Hi Rostato,
You should be able to setup an ideal carx for under 1k.
You need:
1. Calcium reactor, with a pH probe holder.
2. pH probe, which can be regulated by your Neptune apex or a standalone pH controller.
3. CO2 canister
4. CO2 regulator
5. Peristaltic pump (ideal situation would be a high end one like a masterflex, but there are many cheaper ones out there now, including the $150 Versa.)
1. Geo reactors are very popular because they are simple and sturdy. They have been around for a long time and Reefers have a lot of experience with them. Based on your tank size, I think a 612 is a good size (it’s what I have on my Reefer 525XL). The 6 stands for the diameter of the chamber and the 12 stands for the height in inches.
A couple years ago
@Newjack sold me his 612 for a great price of $150. I added a pH probe holder. I’m planning on selling it in the next couple months once I upgrade my tank, and was planning on passing it along for the same price within BAR. You’re welcome to it if you want:
2. pH probe. Since you’re probably going to keep your existing pH probe in your tank, you might need to buy a new probe and apex pm1 unit. Together, new, it’s about $150. Maybe can find a deal used down to $100? The plus side of getting another module is you can setup a second temp probe, which I keep in my overflow just as another backup.
3. Co2 canister. The one pictured above is a 10lb tank. It will last you a long time (over a year probably) without refilling. This is dependent on your usage of course. A 5lb tank would be fine too, you would just have to refill it more often. I think it’s good to have a backup tank filled in storage to swap out at a moments notice. These tanks are not that expensive. Some people will include them in their package for little extra cost.
4. Co2 regulator. This controls the co2 coming out of the tank going into your reactor. The best one is the carbon doser. I know some people will say the Alan Le two stage is better but I don’t agree, having owned both. I traded
@roostertech a dos for his Alan Le 2 stage, and used it for 2 years before the solonoid started to leak slowly (so when it was supposed to be shut, a small amount of co2 would still leak through). I think you can get a used carbon doser for around $250, but I still have the Alan Le 2 stage (pictures above) and if you’re handy and want to try replacing the solonoid, I would sell it for $100.
5. Peri pump. The ideal setup is a newer masterflex unit. They can be had for around $600-700. If you’re a master negotiator like
@RandyC you can find some cheaper. While they are the best, having owned 3 of them, I do think they are slightly overrated in the reef game. I have had 1 die on me and have heard of a couple others that have croaked. They are also not immune to clogging. They are the best out there but the “set and forget” crowd doesn’t talk about some of the issues that can still happen with any peri pump on pull. Pushing through the reactor probably has less chance of clogging but it “pressurized” the chamber and there is an increased chance of leaking. Plenty of other cheaper options out there now like kamoer or versa.
I should add that some people add a secondary chamber which is also called a “degassing” chamber. The purpose of this is to increase the pH of the effluent so it doesn’t drop your tank pH as much. It becomes more significant the more effluent you are adding (as your system demands increase). I guess most people would include that in an “ideal” system but not necessary if you’re just starting out. Very easy to add later.
Hope this helps!
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