Cheap Calcium Reactor?

[harrylikesfish]

Okay I’ve been lookin at Calcium Reactors and a complete set up is in the $800-$1000 range. Are there any cheaper ones?

 

[ThePurple12]

I don't know about calcium reactors, but I got some ice melt on sale at Walmart for 25 cents a bag. I haven't dosed it yet, but others have had success with it. RC has some great info:

prestone driveway heat site:reefcentral.com - Google Search

www.google.com

 

[vangvace]

Okay I’ve been lookin at Calcium Reactors and a complete set up is in the $800-$1000 range. Are there any cheaper ones?

Some generalities:
The vessel is largely the same regardless of the brand and last a long time. Buying used is a great cost saver there. A larger vessil will hold more media and use more CO2, but otherwise no other large detractors.
Look local for a CO2 tank. Kits are going to come with a shiny new empty bottle and many businesses will exchange versus fill an empty bottle.
CO2 regulators are the most important piece of the system.
How are you planning on flow through the reactor and maintaining reactor pH?

 

[jda]

Used setups is where you save some money. Even when buying new, you do not need to spend $800-1000. There is a link in my signature to some collected CaRx thoughts on buying and running them.

 

[apcoleman]

Avast Marine is currently running 30% off their calcium reactors

 

[ibondy]

Avast Marine is currently running 30% off their calcium reactors

I just purchased Avast Marine SeaBones Calcium reactor and so far very happy with it (running for a day) and trying to dial it for my tank demands. Awesome support if you have any questions or need help. Highly recommended and reasonably priced. You can always add CarbonDoser and/or Kamoer pump if you have a budget for it. I will share my setup and experiences once everything settles down.

@AVAST Marine

 

[joseserrano]

Aquamaxx is a good cost effective option. You’ll still need a good regulator. Price also depends on how you’ll feed the reactor and monitor the ph inside it, but going cheap tends to cost you on this hobby. I wouldn’t cheap out on the regulator or ph controller

 

[G Santana]

Built my own for under $100.00. Couldn't see spending so much money for a plastic tube. Currently building a dual stage regulator, I have about $250 into it. Got a great deal on a used regulator.
Use the search feature, ask questions, there are a number of qualified folks who are willing to help here, I got a ton of help as I have never used a calcium reactor before!!!
Good luck!!!

 

[jda]

Save the money on a pH controller. There is no need... it is for you, not the reactor. IME, you can do better 100% of the time without a pH controller even though some use them to monitor and not control.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Cheap ? with what expected results. Trying to save money, I got Vertex CD6, 20# O2 tank, carbon Doser valve, pump and case of Reborn and still spent over $800. Price of a CA reactor setup.

 

[jda]

For another example, I got a 20 year old Knopp for $32.50 at a local store - Ehiem pump that still worked. Got a used single stage regulator for $20 and it had a precision needle valve. 5 lb co2 tank for $5 off of Craigs List. Got some co2 safe airline tube, o-rings and teflon tape for $5-10.

I did have to buy some o-rings and reseal some of the reactor. Took me a few trips to the hardware store and about an hour to rebuild everything. This unit does not need a feed pump.

...so about $75-80, but I had to take the risk on used stuff and have some elbow grease. Now, this setup is only on a 60g cube, but it needs filled every few months and the corals are getting pretty large for a cube. The progression of the tank, along with photos, is linked in my signature.

Here is a photo after the wet run in my garage: