so im thinking about buildig somethng to red my tank of phosphate, and possibly nitrate too. or boost my calcium level. i know phosphate and calcium reactors would do this, but im not in the mood to spend $700 for a system. so hows about this?
the water will be pumped through a tube from a puwerhead in the sump into this filter box. then it will run through the media and hopefully be cleaned. then finally flow back down (by gravity) into my sump tank.
i want to put some CARIB-SEA ARM COARSE CALCIUM REACTOR MEDIA in space two and PÛRA PhosLock (possibly in a micron bag of media is too fine) in space one. does anyone here think this would be effective? or is this just a pipe dream?
the theory is solid. . . . i don't know how much room you have in your sump and in the cabinet - - -but i am building something similar, only I'm using a 4 draw mini plastic cabinet from wal-mart {23.00} - - drilling a 1 inch hole in the top and building a "spray bar loop" to get the water to distribute all over the top drawer, drill lots of holes in the remaining three drawers and bottom of cabinet and fill each drawer with media of different forms, set this into the sump and let the return pump send it back to the tank - - - - in the sump it will be raised about 10 inches and then the water flowing from the "filter box" will run into a refugium and then over an 8 inch bubble wall baffle and then to the return pump, so in essence the plastic drawers are the filter and the sump is a refugium
but yes your idea is good, just make sure the only place water can get out is the exit to the sump, if the top is open and the media plugs up the water will come over the top of the box and then you gots a mess
yeah i was planning on having this in my future sump. my future sump is a 55gal tank. so i should have room. im also contemplating just using my hospital tank that i built. its small enough to fit inside of my 55 gal. i may just put a whole bunch of mucron bags in that and let the water run through that.
if you use a phosban media, yes ......calcium you'd have to talk to someone with more reef expierience than I - - -everthing ive read on here is people doseing with kalwasser and such, but im not 100% on that one , sorry don't wanna miss lead you in anyway
why are you so concerned with calcium ? in a softy tank it should be ok with water changes and minnor additions of calcium....keep it simple bud, its the best way.use a (pimp sock)..lol..200 micron bag and chemipure,or what ever media you want in side of it, and be done with it...imo
agreed with pimp. I was having the same problem and thats what I did. I just got a media bag through it in my sump right next to the sump pump and it worked great. Not a permanent fix........but neither should be phosban.
btw the only thing I see wrong with your setup is lack of co2. A calcium reactor uses CO2 to lower the PH in your reactor. It circulates the water inside the reactor over and over and over.........and you drip new water in and drip the calcareous water out. When the lower ph hits the calcium media.....it dissovles the media..........making liquid calicum. SO a calcium reactor would have to be a closed system in itself. Solid Idea though. If you used calcium reactor media in this setup.........it would really just filter your water. But im sure somewhere there is a corporate exec reading everything we say on these threads for ideas......So keep coming up with ideas......im sure it will happen if it can. :) should it be by you or some company.
its gonne be a softy tank for now. but i mean i definately want at least LPS. SPS are also beautiful. and when i get my big tank...i really want them. thats why im concerned about calcium. and the whole kalkwasser thing seems like a pain in the ass. but calcium reactor is ridiculously expensive. more than im paying for the tank itself...
exactly, save your money, with a few lps a bunch of softies and a tank full of coraline you can use the basic ca/alk powders or liquid. but dont let me stop you if you plan works let us know, you might bo on to a great diy project..have you thought about a deep sand bed.....i agree with the kalkwasser being a pain in the ass, the testing to get it right is tedius...good luck
calcium based sand (aragonite) very cheap, 32 bucks for 40 lbs, it will help maintain calcium,buffer the water , and kill nitrates...aragonite has a higher ph also so it will help maintain ph at a safe level, you will still need to ad ca additives .
When I get my new stand up I was going to use a DSB. I want to Go with a 7 or 8 inch DSB in a 15 gallon sump and then plumb another 15 for heater,refuge,protein skimmer and return. But honestly..........how deep could you go before its pointless.....Water doesnt circulate all through all the sand....right?
I'm a newbie to the saltwater reef game, but I have around 4.5 inches of substrate. I used 30 lbs. Florida crushed coral and 30 lbs. of live sugar sand. All I use is Balance blocks in my system and the calcium and PH seem to stay at a managable level.
