Kalk in ATO still popular?

[theMeat]

Cool beans. Post an update

 

[nvert]

If you can live with the risks of non-consistent evaporation based addition and the possibility of the high pH killing your ATO pump, then it is what it always has been.

Get a Stenner dual pump for your ATO and don’t worry about those micro non-consistent evaps (unless you have a small tank of course!). My ATO runs one hour every morning for my 120g mixed. On average, it takes three weeks for my ATO tub to empty due to fluctuating seasonal evap rates in the display. Salinity is always around 34-36 and I adjust salinity in the ATO bin as needed (based on tank salinity) each time I make a new saltwater batch. If you run your house heat or AC a lot you may have more evap fluctuations to account for so keep that in mind.

For ATO, I’ve been using a Stenner dual pump for 6 years now and I’ve never had to dial in the pump to adjust for seasonal evaporation changes. As you grow as an aquarist and understand your tank more you’ll see when things aren’t right. Just learn the health of your tank and test/observe salinity, ph, and alk (I haven’t tested alk in years btw and I have a digital ph monitor) each time you make a new ATO batch. Also, skimmer has been offline for over a year (another thread!).

If your maintenance is consistent and your tank looks healthy (since you are being consistent) stop stressing over values. When you needlessly or obsessively stress, your tank will always stress.

 

[nvert]

Get a Stenner dual pump for your ATO and don’t worry about those micro non-consistent evaps (unless you have a small tank of course!). My ATO runs one hour every morning for my 120g mixed. On average, it takes three weeks for my ATO tub to empty due to fluctuating seasonal evap rates in the display. Salinity is always around 34-36 and I adjust salinity in the ATO bin as needed (based on tank salinity) each time I make a new saltwater batch. If you run your house heat or AC a lot you may have more evap fluctuations to account for so keep that in mind.

For ATO, I’ve been using a Stenner dual pump for 6 years now and I’ve never had to dial in the pump to adjust for seasonal evaporation changes. As you grow as an aquarist and understand your tank more you’ll see when things aren’t right. Just learn the health of your tank and test/observe salinity, ph, and alk (I haven’t tested alk in years btw and I have a digital ph monitor) each time you make a new ATO batch. Also, skimmer has been offline for over a year (another thread!).

If your maintenance is consistent and your tank looks healthy (since you are being consistent) stop stressing over values. When you needlessly or obsessively stress, your tank will always stress.

Btw, I do run Kalk separately with a LitreMeter pump so maybe I got sidetracked answering the OP.

 

[131696]

How big of tank you got?

 

[amoore311]

Friends don’t let friends put kalk in their ato.

Kalk stirrers are for people who don’t have room for a decent sized kalk reservoir. You do not need one.

mix a reservoir of max strength kalk, use a dosing pump to administer the kalk solution as needed throughout the day.

it’s literally the exact same thing as two part, just 1 part. It’s no more or less “scary” to dose than two part. If you over dose soda ash you’re just as screwed as if it were kalkwasser. I do not understand how some folks replying here simply do not grasp it.

 

[Adamantium]

Friends don’t let friends put kalk in their ato.

Kalk stirrers are for people who don’t have room for a decent sized kalk reservoir. You do not need one.

mix a reservoir of max strength kalk, use a dosing pump to administer the kalk solution as needed throughout the day.

it’s literally the exact same thing as two part, just 1 part. It’s no more or less “scary” to dose than two part. If you over dose soda ash you’re just as screwed as if it were kalkwasser. I do not understand how some folks replying here simply do not grasp it.

I’m starting with a weak dose in the ATO just to see what effects it has. I want to start slow. I’ll likely end up doing what you describe, I just want to get a sense of what I will need to dose and what impacts it will have first.

 

[ClownSchool]

So, I’m getting about an 8.1 max on my pH with a CO2 scrubber and 2 part dosing. Do you think adding a doser with Kalk in it would be worthwhile? Should I dial back my 2 part dosing to compensate?

You know, for how close your pH is to target, you may be better off adding a fan to lighting system.

 

[Adamantium]

You know, for how close your pH is to target, you may be better off adding a fan to lighting system.

Sorry, how would a fan on my lighting help pH?

 

[theMeat]

Sorry, how would a fan on my lighting help pH?

