Kalkwasser Reactor needed?

[Morgosverlo]

Do I need a reactor or can I pump kalk mix directly from my resivoir. I would be using a Milwaukee PH controller for the pump or I can hook it up to my Tunze ATO. Trying to make do with what I have. Also have a bubble magus 3. Tired of manual dosing and perm swings. Lots of good growth but coos be way better. I have an AIO 55g Cube custom built with 5 rear chambers where I have the fuge with cheato alg.,UV filter some rubble rock. Currently dosing seachem reef fusion 2 part. Would like to attempt kalk. Sorry for rambling. Here are some pics:

 

[Morgosverlo]

More views:

 

[asandbox]

 

[-Logzor]

You can add kalk to your ATO reservoir manually and stir it manually, but adding a pump is asking for certain disaster. If any of the white slurry gets sucked into the tank, everything will probably die. You also have to make sure that your pump is sitting well above where any kalk settles in the reservoir, or again, it will suck up the slurry and kill your corals. Use caution when dealing with kalk and ATO.

 

[Morgosverlo]

Thnx! Lots of good info in there. I could do the ATO method but I'm wondering if it would be better to use my ph controller and pump to dose kalk when the PH drops below set level and will shut off if PH rises above set level. Just on the fence which way to go.

 

[rock_lobster]

sounds like a lot of unnecessary work. Dosing bicarb is much easier and hassle free.

 

[Morgosverlo]

Never heard of it. I'll check it out.

 

[Morgosverlo]

Baking soda. Ahh! Yes I've heard of using this.

 

[-Logzor]

Thnx! Lots of good info in there. I could do the ATO method but I'm wondering if it would be better to use my ph controller and pump to dose kalk when the PH drops below set level and will shut off if PH rises above set level. Just on the fence which way to go.

Too much responsibility for a pH probe in my opinion. Agree with dosing sodium bicarbonate though.

 

[bpcass]

I'd be wary of putting kalk directly into my ATO reservoir for the above mentioned risk of pumping slurry in and because it will drastically reduce the life of your pump. I would have the ATO pump fresh water into a container with kalk in it that then drips by gravity into the sump. Having a reactor with a stir bar is nice but even a still container works well as long as you give it a manual stir now and then. I have been using an old Coralife super skimmer for this purpose for the past 6 months. I feed the ATO water in backwards through the outlet of the skimmer so it enters the skimmer body at the bottom, stirring the kalk somewhat. I add about a half cup of kalk once every 1-2 weeks and it maintains my calcium at 400-420. I stir up the kalk with a turkey baster every few days.

 

[hybridazn]

I run a Geo's reef kalk reactor in line with my ato on my frag system. It's stupid easy to set up. The reactor has a recirculating pump that you can have turn on and off to mix the slurry. I control it with my apex to mix for 1 minute every 2 hours.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW, I prefer dosing limewatwer (kalkwasser) from a settled reservoir than from a reactor. It is easier to control the potency, for example.

I've done it this way for more than 20 years. My reservoir is 3 x 44 gallon Brute cans plumbed together, so it lasts a long time between having to make new batches.

I discuss limewater and competing methods here:

The Many Methods for Supplementing Calcium and Alkalinity - REEFEDITION
https://www.reef2reef.com/blog/the-many-methods-for-supplementing-calcium-and-alkalinity

and this one has lots of detailed info on limewater:

What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm

 

[Preyou]

Not going to disagree with Randy here, but I use an Avast Marine kalk stirrer in line with my ATO water and I have been extremely happy with it. They are pretty foolproof. They allow the kalk to settle out and only dose from the very top of your resivoir. You can purchase the unit assembled or unassembled to save a few bucks.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Not going to disagree with Randy here, but I use an Avast Marine kalk stirrer in line with my ATO water and I have been extremely happy with it. They are pretty foolproof. They allow the kalk to settle out and only dose from the very top of your resivoir. You can purchase the unit assembled or unassembled to save a few bucks.

FWIW, such methods are fine, IMO, and there's no reason to not use one when, for example, space is limited for storage of reservoirs, but I'm curious, have you ever measured the potency of the product water?

I'm not saying it isn't saturated, but some folks who have assumed it was with their reactor (don't recall brands) found out when measuring its conductivity that it was not.

 

[mrtian97]

I started using kalk water with my Tunze ATO, started with 3 tsp for 5 gallon container. Because of the way Tunze ATO pump submerged in bottom, I just let the pump suck in whatever slury inside the ATO. Is it true that these slurry is bad? I am not sure how not to include the bottom part not pump into the sump

Thanks

 

[Preyou]

FWIW, such methods are fine, IMO, and there's no reason to not use one when, for example, space is limited for storage of reservoirs, but I'm curious, have you ever measured the potency of the product water?

I'm not saying it isn't saturated, but some folks who have assumed it was with their reactor (don't recall brands) found out when measuring its conductivity that it was not.

No I have not. I am guilty there. I have been using the scale that they provide to determine my usage. I evaporate approximately 1 gallon per day, so their scale recommends 3/4 cup of kalk every two weeks. This keeps the level of sediment in the bottom of the container at a constant level. I clean out the reactor every other month to get rid of buildup.

I would be interested in seeing what the potency of product water is though. What should the parameters of the product water be?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

No I have not. I am guilty there. I have been using the scale that they provide to determine my usage. I evaporate approximately 1 gallon per day, so their scale recommends 3/4 cup of kalk every two weeks. This keeps the level of sediment in the bottom of the container at a constant level. I clean out the reactor every other month to get rid of buildup.

I would be interested in seeing what the potency of product water is though. What should the parameters of the product water be?

Limewater can be any potency that suits you and your tank, but the conductivity of saturated limewater at 25 deg C is about 10.3 mS/cm. That's easiest way to measure it.

The pH of saturated limewater is about 12.54, but even half potency has the pH above 12.2, so it is not the best gauge.

The alkalinity of it is about 40.8 meq/L (114 dKH), but that will only be valid if it is clear. Any solids will lead to a false high reading, but an alk test will work OK.

Same about solids for calcium at about 816 ppm, but the pH is so high that a calcium test may not work well.

 

[Preyou]

Limewater can be any potency that suits you and your tank, but the conductivity of saturated limewater at 25 deg C is about 10.3 mS/cm. That's easiest way to measure it.

The pH of saturated limewater is about 12.54, but even half potency has the pH above 12.2, so it is not the best gauge.

The alkalinity of it is about 40.8 meq/L (114 dKH), but that will only be valid if it is clear. Any solids will lead to a false high reading, but an alk test will work OK.

Same about solids for calcium at about 816 ppm, but the pH is so high that a calcium test may not work well.

Thanks Randy. As usual you are a tremendous source of information and I appreciate the help.

 

[-Logzor]

I started using kalk water with my Tunze ATO, started with 3 tsp for 5 gallon container. Because of the way Tunze ATO pump submerged in bottom, I just let the pump suck in whatever slury inside the ATO. Is it true that these slurry is bad? I am not sure how not to include the bottom part not pump into the sump

Thanks

I used a zip-tie attached to my ATO container securing the feedline such that it elevates the pump from the bottom. The slurry built up and my tunze ATO sucked up the slurry, killing all the corals in my QT tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The slurry can raise the tank pH a lot, assuming it is undissolved calcium hydroxide and not calcium carbonate. I've sucked it in a few times and gotten my tank turn turn very cloudy, but without losses.

How much slurry you dose will determine the outcome. A little is no problem, but 2 teaspoons is like dosing a gallon of limewater instantly.