Kalk Reactor Vs Dosing Pump

[Stomp]

i should have mentioned my system is small, like 40 to 45g's. i will only be keeping polyps, no sps until i get a calcium reactor.

my issue is, ive always used dosing pumps, but lately, my alk will not hold no matter how much solution i dose. sounds crazy, i know, i jus dont get it. calcium is at good levels, low 400's, and my mag is usually right around 1450. though the calcium doesnt hold too well either. standard IO salt is what i use. i like the lower levels it has, and then dosing them up as needed.

i cant afford a calcium reactor right now, and id like to keep my pH up, and my alk in the mid 8's. but lately, it cant get it over the mid 6's. before i had any corals in this setup, i dosed it up to about 12 with a good amount of two part, but within 24 hours or so, it was back below 7. cal and mag levels were constant.

so im hoping if i jus use kalk in my top off it will keep things at better levels for my ph and alk. i dont mind getting a reactor, but i wasnt sure how they were fed with water. im not interesting in buying a electronic ATO.

anymore thoughts from anyone?

 

[jservedio]

Kalk reactor vs Dosing Pumps.

The reason I ask is my evaporation is pretty high with the fans blowing over the top of the water. Using a dosing pump would allow me not to worry so much about over dosing through the Kalk Reactor. I usually dump a table spoon of kalk powder into the reactor each week. However, lately I noticed some corals are turning white and wondering if me Alk is spiking during the day to burn the corals.

So I thought maybe its time to get a dosing pump but which one?

This is why you can feed a Kalk stirrer with a dosing pump! If you use a 2-part that contains magnesium, you can use your 3rd dosing pump to feed a Kalk reactor. This way you have a FIXED amount of Kalk going into your system. Then, keep your ATO running regular RODI to make up for the rest. This way I know for sure EXACTLY what is going into my system For my 20g, that means 18ml of Alk, 22ml of Ca, and 220ml of Saturated Kalk Water every day. It also keeps my pH perfectly flat because I spread that 220ml out over 10 doses throughout the day/night. My pH stays at exactly 8.05 regardless if the lights are on or off.

 

[Stomp]

No opinions on why I can't keep alk steady?

 

[mcarroll]

Stomp: You are posting your question in an off-topic thread so it could be that nobody has really seen your question.

I'd try some searches here on R2R and if you can't find someone else who's asked your question in the past (and already gotten and answer), then you're more likely to get some answers of your own if you start your own thread with a title that explains what your post is about.

FWIW, it sounds like you're on the right track, but maybe reading on from here might help you understand what you are seeing?

-Matt