Setting up a calcium reactor for SPS tank

[jolt9]

I'm setting up a calcium reactor for my 120-gallon SPS tank and wanna make sure I don't mess it up. Got a Reef Octopus CR140, but I'm sketchy about the CO2 bubble rate. How do y'all dial it in without nuking the tank?

[Tavion]

Start slow with the CO2, like 1 bubble per second. Test your alkalinity every few hours to see how it's affecting the tank. I run mine at 1.5 bps for a 150-gallon system, but every setup's different. What's your current alk level?

[Daxtonic]

Yo, I've got the same reactor on my 90-gallon. Took me a week to dial it in. Keep your alk test kit handy, and don't rush it. My tank's alk was 8 dKH when I started, now it's steady at 9.5. You got a pH controller?

[silkon]

I'm just starting with SPS and this thread's gold. My tank's only 40 gallons, so I'm scared of overdoing it. What's the smallest reactor y'all would recommend for a nano setup?

[jolt9]

Start slow with the CO2, like 1 bubble per second. Test your alkalinity every few hours to see how it's affecting the tank. I run mine at 1.5 bps for a 150-gallon system, but every setup's different. What's your current alk level?

My alk's at 7.5 dKH right now. I'll try the 1 bps and test like you said. Thanks!

[lowtide]

For nanos, the Aquamaxx FR-S is solid. I run it on my 30-gallon with a tiny CO2 bottle. Just gotta watch the pH swings. What's your lighting schedule like? That affects uptake too.

[daxley]

Man, I blew it with my first reactor by cranking the CO2 too high. Corals looked pissed for days. Now I keep it chill at 1 bps and let the controller do the work. You using a media chamber or just straight reactor?

[Tavion]

Yo, I've got the same reactor on my 90-gallon. Took me a week to dial it in. Keep your alk test kit handy, and don't rush it. My tank's alk was 8 dKH when I started, now it's steady at 9.5. You got a pH controller?

A pH controller's a game-changer. I've got mine set to cut CO2 if pH drops below 7.8. What media are you running in the reactor?

[Daxtonic]

Using ARM media, the coarse kind. It's been steady for months now. Only downside is it's dusty as heck when you first load it. Rinse that stuff real good or your skimmer's gonna freak out.

[silkon]

For nanos, the Aquamaxx FR-S is solid. I run it on my 30-gallon with a tiny CO2 bottle. Just gotta watch the pH swings. What's your lighting schedule like? That affects uptake too.

Lights are on 10 hours, running AI Prime at 60%. Think I should cut it back while dialing in the reactor?