Dosing 2 part vs kalkwaser

[TheWalkman99]

My original plan when I started my Tank was to dose kalkwaser for a while until my Tank was consuming alkalinity and calcium to quick for kalk.
But I am seeing tanks with amazing results from two part.
I have a really inconsistent work schedule and I’m regularly gone in the weekends.
should I use kalkwaser in my ATO insiead of two part?
Or use my money during the deals right now to buy a doser? I was going to buy a protein skimmer.
I want an apex controller in the future, is there certain doser options that work well with the apex?

 

[TheEngineer]

Lots of questions to unpack here. Let's start with the most basic... kalk vs 2 part.

Kalkwasser is nice because it is a balanced additive. You get alkalinity, calcium and (I think) magnesium all in one shot. It's relatively easy to dose since you can simply add it to your ATO reservoir and forget about it until your next refill. Kalk does boost your pH. If you are already hovering at 8.2, kalk is not a good option for you. If your pH is low, like many people experience especially in the winter, this can be an added benefit to boost you into the proper range. Since our ATO's refill the tank multiple times a day, you get a nice spread out dose through the day.

2-part dosing is more complicated and really should be done with a controlled doser. You can dose 2 part manually, but odds of you keeping up with it consistently are pretty slim. Having a doser with built in timers or running a doser off of a controller is relatively simple. You'll want to divide your dosage across the whole day so you don't get any spikes.

Kalkwasser is seriously cheap. You can buy a year supply for under $10 from BRS. 2-part is more expensive, but you can mix up a bigger batch of it and just refill a container instead of mixing. For me, I went with kalk in my ATO to start until my consumption outstripped it. I'm about at that point unfortunately for me. My pH tended to trend down towards 7.8 at night and I wanted to stay higher, so kalk has been a big help there.

Now you bring up the Black Friday deals... now is the best time to pick up equipment. That said, just because you buy it doesn't mean you have to start using it right away.

Apex has its own doser, but it also works with any other standard on/off doser out there. GHL and Jebao both make standalone dosers with built in timers too.

 

[OrionN]

It is all depends on how big your tank is and how much Ca/Alkalinity use. IMO, if you have a hard coral tank that is >120 gal, i would use Ca reactor instead of two parts additive. A good Ca reactor, you can just set and forger for months at a time. Just check level now and then. I use Ca reactor with Kalk stirrer for my 320 DT.

 

[TexasTodd]

Kalkwasser can keep up for longer than most think. It's easy and inexpensive then you can switch to two part or CARX. I'll try to post a link to a tank I ran long term with only Kalk, but, it was eventually at an elevated level which I wouldn't recommend if you're just starting out. A new CARX full setup is going to set you back at least $800-$1000. I've seen used between $200-600 often.

If it's a doser OR a skimmer now, get a skimmer.
What size tank?
You can put kalk in your ATO but it's not ideal. It tends to cause too large boluses and is also pretty hard on your ATO pump.

Todd

 

[TheWalkman99]

Dang you guys gave me a lot to think about thanks for the replies.
My tank is a Nuvo 40 AIO so relatively small. And my ph is 8.0-8.2 so maybe I wont runt kalk.
Any recommendations for a stand alone doser that can be used with an apex later?

 

[Brew12]

You get alkalinity, calcium and (I think) magnesium all in one shot.

Just an FYI, Kalkwasser doesn't contain magnesium. That needs to be maintained separately.

I use both Kalkwasser and 2 part, they are not mutually exclusive. 45mL of Kalkwasser adds roughly the same Alkalinity as 1 mL of 2 part. I use automatic dosers to add 1400mL of kalkwasser and 50mL of 2 part every day. My pH never drops below 8.1dkh.

 

[TexasTodd]

Do NOT get a CARX for a 40g. One decision taken care of!
You can drip Kalk or dose two part. Dosing two part will be easier plus doser can be used for upgrades to larger tank.

 

[TheWalkman99]

Always love when I find something new to research. Been on the web looking at different fosters and options today
Thinking about the bubble magnus. The BM-T01

 

[theMeat]

Kalk for a reef tank is a no brainer. Stabilizes alkaline, calcium, and ph. Goes into auto top off. Is super cheap and easy to dial in. Don’t understand why everyone doesn’t use it. If kalk doesn’t do all your needs with the amount of evaporation you have, then you have a seriously stocked tank, and could always add two part on top of the kalk for the balance.
Don’t look at it as one or the other, or you don’t want two systems to do the same thing. Look at it as you likely won’t need two part if you dose kalk, and if you do think of all the money you will save on only dosing a fraction of the two part. And if you don’t have an auto top off, you should, whether you use kalk or not

 

[Brew12]

Goes into auto top off.

I think this may work better on smaller systems than larger ones. My evaporation rate can change by over a 1/2g per day. The Kalk dosing is no where near as stable as I would like using this method.

 

[theMeat]

I think this may work better on smaller systems than larger ones. My evaporation rate can change by over a 1/2g per day. The Kalk dosing is no where near as stable as I would like using this method.

Easy. Less evap add more kalk per gallon of ato. Use it on many large systems, works the same as on smaller. If you’re putting max amount for your evaporated rate then you must also dose two part. There’s not many tanks that would need both

 

[Brew12]

Easy. Less evap add more kalk per gallon of ato. Use it on many large systems, works the same as on smaller. If you’re putting max amount for your evaporated rate then you must also dose two part. There’s not many tanks that would need both

On a humid day my tank evaporates around 1 gallon. On a dry day I will evaporate over 1.5 gallons. It is a day to day thing so adjusting concentration in the ATO isn't practical. It's what I did when I started using Kalk and I had horrible alk swings. That is why I went to automatic dosing of Kalk.
I love Kalk which is why I use it. I just don't think using it in an ATO promotes stability unless you have a smaller system.

 

[theMeat]

Use it on multiple 300+ gal systems. Some with similar evaporation fluctuations with no alk swings. With kalk you won’t, or shouldn’t, get swings day to day with increase/decrease in evap. You hardly notice from one reservoir filling to another. Which I usually plan for a week. Because kalk will start to loose it’s potency on anything longer than that, especially if reservoir is not somewhat sealed.

 

[wesman42]

Use it on multiple 300+ gal systems. Some with similar evaporation fluctuations with no alk swings. With kalk you won’t, or shouldn’t, get swings day to day with increase/decrease in evap. You hardly notice from one reservoir filling to another. Which I usually plan for a week. Because kalk will start to loose it’s potency on anything longer than that, especially if reservoir is not somewhat sealed.

I tend to disagree. If you don't have humidity management in with your HVAC, then it can vary WILDLY, especially if you live in the midwest. Heck, last week it was 60+ degrees, then one day it dropped below freezing and we got 3 inches of snow. I went from using 5 gal a week to 10 gal a week just based on pure evap. My usage doubled....given I was never using kalk...still.