The ‘Coral Composter’ is a terrible name for an otherwise interesting concept product recently introduced by talented craftsmen at Liquid Oasis. First shown off at ReefStock Australia in late summer, the Coral Composter straddles the line between being a real calcium reactor and a recycle bin for ‘used’ coral skeletons.
First of all let’s just put it out there that the demographics of reef aquarists who are growing so much coral that they are in need of a solution to dissolve their unwanted corals is beyond a low percentage. There’s a case to be made that we spend a lot of time, money and resources growing corals with precious elements and minerals so why not just get them back when a coral has reach the end of its aquarium life?
We’re not compelled by the composting, recycling part of this device but we do have some appreciation for how the Liquid Oasis coral composter reimagines the layout of a typical calcium reactor. The wannabee calcium reactor is shaped like a small volume, tall sump with an internal removable basket. This caddy or basket holds both the media and the recirculation pump making it quite easy to access, service or clean this part of the composter.
Besides this internalizing of the circulation pump, the coral composter is not totally sealed like a typical reactor, but it is still closed off more like a kalkwasser reactor. Liquid Oasis directs its users to run what we’d consider a quite high pH for dissolving aragonite at 7.0 to 7.2 making it more of a ‘diet calcium reactor’ and we have to wonder if this approach is doing more to just add CO2 to the aquarium water than dissolving the old coral skeleton within.
Thankfully two of the more prolific YouTubers from ReefStock Australia both took some time to get to know the Liquid Oasis Coral Composter. As luck would have it Darren & Gordon actually won the Coral Composter on display at ReefStock so we expect to see some review and update videos of this concept device in the near future. [Liquid Oasis]
