Can we talk about Kalk reactors?

Aquaph8 · May 7, 2015

I loved my kalk reactor when I was using it but the problem was it always seemed to lose potency and my alk would fluctuate more than I desired. Im sure at times it was a fluctuation of how much water was being toped off as well. I never really knew how to figure out how much kalk to add to the reactor and how often I needed to add it to keep things stable. Ive thought of adding it back to my tank but putting it on a timer to dose a set amount hourly. My thoughts are that at least the tank would get equal amounts everyday. Would love to hear peoples thoughts on this and how you would accomplish something like this and make it fail safe so I dont ever end up dosing too much all at once.
thanks for the help

Aquaph8 · May 7, 2015

So...... Nobody uses Kalk reactors anymore? Chirp chirp chirp

Rob.D · May 7, 2015

ToXIc Dowtish

Yea I'm calling out the two guys I know that could give some advice that use kalk stirers/reactors

Aquaph8 · May 7, 2015

Good call I'll help you.
Mike&Terry Brad Syphus

Hope you guys don't mind.

Pete polyp · May 7, 2015

Why not mix kalk with vinegar and use a dosing pump? You could control the exact amount that's being added and not have the pH boost from it.

Aquaph8 · May 7, 2015

Pete polyp said:
Why not mix kalk with vinegar and use a dosing pump? You could control the exact amount that's being added and not have the pH boost from it.

Really only two reasons, I have this reactor and it would require a second water container under my stand. I wouldn't be completely against going that route. I've seen some awesome sps tanks using kalk reactors though and figured there's gotta be a better way to do it than I was probably.

SteelerMike · May 8, 2015

I stopped using my Kalk reactor about a year ago because I had it hooked up through my ATO and I found that the evaporation rate varied quite a bit in my tank as my sump is in my basement and so my levels were very inconsistent. I now use a calcium reactor and things are much more stable. I still have the Kalk stirrer and may put it back on in some capacity once my sps become monster colonies :tongue:. If I do I will likely utilize ti through a doser so I can regulate how much goes in...

hart24601 · May 8, 2015

I know my tank loses at least 1 gallon per day in evaporation so I use my apex to dose kalk every hour with a BRS 50ml/min pump so the daily total is 1 gallon. I use 2 part for the rest, but I really like this setup as it keeps my pH nice and high plus I cycle my RO/DI on/off less often since I fill up a brute can with the kalk once a month.

hart24601 · May 8, 2015

Here is the math specific to my tank keeping in mind my goal is 1 gallon of kalk/day and I know that is the minimum the tank has ever lost (so I am not adding volume).

Apex code:

Fallback OFF
OSC 000:00/003:00/057:00 Then ON
If pH > 8.51 Then OFF

So that doses 3min every hour with the BRS 50ml/min pump = 150ml. 24 times a day is 3,600 ml/day (ok, it's not quite a gallon). That amount raises the alk right around 1 dkh/day. I use 2 part for the rest - which currently is 1 dkh of 2 part/day.

You could do the same thing with a timer. I was never interesting in linking kalk to ATO because my evaporation varies way too much.

revhtree · May 8, 2015

Yes following! I may need to get me a reactor set up. I had to quit using my calcium reactor because I could never keep from calcifying the sand. I think that's what it's called!
Randy Holmes-Farley also can help us I'm sure!

Aquaph8 · May 8, 2015

Thanks for all the posts guys, Rev I allmost put this in the chemistry forum.

Aquaph8 · May 8, 2015

Can anyone share how much they add to their reactor and how often?

Pete polyp · May 8, 2015

I can't really say because I put in about 1/4 cup every now and then when I think about it. Now that you brought it to my attention I better go put some in it

Aquaph8 · May 8, 2015

Pete, that's exactly how I was when I used one, my Alk would be all over the place though. Now I'm using just two part and it's more stable but I've always felt my tank was at its best with kalk, not sure if it was the PH boost or what.

Mike&Terry · May 11, 2015

We are using both a kalk reactor and Calcium reactor.The idea is to try to keep up with crazy amounts of Ca and Alk consumption by our display and frag tanks, while keeping the pH at a manageable level. We had a near-fatal accident a couple of years ago when we had Kalk tied to our ATO, so we de-coupled that, and highly recommend that you DO NOT directly couple Kalk with ATO.
The amount of Kalk you put into your Kalk reactor is strictly a function of consumption. The idea is to keep enough in there to maintain the "saturated" levels (see Randy's very informative Kalkwasser article for all the details). At a certain pH and temp, only so much will go into solution, so you can't really "overload" the reactor. Undissolved Kalk will just sit in the bottom until there is "room" for it in the solution to dissolve.
In our system, we are running the Ca Reactor at a pretty good clip 24x7, and then using a LiterMeter to dose the Kalk (both Kalk and ATO are also controlled by Apex in order to shut things off if system pH gets wacky).

Aquaph8 · May 11, 2015

Mike&Terry said:
We are using both a kalk reactor and Calcium reactor.The idea is to try to keep up with crazy amounts of Ca and Alk consumption by our display and frag tanks, while keeping the pH at a manageable level. We had a near-fatal accident a couple of years ago when we had Kalk tied to our ATO, so we de-coupled that, and highly recommend that you DO NOT directly couple Kalk with ATO.
The amount of Kalk you put into your Kalk reactor is strictly a function of consumption. The idea is to keep enough in there to maintain the "saturated" levels (see Randy's very informative Kalkwasser article for all the details). At a certain pH and temp, only so much will go into solution, so you can't really "overload" the reactor. Undissolved Kalk will just sit in the bottom until there is "room" for it in the solution to dissolve.
In our system, we are running the Ca Reactor at a pretty good clip 24x7, and then using a LiterMeter to dose the Kalk (both Kalk and ATO are also controlled by Apex in order to shut things off if system pH gets wacky).

So your kalk reactor is seperate from the ATO? So, it's timed right? How often is it dosing?

ca1ore · May 11, 2015

I use both a Kalk and calcium reactor. My evaporation doesn't vary all that much from season to season, and I've settled on about a 1/2 cup monthly. But, it's the calcium reactor that does the heavy lifting, so even some variation in the Kalk is pretty minimal.

Not sure I necessarily see the danger in running ATO through a Kalk reactor?

Aquaph8 · May 11, 2015

ca1ore said:
I use both a Kalk and calcium reactor. My evaporation doesn't vary all that much from season to season, and I've settled on about a 1/2 cup monthly. But, it's the calcium reactor that does the heavy lifting, so even some variation in the Kalk is pretty minimal.

Not sure I necessarily see the danger in running ATO through a Kalk reactor?

Anytime your system loses some extra water some place it has the potential to dose too much is what scares me. I would assume biggest culprit would be a simmer going crazy which is why I use the small skimate locker as opposed to the 5 gallon bucket one. I also don't have an apex though so a pump getting stuck in the on position also scares me.

ca1ore · May 12, 2015

I've pretty much banished potential ATO problems with lots of redundant switches both connected to, and independent of, my apex. I too run the small avast skimmate locker (with a second float switch added for safety) pretty much for the same reason. Frankly, should the ATO have a melt down its likely to buggar my system, whether Kalk or no Kalk. Maybe I've been lucky, though, as no ATO crash in 25 years. Temp related, yes; ATO, no.