Horizontal Calcium Reactor masterpiece from My Reef Creation is a design that was way overdue

By Jake Adams on Aug 30, 2010

The Horizontal calcium reactor above may be photographed standing up, but this is one little number that was specially built to lay flat. If necessity is the mother of invention, then tight space restrictions in the stand of William Scherbath meant that he’d have to come up with something different if he wanted a calcium reactor on his reef tank. William contacted his local acrylicsmith My Reef Creation and they worked together to design this unconventional horizontal calcium reactor that would work while lying flat. The dual Cylinder design includes fittings that are specially positioned for optimum pass-through. Extra coarse media was used since it is better at dissolving due to the higher flowrates and that regular gravel ARM just tends to clog up and create channels of flow without reacting with much of the media. Using coarse media prevents particles from clogging up the fittings and it also makes the use of a spraybar superfluous since coral bones tend to have very good flowrate in a calcium reactor anyway.

Any potential inefficiencies in the horizontal design of the reactor will be completed negated by the fact that there’s enough calcium reactor media for about 600 gallons worth of reef water to fuel a 65 gallon system. What is equally brilliant is how the CO2 reactor was also modified to pull gas from the top side of the cylinder so that it could also lay in a horizontal position. The horizontal reactor was a one-off, custom job but if the design works well and there is enough demand for it, we’re pretty certain that MRC wouldn’t mind busting out a few more units. Granted this is a first generation design but if the interest is there, we could see an iterative process of improvements making this kind of Horizontal reactor as good as any. Continue reading to see a few more pictures of this originally designed horizontal calcium reactor.

Mike

Neat, not sure exactly why you couldn’t put ANY media reactor on its side if your main attack plan is to put way more calcium than you need.

However it does make sense that if water is flowing it will work. Smaller particles as they get broken down will naturally go downward won’t they?
Mike

Neat, not sure exactly why you couldn’t put ANY media reactor on its side if your main attack plan is to put way more calcium than you need.

However it does make sense that if water is flowing it will work. Smaller particles as they get broken down will naturally go downward won’t they?
Mike

Neat, not sure exactly why you couldn’t put ANY media reactor on its side if your main attack plan is to put way more calcium than you need.

However it does make sense that if water is flowing it will work. Smaller particles as they get broken down will naturally go downward won’t they?
Oleg

The reactor is a great idea. Granted I have tons of space to leave it standing up, I like the lay flat idea. I could mount it in my stand under the aquarium. As far as that Co2 tank siphon goes, that’s been around for ages. Paintball players use it in their Co2 tanks so they don’t pull in liquid and freeze up their gun. Still a smart way to use that idea!
Oleg

The reactor is a great idea. Granted I have tons of space to leave it standing up, I like the lay flat idea. I could mount it in my stand under the aquarium. As far as that Co2 tank siphon goes, that’s been around for ages. Paintball players use it in their Co2 tanks so they don’t pull in liquid and freeze up their gun. Still a smart way to use that idea!
Oleg

The reactor is a great idea. Granted I have tons of space to leave it standing up, I like the lay flat idea. I could mount it in my stand under the aquarium. As far as that Co2 tank siphon goes, that’s been around for ages. Paintball players use it in their Co2 tanks so they don’t pull in liquid and freeze up their gun. Still a smart way to use that idea!
http://reefbuilders.com Jake Adams

What I thought would be the coolest implementation of the Horizontal CaRx is to install it into a drawer of your reef aquarium stand. Not that many of them are equipped with drawers but still would love to see it done.
http://reefbuilders.com Jake Adams

What I thought would be the coolest implementation of the Horizontal CaRx is to install it into a drawer of your reef aquarium stand. Not that many of them are equipped with drawers but still would love to see it done.
http://reefbuilders.com Jake Adams

What I thought would be the coolest implementation of the Horizontal CaRx is to install it into a drawer of your reef aquarium stand. Not that many of them are equipped with drawers but still would love to see it done.
reef

Would be a real pain to add more media as you have to undo all the screws
reef

Would be a real pain to add more media as you have to undo all the screws
reef

Would be a real pain to add more media as you have to undo all the screws
jr

what happens when you burn through 1-2 inches of media? The water will just flow above the media and bypass all of it. One giant channel across the top.

