wanna start dosing Kalk in ato but question

[crustytheclown]

So when you make the kalk mixture and let it sit; there will be a solution above the sediment and thats what you want to use in the ato reservoir right? Or do you just mix the kalk up in the ato reservoir and keep adding fresh ro water as needed? Im confused... I am using a aqualifter on a timer for my ato right now and want to know if i should just add the kalk to the reservoir or if i need to mix it in a different container, let it sit and than only add the clear solution to the ato reservoir.
also i read here that you can keep using the sediment over and over by just adding new ro water to the reservoir and the sediment will keep dissolving into the water for a while before it needs to be completely replaced? Here is a link to this
http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f6/kalkwasser-how-to-add-181762.html
Can anyone clear up my confusion?

 

[Walter White]

When I was running kalk on my nano I just started the first batch with the maximum amount of kalk I wanted to use then just added RO with about 1/4 the amount of kalk I originally used as it got low to keep up with what was being used. (obviously the amount you add each time you refill may differ for you.) I personally never stirred it except for when I would fill up the resivour about ever third day but many people use a small recirc pump to mix up the sediment every few hours or so, and Its probably more efficient that way. I had the ATO pump sitting right in the lower midde of my ATO container to pull from between the sediment and the crust.

Worked great for me it just couldn't keep up with my demands after a while with out causing fairly large and inconsistent spikes in pH due to the random nature of when the ATO would top off my tank. I switched to two two part on a controller to have finer control of when I was dosing.

 

[jda123]

What is the problem that you are trying to solve? If it is not PH related, then there are probably safer ways to get calcium into your display.

Kalk needs to be dripped in, not batch-added on a timer. If you add it too fast, your PH can skyrocket.

 

[kmellon]

It depends upon how you are dosing? If you have a kalkreactor, you load up the reactor and it creates a slurry. you feed your ato into the reactor so that it replenishes the ro and pushes the kalkwasser out of the top and on to your tank. The issue is that you need to turn off your ato for a specified amount of time during and after the kalkreactor does its mixing action. the residual kalk needs to settle before the ato kicks off.
You can also mix kalkwasse as part of your ato resevior. There is a really nice video on youtube where they use a little vinegar to help disolve the kalkwasser before they add it in the required volume of ro. The only concern is that you make it up as you go and don't make more mixture than would be needed within a week as the kalkwasser might settle to the bottom and could possibly be picked up by your pump and end up pushing a higher concentration into the tank.
As an additional thought. I know that some kalkwasser reactors don't acually use a pump to mix the slurry which means that you don't have to time pumps. BRS has a video that describes these reactors.
Hope this helps and keep in mind that i will be starting with just hand dosing 2 part although I like the automation of Kalkwasser in smaller tanks and full on kalk reactors for larger tanks.

 

[crustytheclown]

When I was running kalk on my nano I just started the first batch with the maximum amount of kalk I wanted to use then just added RO with about 1/4 the amount of kalk I originally used as it got low to keep up with what was being used. (obviously the amount you add each time you refill may differ for you.) I personally never stirred it except for when I would fill up the resivour about ever third day but many people use a small recirc pump to mix up the sediment every few hours or so, and Its probably more efficient that way. I had the ATO pump sitting right in the lower midde of my ATO container to pull from between the sediment and the crust.

Worked great for me it just couldn't keep up with my demands after a while with out causing fairly large and inconsistent spikes in pH due to the random nature of when the ATO would top off my tank. I switched to two two part on a controller to have finer control of when I was dosing.

ok. im gonna up load a pic of my ato setup. that might make it easier.
[attachment=64123:name]

So do i add the dry kalk directly to the 2 liter ato reservoir or do i mix it up in something else, let it settle out and than add the clear solution to the 2 liter reservoir everytime i refill it?

What is the problem that you are trying to solve? If it is not PH related, then there are probably safer ways to get calcium into your display.

Kalk needs to be dripped in, not batch-added on a timer. If you add it too fast, your PH can skyrocket.

I just want the ease of keeping calcium, alk and ph up with one solution. Thats what kalk offers correct?

 

[jda123]

Yes, but there are risks. Larger volumes of water can mitigate some of these risks, but the main ones are 1). PH rising too quickly, 2). Magnesium Depletion and 3). Phosphate Depletion (if you water is super pristine).

If you have a PH issue, you need to address it directly. Adding kalk to help with PH is a band-aid. If you suffer from chronically low PH, then start up another thread.

The amount of calcium and alk that gets added is static. In reality, the organisms in your tank will not consume them in this balanced equation and you will have to supplement one or the other independently. When using kalk, I still had to supplement with baking soda.

I used alk with a lot of success and it is cool. I would just caution you to make sure that you add it slowly throughout the day instead of in batches. If you see your PH rise more than .1 by adding kalk, then IMO, you added it too fast. I also think that there is more failures with ATO with the kalk in the water since calcium carbonate can precipitate out of the solution and/or calcify onto switches, floats, etc.

I assume that you are interested in lower cost, as well? If money is no issue, then a calcium reactor is easier and safer, IMO. 2 Part solutions are also fairly inexpensive with less risk for PH overdoses.

 

[jda123]

You probably have, but if not, read this baby... good stuff in there:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php#12

Here is a good one on 2 part:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

IMO - calcium reactors are great to buy from "quitting the hobby" or "getting out" sales. They are really reliable, really cheap to operate and very hands off. However, they are a bit of a bite to buy new... I might be wrong, but all solutions cost the same, I think that most people would have reactors for tanks with moderate to high calcium/alk demands.

 

[crustytheclown]

Yes, but there are risks. Larger volumes of water can mitigate some of these risks, but the main ones are 1). PH rising too quickly, 2). Magnesium Depletion and 3). Phosphate Depletion (if you water is super pristine).

If you have a PH issue, you need to address it directly. Adding kalk to help with PH is a band-aid. If you suffer from chronically low PH, then start up another thread.

The amount of calcium and alk that gets added is static. In reality, the organisms in your tank will not consume them in this balanced equation and you will have to supplement one or the other independently. When using kalk, I still had to supplement with baking soda.

I used alk with a lot of success and it is cool. I would just caution you to make sure that you add it slowly throughout the day instead of in batches. If you see your PH rise more than .1 by adding kalk, then IMO, you added it too fast. I also think that there is more failures with ATO with the kalk in the water since calcium carbonate can precipitate out of the solution and/or calcify onto switches, floats, etc.

I assume that you are interested in lower cost, as well? If money is no issue, then a calcium reactor is easier and safer, IMO. 2 Part solutions are also fairly inexpensive with less risk for PH overdoses.

Thanks alot for your imput. I am currently using brs 2 part to dose the tank. I am adding calcium and alkalinity solutions to my ato water reservoir. I do calcium one day and alk the next. Its been working pretty well. I was just looking into kalk as it is just one solution rather than two... But it does have some dissadvantages and concerns with over shooting ph.

 

[kmellon]

I would vote on the make it as you need it. That is a small bottle and I would imagine that you refill it weekly if not more often. Here is a link to the video i mentioned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV1yENM0VUM

 

[FishTV]

wanna start dosing Kalk in ato but question

I run kalk in 2 systems. Larger tank with a stirrer, and kalk only runs at night with a separate ato during the day. Second tank is a nano that I premix a lower saturation level, and does all the top off. Both work fine, and with my mixed reefs are easy to maintain all levels.