Fresh air on water surface. This depends on how fresh the air in your home is

 

[Adamantium]

Fresh air on water surface. This depends on how fresh the air in your home is

Ah, so a fan on the lights pointing to the water's surface. Gotcha.

That could help. CO2 concentration in the room is only 400-500 PPM thanks to an air exchanger.

 

[theMeat]

Ah, so a fan on the lights pointing to the water's surface. Gotcha.

That could help. CO2 concentration in the room is only 400-500 PPM thanks to an air exchanger.

That’s what I’m guessing op meant.
An air exchanger is a thing of beauty and imo money well spent. Especially on newer tightly sealed homes

 

[ClownSchool]

Sorry, how would a fan on my lighting help pH?

Air moving over the water’s surface raises pH. If you look though build threads, you’ll often see fans attached to the lighting brackets pointed down toward the water’s surface.
I have my tank in the living room where a ceiling fan is running most days and every night. If I go a few days without opening the house with the fan off, my pH will gradually drop to between 8.0 to 8.1, despite dosing.

 

[DavidinGA]

Friends don’t let friends put kalk in their ato.

Kalk stirrers are for people who don’t have room for a decent sized kalk reservoir. You do not need one.

mix a reservoir of max strength kalk, use a dosing pump to administer the kalk solution as needed throughout the day.

it’s literally the exact same thing as two part, just 1 part. It’s no more or less “scary” to dose than two part. If you over dose soda ash you’re just as screwed as if it were kalkwasser. I do not understand how some folks replying here simply do not grasp it.

This.

I run kalk from a separate reservoir and only use dosing pumps. Works fantastic. Been doing it for a decade.

 

[paintman]

For those of you running Kalk in an ATO. Do you have 2 ATO containers? The reason I ask is if you only have 1, when it runs dry how do you make RO water fast enough and saturate it with Kalk before your ATO sensor calls for water? Seems to me that the only way to do this is to have 2 containers. One at bat and the 2nd in the on deck circle.

 

[theMeat]

For those of you running Kalk in an ATO. Do you have 2 ATO containers? The reason I ask is if you only have 1, when it runs dry how do you make RO water fast enough and saturate it with Kalk before your ATO sensor calls for water? Seems to me that the only way to do this is to have 2 containers. One at bat and the 2nd in the on deck circle.

Have my gallons ready to go before the ato container runs out. Refill with kalk when needed. A few hours later it’s ready to go

 

[Adamantium]

For those of you running Kalk in an ATO. Do you have 2 ATO containers? The reason I ask is if you only have 1, when it runs dry how do you make RO water fast enough and saturate it with Kalk before your ATO sensor calls for water? Seems to me that the only way to do this is to have 2 containers. One at bat and the 2nd in the on deck circle.

I think that's probably the best way to do it, but it only take a few hours to settle. It's not like you'll be without an ATO for days. More like 3-4 hours tops.

 

[Key Largo]

Pardon my ignorance, and I’m doing more research now, but is a pH of 12 a good way to identify fully saturated limewater?

No it is not. After a similar type question that was answered by Holmes-Farley, conductivity, using a Salinity meter (which can deal with higher values) is the way to go. Even a weak solution might test pH of 12.

 

[Key Largo]

Pardon my ignorance, and I’m doing more research now, but is a pH of 12 a good way to identify fully saturated limewater?

No it is not. In answer to a similar question, Holmes-Farley recommends a conductivity meter for salinity (can handle the higher values) as the way to go. A week solution may still test pH of 12.

 

[Adamantium]

No it is not. In answer to a similar question, Holmes-Farley recommends a conductivity meter for salinity (can handle the higher values) as the way to go. A week solution may still test pH of 12.

Oh interesting. So what should a salinity conductivity meter read?

 

[Mnereefer]

Could always try the barrel and continuous pump method. Works an absolute treat for me. I have dialled it in so it doses continuously throughout the day to just under my evaporation rate, then my ATO does the rest.

I have a 80Ltr barrel, fill with fresh RO, add 140g of kalk, mix for 5 minutes then put a lid on it. Let the slurry settle and turn the pump back on. That does me for 3/4 weeks. PH low of 8.1 and high of 8.5.