Jessbo
Active member
I am wanting to finally install a calcium reactor to my 125 gal tank. Any recommendations or reviews? I have been led toward a precision cr422 or korallin 1502 models.
need a calcium reactor
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DonW
R.I.P.
Ive had pretty good luck with schuran.
Don
Don
Jessbo
Active member
who sells schuran, never heard of it.
DonW
R.I.P.
Jessbo said:
Most online vendors sell schurans. Probably the most efficient reactor made. You can easily use their tiny pico on a 125.
Don
Premium Aquatics carries them: http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...&Product_Code=SCH-JET1&Category_Code=creactor
There's a very long thread on RC about them. In general, people that own them just rave about them & how efficient they are. But, many who own them also talk about needing a perasitic pump to be able to supply a constant feed to the reactor in order for it to function correctly, which is another cost to factor into the equation.
I'm in the market as well, and FWIW from the research I've done it seems people speak very highly of both GEO and Schuran CA reactors.
hth,
Rob
There's a very long thread on RC about them. In general, people that own them just rave about them & how efficient they are. But, many who own them also talk about needing a perasitic pump to be able to supply a constant feed to the reactor in order for it to function correctly, which is another cost to factor into the equation.
I'm in the market as well, and FWIW from the research I've done it seems people speak very highly of both GEO and Schuran CA reactors.
hth,
Rob
mattseattle
Well-known member
I sold my Schuran and went with a Geo. I am very happy with the Geo I bought. The Schuran, nonetheless, is a great reactor as well but if you ever break it or need a part for it, you'll be waiting 3 months and spend a 100.00+ on the part. I know it happened to me and one of the reasons why I sold the Schuran. The Geo is built just as well as the Schuran and much easier to maintain. On the Schuran you have to drain the entire reactor and remove the center body to change or refill the media. On the Geo the top twists off and you just pour in new media. Both handle the large style of media very well. Both have the Eheim pumps. The Geo does come with everything you need including a pH probe holder, check valves and all tubing to hook up. On the Schuran you have to buy that extra which is not expensive.
The Schuran I had to use a perisialitic pump to feed it or else it lost accuracy over time. Others have had better results feeding the Schuran with different methods. On my new Geo I am using a maxi-jet 1200 and it works perfectly and has stayed dialed in very well.
If I knew what I knew now back when I first bought my Schuran I would've went with a Geo. You can't really go wrong with either.
Another positive is the Geo is cheaper and it holds 8+ lbs of media and you can get parts cheaply and quickly.
I hope that helps.
The Schuran I had to use a perisialitic pump to feed it or else it lost accuracy over time. Others have had better results feeding the Schuran with different methods. On my new Geo I am using a maxi-jet 1200 and it works perfectly and has stayed dialed in very well.
If I knew what I knew now back when I first bought my Schuran I would've went with a Geo. You can't really go wrong with either.
Another positive is the Geo is cheaper and it holds 8+ lbs of media and you can get parts cheaply and quickly.
I hope that helps.
Last edited:
plack
Sea Otter
Hi,
Hey Matt whats the difference with the different media types ? Have you tried many different types ?
Paul
Hey Matt whats the difference with the different media types ? Have you tried many different types ?
Paul
mattseattle
Well-known member
Well, there is media like ARM which is the smaller media. The negatives of it are that is can clump easily if your pH falls. It also has more silt like material as it breaks down which clogs your flow over time. I just did not like it.
The larger media allows better flow and it's much cleaner as it breaks down. Also, you don't have to worry about it turning to mush if your pH falls too low. So far I have not found any negatives of the large media type.
The larger media allows better flow and it's much cleaner as it breaks down. Also, you don't have to worry about it turning to mush if your pH falls too low. So far I have not found any negatives of the large media type.
Jessbo
Active member
So far Geo has come up alot. No one uses a Korallin or Precision Marine model?
DonW
R.I.P.
I think the Korallin used to be very popular before companies/diyers like geo started making reactor for resale. I think if I were to go with a conventional reactor, I'd get a barr aquatics.
As far as the schuran goes. What most including the owners dont know is they are way under rated for a average reef tank. This makes the feed an issue when set up improperly. You dont need a expensive pump and unless your tank is so packed with corals there is no room for the fish to swim you dont need anthing more than their pico unit on a 125. The pico requires no draining and takes less than a minute to top-off. It runs with a single maxi-jet. Probably the best feed pump is the AM peri that sells for about $80 new.
I'm with Matt on the media. Arm is not fun stuff when it melts down and does so very easily. But it can make a marginal or even poorly designed reactor work well.
Don
As far as the schuran goes. What most including the owners dont know is they are way under rated for a average reef tank. This makes the feed an issue when set up improperly. You dont need a expensive pump and unless your tank is so packed with corals there is no room for the fish to swim you dont need anthing more than their pico unit on a 125. The pico requires no draining and takes less than a minute to top-off. It runs with a single maxi-jet. Probably the best feed pump is the AM peri that sells for about $80 new.
I'm with Matt on the media. Arm is not fun stuff when it melts down and does so very easily. But it can make a marginal or even poorly designed reactor work well.
Don
Jumpincactus
Well-known member
GEO.... solid build design. George is really helpful with any issues you may have getting it dialed in. GEO actually recomends larger Shuran type media for all the reasons mentioned already due to smaller ARM and others clogging easily.
GEO is a snap to clean. Big point that helped me decide was the Koralline I needed was the model 1502 for my size tank. I found it to be very pricey. And if you see a Kora in person and compare it to a GEO the GEO is built like a tank. Evreyone I know that owns a GEO said although a little finnicky getting it dialed in once you do they run flawlessly
Just my opinion..........
GEO is a snap to clean. Big point that helped me decide was the Koralline I needed was the model 1502 for my size tank. I found it to be very pricey. And if you see a Kora in person and compare it to a GEO the GEO is built like a tank. Evreyone I know that owns a GEO said although a little finnicky getting it dialed in once you do they run flawlessly
Just my opinion..........
marcrothschild
New member
The Schuran JS1 is a great reactor. I feed mine with Tee off of my return pump. I dissolve 1" of media a month with 100BPM of CO2. I have a SPS tank and @ 1.025 79deg my paramaters are Ca 470 Mg 1300 Alk 8
