Ed,
to clear some things up for you, i think you're confusing Rowaphos, which is a media used to remove phosphate, and Rowalith, the media used in the Deltec calcium reactors. rowalith is specifically designed to be fluidized (which creates greater contact time) and melt more efficiently than other media, as it is very light. it is highly recommended not to use any other media in a Deltec calcium reactor, as larger sized media may scratch the chamber severely when fluidized, or potentially permenently damage the recirculating pump should a large piece get caught in it.
the Deltec reactors are very powerful, and as such require some different methods of use. they should only be run 12 hrs per day, from the time the ph rises after the lights go on, to the time that the ph falls after they go off. because the reactor's dKH can easily get over 80, you need to be sure to monitor both reef and reactor dKH at least weekly. once the unit is set-up correctly, which isn't too difficult, you will have continuous trouble-free usage.
as for the situation with the rowalith media, i recently imported 1/2 a ton of it to my facility, and have another 1/2 ton arriving next week. there should not be an issue with availablility as i'm bringing it in on a regular basis.
you asked about a 'worse-case scenario' with a calcium reactor. if you have a reactor (any reactor) that CO2 is being fed into, and your pump fails so there is no effluent water coming out of the reactor, eventually you will create hydrogen sulphide gas (the 'rotten egg' smell) which can be quite toxic to your reef inhabitants. if this happens, flush your reactor with fresh water and restart it. there should be no problems after that. if you are using a timer for your reactor, just plug the solenoid into the timer to turn on and off the CO2, but not the feed pump. as indicated above, that should never turn off.
hth
Doug
Deltec USA
, but you are correct. It's a good idea to watch that pH.
