Kalk and Avast Marine Kalk Stirrer

[justingraham]

Hello

I have an Avast Marine Kalk Stirrer dosing one gallon of water everyday.
On your new kalk bag it says (I believe)to add 1 teaspoon for a gallon of water
On Avast marine it says to add 1 cup every two weeks

Since I have never used Kalk before and I do not want to overdose it what is your recommendation

Thanks

Justin

 

[Brew12]

Hello

I have an Avast Marine Kalk Stirrer dosing one gallon of water everyday.
On your new kalk bag it says (I believe)to add 1 teaspoon for a gallon of water
On Avast marine it says to add 1 cup every two weeks

Since I have never used Kalk before and I do not want to overdose it what is your recommendation

Thanks

Justin

Both recommendations are correct based on usage. 1 tsp per gallon will make fully saturated kalkwasser. This would be if you were going to mix up one batch for use in an ATO or dosing container.

In a Kalk stirrer you load a large amount of kalk and then add fresh RODI which gets stirred to saturated it and is added to the system. They are estimating that after 2 weeks of using it this way the kalk will all be used and it should be replaced. That is a large amount of saturated kalk to add, but by constantly mixing you will also lose more of the powder to precipitates.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

I have the stirrer being fed by my Tunze ATO. I usually load 1/2 to a cup of kalk every 2 to 3 weeks depending on use. I don’t have a lot of evaporation since I use lids.

Only thing I would keep an eye on is how much kalk is dosed. The kalk in the stirrer needs time to settle down between top off so next time the ATO kicks on it is only dosing the clear kalk and not slurry. If the ATO pumping intervals are to close to each other the kalk may not have time to settle down.

 

[Reefcowboy]

I had the same question when I set my K1. If you add more kalk to the reactor, more deposit will form which will slowly be used through time. I now add two-three tablespoons every week or so.

More importantly IMO is to reduce the outlet of the reactor. The avast one comes with a larger diameter hose for outlet, which allows air to travel inside and contact the kalk solution. We all know co2 inside our stands can deplete potency of the kalk solution.

Reduce the diameter and make an elbow for the drip so each last dose drop will seal the outlet stopping air from going in.

 

[vanpire]

If I add too much KALK to my AVAST stirrer, it gets stuck in the kalk slurry. After a while, I was pretty much annoyed with it, even when it wasn't stuck. Bought a magnetic stirrer and it has worked wonders. I add two or three tablespoons every three days or so.

 

[justingraham]

So I dose one gallon every day so I don’t have to worry about evaporation differing

So from u guys are saying is to add kalk weekly instead of every two weeks?

I haven’t had a problem yet with the original hose but I will keep a look out I don’t have it enclosed in a stand either tho it’s open to the elements

 

[Bulk Reef Supply Verified Sponsor]

@Brew12 Is pretty spot on with his answer. The mixing instructions on the bag assume that you're adding it directly to your ATO reservoir. The only caveat that I'd mention is that our newer pharmaceutical grade kalk (the stuff that comes in the bag) is a little more dense than typical kalk made from food grade sources (like our old pinch grip container) so maximum saturation is 1 1/2 tsp instead of 2 tsp. You may choose to add a little less kalk to the stirrer for that reason, but at the end of the day, the solution that is getting dosed to the tank is fully saturated either way as long as you're not running low on kalk.

 

[justingraham]

@Brew12 Is pretty spot on with his answer. The mixing instructions on the bag assume that you're adding it directly to your ATO reservoir. The only caveat that I'd mention is that our newer pharmaceutical grade kalk (the stuff that comes in the bag) is a little more dense than typical kalk made from food grade sources (like our old pinch grip container) so maximum saturation is 1 1/2 tsp instead of 2 tsp. You may choose to add a little less kalk to the stirrer for that reason, but at the end of the day, the solution that is getting dosed to the tank is fully saturated either way as long as you're not running low on kalk.

Thank you