Kalk in ATO?
- Thread starter daverf
- Start date
Thanks for all the feedback everyone, Please keep it coming. Lots more research I need to do... As I see from above.hanks for all the feedback everyone, Please keep it coming. Lots more research I need to do... As I see from above.
Question for those that have tried just straight kalk in the ATO reservoir. Do you think if I premixed with water, let the precipitate settle, pour the water into my ato, and add ran a full time powerhead in the ato reservoir, that I would still have an issue?
Question for those that have tried just straight kalk in the ATO reservoir. Do you think if I premixed with water, let the precipitate settle, pour the water into my ato, and add ran a full time powerhead in the ato reservoir, that I would still have an issue?
I used to run kalk in my elos osmolater ATO. I did this for about 9 months then eventually switched over to two part dosed in 8 45 second periods.
The only reason I switched is when my demands got high enough I did not feel comfortable upping the kalk to the full concentration and dosing with just one or two top offs a day so I switched to two part, much more controlled and spread out which has been nice as its really helped to stabilize my pH.
One I get my big tank up (someday) Ill probably go back to running kalk in my ATO along with a calcium reactor to help offset the pH drop from the Co2.
The only reason I switched is when my demands got high enough I did not feel comfortable upping the kalk to the full concentration and dosing with just one or two top offs a day so I switched to two part, much more controlled and spread out which has been nice as its really helped to stabilize my pH.
One I get my big tank up (someday) Ill probably go back to running kalk in my ATO along with a calcium reactor to help offset the pH drop from the Co2.
I have a Kalc reactor fed from my top off. I set the Apex to dose the same amount every day. In parallel, I have the switches and separate plumbing for ATO. I also dose Randy's 2 part, and just automated that with dosing pumps the other day. I really like using both since Kalk helps with PH, and also has a side benefit to help with PO4.
OK I've been measuring and reading more. I don't think I have room in my stand for another reservoir. And this seems to be something that I don't want to just do another of my DIY redneck (1G pitcher) in-sump reactors for. While my tank is Fish Only and dosing isn't as critical, I have a sulfur reactor coming online next week, so I'm expecting that Kalk is going to be important.
So one last question on the ATO path then I'll give up on it. If I just do a kalk dose that is low so as to avoid supersaturated lime water, premixed (in 1G RO) then added to my ATO with recirculating pump, do you think even that situation will cause cloudiness/clogging?
Assuming that might work for ATO/Kalk adding, I realize I still may need to manually add more if that doesn't maintain my levels...but at least that would keep the levels steadily boosted and reduce the occasional manual adds.
Thoughts?
So one last question on the ATO path then I'll give up on it. If I just do a kalk dose that is low so as to avoid supersaturated lime water, premixed (in 1G RO) then added to my ATO with recirculating pump, do you think even that situation will cause cloudiness/clogging?
Assuming that might work for ATO/Kalk adding, I realize I still may need to manually add more if that doesn't maintain my levels...but at least that would keep the levels steadily boosted and reduce the occasional manual adds.
Thoughts?
I personally ran mine the entire time without the pump ever clogging but I was only using 1/2 - 1 TBS per gallon of RO and was only mixing the RO and Kalk once a day when I would dump more kalk and ro mix in the reservoir at the right. I always pulled the kalk mixture from between the crust in the surface and the sediment at the bottom. The two black marks on the container where my marker for where my pump pulled the mix from.
Kalgra;229158 said:
I personally ran mine the entire time without the pump ever clogging but I was only using 1/2 - 1 TBS per gallon of RO and was only mixing the RO and Kalk once a day when I would dump more kalk and ro mix in the reservoir at the right. I always pulled the kalk mixture from between the crust in the surface and the sediment at the bottom. The two black marks on the container where my marker for where my pump pulled the mix from.