15 gallon poly cylindrical container with lid for RO freshwater (I manually fill when needed - I may rig up a float switch with alarm light for low water level/refill needed)

2) Pumps out of RO water to kalk reactor with aqualifter pump and ultralife float switch

3) Tubing plumbed from kalk outflow to final chamber in sump before return to tank

4) Corals are much happier and so am I :)
 
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