Adding kalk newbie

[boogiesnap]

Hi all, I’m looking at implementing kalk to my tank. It appears adding to my ato resevoir and having the ato pump it to the tank is an option but not ideal for the equipment. I saw the two little fishes reactor, can this simply be installed in between the ato pump and the “sump”? I have an IM aio and a tunze nano osmolator. I’m hoping for a simple and cost effective method for getting the kalk solution into the tank, or should I just add the kalk to my reservoir and deal with the clean up and pump replacement over time?

 

[DenaliDan]

I'm also a kw newbie. I'm mixing the kw with RODI ATO water in a 5 gal bucket the day before I need to refill my ATO reservoir (also 5 gal). Let the sediment settle overnight and then pump the ATO water into my ATO reservoir while but not pumping the sediment off the bottom of the mixing bucket. I realize I will end up with some kalk buildup in the Tunze pump and line over time but I'm hoping it will be a much longer time before the pump goes out. Keep in mind, my top-off rate has been fairly consistent since starting up the tank and I have a pinpoint PH monitor so I'll be watching for irregular fluctuations of both to make sure an irregular evaporation rate doesn't go unnoticed.

 

[boogiesnap]

I'm also a kw newbie. I'm mixing the kw with RODI ATO water in a 5 gal bucket the day before I need to refill my ATO reservoir (also 5 gal). Let the sediment settle overnight and then pump the ATO water into my ATO reservoir while but not pumping the sediment off the bottom of the mixing bucket. I realize I will end up with some kalk buildup in the Tunze pump and line over time but I'm hoping it will be a much longer time before the pump goes out. Keep in mind, my top-off rate has been fairly consistent since starting up the tank and I have a pinpoint PH monitor so I'll be watching for irregular fluctuations of both to make sure an irregular evaporation rate doesn't go unnoticed.

Thank you. Interesting take. I think, as kalk cannot be over saturated, you could maybe accomplish the same thing by adding the kalk to the ato reservoir and raising the pump above slurry sediment line. I’m thinking this may be the route I take but was hoping for something a little more slick but less involved than using a dosing pump and separate container, but might sure try your method first. saving the pennies for the Ghl doser…

 

[CRABDADDY]

The Kalk is hard on the ato, but after dosing kalk through my ato for a while, the real disadvantage is lack of control of how much you're dosing. It changes with evaporation and the only method of control you have is how potent you make the ato water. Sure, you probably can make it work, but I found it was too inconsistent.

I currently use a peristaltic dosing pump in a separate reservoir. It's working great. I fully saturate the solution and I have complete control over how much goes in the tank. I can make adjustments on the fly and add some manually if need be. It's helped greatly in stabilizing my parameters.

 

[RZGreef]

I hope you don't mind me piggybacking off this thread with another kalk newbie question. What do you do with the undissolved slurry at the bottom of the mixing container? Do you chuck it after you've used up the saturated solution above it and start over next time? Or do you just leave it in for the next mix, add more RO, add less kalk powder than the first time, and stir again? Thanks in advance!

 

[fish farmer]

I hope you don't mind me piggybacking off this thread with another kalk newbie question. What do you do with the undissolved slurry at the bottom of the mixing container? Do you chuck it after you've used up the saturated solution above it and start over next time? Or do you just leave it in for the next mix, add more RO, add less kalk powder than the first time, and stir again? Thanks in advance!

I sometimes chuck it after a couple of fills. I use the BRS pharm grade kalk which mixes pretty clean. I have very little undissolved.

 

[CRABDADDY]

I hope you don't mind me piggybacking off this thread with another kalk newbie question. What do you do with the undissolved slurry at the bottom of the mixing container? Do you chuck it after you've used up the saturated solution above it and start over next time? Or do you just leave it in for the next mix, add more RO, add less kalk powder than the first time, and stir again? Thanks in advance!

Since I have a peristaltic pump, I just have a dosing tube in the Kalk solution. It sits a couple inches off the bottom so it doesn't suck up the stuff that precipitated out. When the container gets close to empty, I dump everything out and give it a good rinse. Kalk is cheap and if I recall correctly, you're not supposed to remix it after the initial mixture. I just make an entirety new solution each time.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I hope you don't mind me piggybacking off this thread with another kalk newbie question. What do you do with the undissolved slurry at the bottom of the mixing container? Do you chuck it after you've used up the saturated solution above it and start over next time? Or do you just leave it in for the next mix, add more RO, add less kalk powder than the first time, and stir again? Thanks in advance!

I left mine to accumulate for years. I also typically added more than enough to saturate, so there was still some reusable calcium hydroxide each time, in addition to useless calcium carbonate.