Kalk Consistency

[FlyPenFly]

Can you get Kalk to be consistent enough to replace 2 part dosing? That is, if you use a magnetic stirrer or maybe a very good reactor will be the effluent be extremely consistent?

My prior experience with it was with Kalk in ATO with a powerhead to keep it saturated but it wasn't consistent enough.I'm wondering if it was in a dedicated container that was dosed like 2 part it might work better for mu uses.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Keep in mind that a lot of the particals in the kalk won’t ever become part of a soloution. So will always have some settling. It stays in the container.

When you mix kalk correctly it’s full potentcy but has gunk on the bottom.

IMO , I find it odd (and admittedly have not done it) that stirres are popular as it’s forces the kalk into a slurry (not soloution) and then into the tank where the funk settles.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php

 

[topjimmy]

I dose one liter a day broken up into one dose an hour. Mainly for the ph increase, I still have to use two part.

 

[Fishfinder]

You can make kalk extremely consistent if you add equal amounts every day, even broken up into smaller doses. The problem is the amount of kalk required for even a low demand tank

 

[sghera64]

Can you get Kalk to be consistent enough to replace 2 part dosing? That is, if you use a magnetic stirrer or maybe a very good reactor will be the effluent be extremely consistent?

My prior experience with it was with Kalk in ATO with a powerhead to keep it saturated but it wasn't consistent enough.I'm wondering if it was in a dedicated container that was dosed like 2 part it might work better for mu uses.

I place about 21 days worth of Ca(OH)2 into a DIY Kalk reactor. I have a timer add water through the reactor at the top of each hour, mainly at night. The water flows into the bottom and up through the column, displacing saturated kalkwater out the top where it flows into a return line going to my sump.

I use a magnetic stir bar to stir the slurry. This comes on 10 minutes after the ATO water has flowed through the reactor. It does mix all the water in the reactor with the Ca(OH)2 slurry - - and any CaCO3 that has formed by reacting with dissolved CO2 in my ATO water. That leaves the reactor about 50 minutes to allow the slurry to settle. After it settles, my reactor is a clear and saturated solutions of Ca(OH)2 ready for the next hour’s ATO drip.

My feeling is that this is one way to continually deliver consistent and saturated limewater to the aquarium.

 

[FlyPenFly]

I think I'm just going to stick to 3 part dosing... and maybe get a CO2 scrubber to raise ph.