Aquamaxx CTech -T1 Review

solitude127

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#1
Since there aren't too many review of the Aquamaxx CTech Calcium reactor, I figure I'd put one out there that I recently installed.
My initial thoughts on the reactor is that it's very well built and solid construction. For my tank, I'm using the recommended CTech-T1. The T1 comes with a Sicce 0.5 recirculation pump and after starting it up, it's very quiet. I like the fact that it has its own baffle to try and keep the noise down. I also like that the pinch valve is at the beginning of the reactor and not on the effluent side. It also has a pre-filter to keep detritus out of the reactor. I haven't had it long enough to see how quick it gets dirty and what effect it has on the effluent but I like the fact that AM is trying to keep the gunk out of the reactor.
Here's a picture of it out of the box and the ATB secondary chamber I'm going to use to help dissolve some of the CO2 before going back into the tank.





Here's a pic of the custom regulator I built. I followed Alan Le model and have quickly discovered how important a good needle valve is.



Initial setup is a breeze, it's pretty much just plug and play for the most part. I'm using a Sicce 0.5 to feed the reactor and I really like the fact that the pinch/flow valve is at the beginning of the reactor as opposed to on the effluent line.
It's only been running for a few days but adjusting the reactor has been really easy with the help of a quality needle valve and an easy to tune pinch valve.
I'll try to report back about the reactor and hopefully my opinion doesn't change over the months/years.

 
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[MENTION=3725]solitude127[/MENTION] Off topic but, have you ever used the Reef Octopus reactor for GFO? I'm trying to find the same strainer to buy in the states, but I only found them in China and even then, I don't know if they're any good.
 

solitude127

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Looks dope. Whats the idea behind using two different kinds of medias?
The 2nd chamber is to help dissolve the CO2 so the smaller media has more surface area for which this would happen.

[MENTION=3725]solitude127[/MENTION] Off topic but, have you ever used the Reef Octopus reactor for GFO? I'm trying to find the same strainer to buy in the states, but I only found them in China and even then, I don't know if they're any good.
No, never used a RO reactor. are you looking for a similar strainer like on this ATB reactor?
 
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#5
The 2nd chamber is to help dissolve the CO2 so the smaller media has more surface area for which this would happen.



No, never used a RO reactor. are you looking for a similar strainer like on this ATB reactor?
Sorry. I meant the ATB reactor. And yes, I'm looking for a similar strainer for my DIY PVC sponge less reactor.
 

solitude127

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One thing to mention about this reactor is the ability to place the pre-filter canister and bubble counter anywhere on one of the thumb screws. This is one of the main reasons why I chose this reactor because of the ability to make the footprint a little smaller.
 

solitude127

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Just an update.
So I thought that replacing the provided pinch valve with a fancy needle valve would benefit me, right? Nope. After adding the needle valve and did nothing but fuss with the drip rate so after a week and a half, I gave up and put the provided pinch valve back on. Since then, I'm back to stable flow and stable parameters. :)

Here's a pic of the needle valve I added.
 

solitude127

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Just a quick update. The reactor has been up and running for 6 months now and parameters are very stable. I feel like I'm getting better growth with a CaRx than I was with dosing 2part. Thanks [MENTION=6299]MarineDepot[/MENTION] for all your help.

Just a quick question. At what point to you refill your media? When there a 1/4 of the medial left, an 1/8th? Also do you just top off the media or do you replace with new media?
 

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AquaMaxx CTech

Just a quick update. The reactor has been up and running for 6 months now and parameters are very stable. I feel like I'm getting better growth with a CaRx than I was with dosing 2part. Thanks @MarineDepot for all your help.

Just a quick question. At what point to you refill your media? When there a 1/4 of the medial left, an 1/8th? Also do you just top off the media or do you replace with new media?
I am happy to hear the reactor is working out, they are really nice when set up and run correctly.

I replace the media about once every 12-18 months. The media is usually about 1/4 full and full of debris/detritus at that point so I go ahead and clean out the reactor, soak the pump and all the parts, then do a full swap with brand new media. Don't forget you can add Magnesium media as well which works great!

-Robert @ MD
 
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Updates.. how's she running is it still worth it? I see they are pretty cheap.. how much did the custom regulator run you? I am going through 2 part pretty fast and thinking a calc reactor once tuned might help with my busy schedule

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 

solitude127

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Updates.. how's she running is it still worth it? I see they are pretty cheap.. how much did the custom regulator run you? I am going through 2 part pretty fast and thinking a calc reactor once tuned might help with my busy schedule

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
It's working great. I just topped off my media after 6 months of use. Parameters have been stable. I'm extremely pleased that I switched to a CaRx. If I had the room, I probably would have gone with c-tech 2 for more capacity.

The reg probably cost me close to $300 when said and done. If I went with brass fittings, I probably could have saved $40 - $50 but I don't regret getting SS.

Let me know if you have more questions
 

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It's working great. I just topped off my media after 6 months of use. Parameters have been stable. I'm extremely pleased that I switched to a CaRx. If I had the room, I probably would have gone with c-tech 2 for more capacity.

The reg probably cost me close to $300 when said and done. If I went with brass fittings, I probably could have saved $40 - $50 but I don't regret getting SS.

Let me know if you have more questions
Who built your regulator?
 
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