Ultra Reef is an Italian aquarium gear builder which has been making fine protein skimmers and calcium reactors for several years now. We’ve watched the design of their calcium shift and change ever slightly over time, and what they have culminated on with their UCS calcium reactor series is simply beautiful.
Machined out of PVC and acrylic, there’s no doubt that Italians have a great eye for style and their calcium reactors are so easy on the eyes, we wouldn’t think twice if we were told these were actually made by Elos. But form is supposed to follow function and to that end Ultra Reef’s calcium reactors are also some of the most compact on the market.
The Ultra Reef Nano Calcium Reactor UCS-100 is particularly dazzling, with a teeny, tiny footprint with a volume and dimensions approximately those of a one liter bottle. Sure there’s plenty of cheap plastic calcium reactors approaching this size but none of these have the attention to detail and build quality of the Ultra Reef UCS-100 Nano calcium reactor.
With a full suite of port, tiny footprint and a Sicce pump powering all Ultra Reef skimmers and reactors, there’s nothing we don’t like about the line of aquarium products. Sure the use of screws to seal up the calcium reactor chamber is not the most easy-access possible, but it probably works better for getting a strong and secure seal, and this is the kind of reactor we’d turn to for external use.
The price is not too bad either, with the UCS-100 Nano Reactor retailing for 239€ (~$270) and up to 620€ (~$700) for the largest UCS-200 calcium reactor. [Ultra Reef]
