How long to mix Kalk for?

[Gator_Reefer]

Hi - Wondering whats a reasonable mixing or stirring time to shoot for when adding kalk powder to my 5g ATO?

Currently I mix for about 10 seconds until its all consistently cloudy and replace the lid.

Concerned about if I mix too long due to CO2 and losing kalk potency, but also wondering if Im not mixing it long enough?

 

[SPR1968]

I can’t answer the specific question, but I can bump the thread to see if we can get you some help

 

[Garf]

Hi - Wondering whats a reasonable mixing or stirring time to shoot for when adding kalk powder to my 5g ATO?

Currently I mix for about 10 seconds until its all consistently cloudy and replace the lid.

Concerned about if I mix too long due to CO2 and losing kalk potency, but also wondering if Im not mixing it long enough?

Sounds ok. I actually fill a separate 25ltr container and shake it to death for a few seconds, let it settle, then put it in the ATO once a week, just to reduce the amount of powder at the bottom of the ATO..

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Each situation will be different depending on the source of the kalk, if you are starting with fresh kalk or adding to an already existing kalk slurry in a reservoir.

The best method is to put an EC probe into the kalk reservoir, the ATO in this case, and watch for the reading to reach 10.3 mS/cm. At this reading the kalk is fully saturated. As the EC reading decreases, so does the saturation of the kalk. So at 5.15 mS/cm, you are at 50% saturation, etc. How long you need to mix for will become apparent when monitoring the saturation level using EC.

As you are using this in an ATO, a handheld pen type that can be dipped and then removed and stored would work. You might be surprised by the readings you receive which may show that you are not achieving as much saturation as you think you are.

The opposite is also true. In situations where your alkalinity is getting too high due to kalk over supplying alkalinity when used in an ATO. You can use the EC reading to fine tune the amount of kalk to add to acheive less than saturation and dial in the daily alkalinity. Admittedly this is less rare than going for full saturation, but does happen with ATO / kalk users occasionally.

Dennis