Does it have some sort of spring that pushed the media down keeping it from laying flat in the tube?
jr

what happens when you burn through 1-2 inches of media? The water will just flow above the media and bypass all of it. One giant channel across the top.

Does it have some sort of spring that pushed the media down keeping it from laying flat in the tube?
jr

what happens when you burn through 1-2 inches of media? The water will just flow above the media and bypass all of it. One giant channel across the top.

Does it have some sort of spring that pushed the media down keeping it from laying flat in the tube?
Raj

@ jr: There’s an internal spray bar that sprays the solution at every angle (up, up, down, down, left, righ, left, right..) This should ensure an even dissolution of media.
Raj

@ jr: There’s an internal spray bar that sprays the solution at every angle (up, up, down, down, left, righ, left, right..) This should ensure an even dissolution of media.
Raj

@ jr: There’s an internal spray bar that sprays the solution at every angle (up, up, down, down, left, righ, left, right..) This should ensure an even dissolution of media.
farty

“and it also makes the use of a spraybar superfluous”

sounds like it does not have a spraybar. i agree with JR. once some of the media is gone it will tend to channel along the top. i also see gas buildup issues.

is the co2 canister horizontal as well? the pics really don’t show things very well. co2 has to be run vertical since most of it is in liquid form.
farty

“and it also makes the use of a spraybar superfluous”

sounds like it does not have a spraybar. i agree with JR. once some of the media is gone it will tend to channel along the top. i also see gas buildup issues.

is the co2 canister horizontal as well? the pics really don’t show things very well. co2 has to be run vertical since most of it is in liquid form.
farty

“and it also makes the use of a spraybar superfluous”

sounds like it does not have a spraybar. i agree with JR. once some of the media is gone it will tend to channel along the top. i also see gas buildup issues.

is the co2 canister horizontal as well? the pics really don’t show things very well. co2 has to be run vertical since most of it is in liquid form.
William

The Co2 container was redone as the picture shows with a stem inside. This way the bottle can sit horizontal and the liquid doesnt just come out. This you can see in the last picture.

@reef it is very simple to refill just slide out and open this unit is not screwed into place.
William

The Co2 container was redone as the picture shows with a stem inside. This way the bottle can sit horizontal and the liquid doesnt just come out. This you can see in the last picture.

@reef it is very simple to refill just slide out and open this unit is not screwed into place.
William

The Co2 container was redone as the picture shows with a stem inside. This way the bottle can sit horizontal and the liquid doesnt just come out. This you can see in the last picture.

@reef it is very simple to refill just slide out and open this unit is not screwed into place.
FishScales

Love the design and I believe it will be functional.
@Mike: I am pretty sure the main attack plan is not to put out way more calcium than needed. That would make no sense. I first heard about the idea last Dec and watched a quasi prototype (similar but a bit dif) go into another small cube. The fact that is being built by MRC is golden. Knowing that those guys are the ones building this makes me extremely confident that it will work WELL. I hope we see a tank build thread as well.
FishScales

Love the design and I believe it will be functional.
@Mike: I am pretty sure the main attack plan is not to put out way more calcium than needed. That would make no sense. I first heard about the idea last Dec and watched a quasi prototype (similar but a bit dif) go into another small cube. The fact that is being built by MRC is golden. Knowing that those guys are the ones building this makes me extremely confident that it will work WELL. I hope we see a tank build thread as well.
FishScales

Love the design and I believe it will be functional.
@Mike: I am pretty sure the main attack plan is not to put out way more calcium than needed. That would make no sense. I first heard about the idea last Dec and watched a quasi prototype (similar but a bit dif) go into another small cube. The fact that is being built by MRC is golden. Knowing that those guys are the ones building this makes me extremely confident that it will work WELL. I hope we see a tank build thread as well.

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