Dosing 2 part with Kalkwasser

[BAMatter]

Been dosing kalk at night and have leveled PH out to 8.22-8.25 24/7 with a CO2 scrubber working along side. Any higher than that and I’ll dose more than I evap. My alk has begun to drop down, and I’ll be supplementing with ESV B-Ionic 2 part.

Since kalk doses at night to maintain PH, is it better to dose Alk during the day time, night time, or split over 24 hours?

 

[Reefahholic]

Been dosing kalk at night and have leveled PH out to 8.22-8.25 24/7 with a CO2 scrubber working along side. Any higher than that and I’ll dose more than I evap. My alk has begun to drop down, and I’ll be supplementing with ESV B-Ionic 2 part.

Since kalk doses at night to maintain PH, is it better to dose Alk during the day time, night time, or split over 24 hours?

Personally I’d split it over 24 hrs so that something is always dosing incase there is a failure on the Kalk end. This will allow for the dose to be spread out more too.

 

[atoll]

Photos of my home made kalk reactor. I have 2 feeds from my tunze ATU with a tap on each. One goes to the kalk reactor the other direct to the sump. I can simply switch between the 2. The downside is remembering to change over from the reactor feed tonthe sump feed. Even when I forget to swap the taps ovet my PH doesn't climb to high.
I picked up an Aqua medic kalk stirrer very cheaply so now use that although my reactor worked well when I was using it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It may not matter, depending on how much alk is needed above the kalkwasser, but I’d dose more alk dosing the day to stabilize it more.

 

[atoll]

It may not matter, depending on how much alk is needed above the kalkwasser, but I’d dose more alk dosing the day to stabilize it more.

I add sodium carbonate to my ATU. Which I put into the ATU reservoir 1 heaped teaspoon twice a week.
The question I have is that is fine when my ATU is switch in the daytime to go directly into my sump. However, will there but an issue with it pumping it via my kalk reactor at night?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I add sodium carbonate to my ATU. Which I put into the ATU reservoir 1 heaped teaspoon twice a week.
The question I have is that is fine when my ATU is switch in the daytime to go directly into my sump. However, will there but an issue with it pumping it via my kalk reactor at night?

You send the carbonate directly into the kalk reactor? That’s a bad plan as you will precipitate calcium carbonate.

 

[BAMatter]

Photos of my home made kalk reactor. I have 2 feeds from my tunze ATU with a tap on each. One goes to the kalk reactor the other direct to the sump. I can simply switch between the 2. The downside is remembering to change over from the reactor feed tonthe sump feed. Even when I forget to swap the taps ovet my PH doesn't climb to high.
I picked up an Aqua medic kalk stirrer very cheaply so now use that although my reactor worked well when I was using it.

I don’t use a reactor. Just clear saturated Kalkwasser after it settles out.

 

[atoll]

You send the carbonate directly into the kalk reactor? That’s a bad plan as you will precipitate calcium carbonate.

I sometimes do but it's very weak as in a teaspoon full in 1.5 gallons of RO water.

 

[atoll]

I don’t use a reactor. Just clear saturated Kalkwasser after it settles out.

I use a kalk stirrer now as in my post.