Kalkwasser setup

MACHO · Jan 23, 2023

Hey everyone just wanted to share how I have put in my kalkreactor with the apex Dos
So its a bubble magnus which i have put to stir every 4 hours. Setup for this-
Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If Time 00:00 to 00:05 Then ON
If Time 04:00 to 04:05 Then ON
If Time 08:00 to 08:05 Then ON
If Time 12:00 to 12:05 Then ON
If Time 16:00 to 16:05 Then ON
If Time 20:00 to 20:05 Then ON
If pH > 8.4 Then OFF
Min Time 010:00 Then OFF

Then I obviously have the apex dos which is pretty much the same thing.
If pH > 8.40 Then OFF
If ATO_lv OPEN Then OFF

I'm pulling seperately from my ato tank so the ato_lv being open will have the dos no longer take water since there is none to take preventing sucking in air. Hope this helps anyone!!

Katherine Corals · Jan 23, 2023

Im not sure what your stir times are set at, but keep in mind you want to wait 15min after a stir before dosing kalk

MACHO · Jan 23, 2023

Katherine Corals said:
Im not sure what your stir times are set at, but keep in mind you want to wait 15min after a stir before dosing kalk

most people stir 24/7 this stirs for 5 min every 4 hours

Katherine Corals · Jan 23, 2023

MACHO said:
most people stir 24/7 this stirs for 5 min every 4 hours

The bubble magus is a magnetic stirrer, correct? Those you do not want to stir 24/7. If however, it is a reactor then why not stir 24/7?

MACHO · Jan 23, 2023

Katherine Corals said:
The bubble magus is a magnetic stirrer, correct? Those you do not want to stir 24/7. If however, it is a reactor then why not stir 24/7?

how would i set that up on apex if it is stirring for it not to dose for 15 minutes

divewsharks · Jan 23, 2023

MACHO said:
how would i set that up on apex if it is stirring for it not to dose for 15 minutes

Question:
Why would you stir 24/7? Once you hit max saturation, why stir beyond that point versus stop stirring and dose 24/7 (or some set interval?

*this coming from someone looking to add kalk dosing to my tank*

MACHO · Jan 23, 2023

divewsharks said:
Question:
Why would you stir 24/7? Once you hit max saturation, why stir beyond that point versus stop stirring and dose 24/7 (or some set interval?

this is not stirring 24/7 it stirs every 4 hours. currently I set it up to be dosing at night and at separate intervals so as not to be dosing while stirring.

Katherine Corals · Jan 23, 2023

MACHO said:
how would i set that up on apex if it is stirring for it not to dose for 15 minutes

Maybe I'm confused on the initial reactor style. If it is a magnetic stirrer with the magnetic bar that mixes it to a high grade concentration, then I would set it up something similar to this:
Stirrer - -
Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If Time 00:00 to 00:03 Then ON
If Time 04:00 to 04:03 Then ON
If Time 08:00 to 08:03 Then ON
If Time 12:00 to 12:03 Then ON
If Time 16:00 to 16:03 Then ON
If Time 20:00 to 20:03 Then ON

DOS -- *This will all depend on the amount of kalk you need to dose to match with your calcium consumption* (which is why I placed the end time in ??)
Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If Time 00:18 to 00:?? Then ON
If Time 04:18 to 04:?? Then ON
If Time 08:18 to 08:?? Then ON
If Time 12:18 to 12:?? Then ON
If Time 16:18 to 16:?? Then ON
If Time 20:18 to 20:?? Then ON

So speaking from experience, I had a IceCap magnetic stirrer and I upgraded the bar to a larger size because I found that the kalk solution would bind up the stir bar if I added too much. I used this for about 6 months and switched to an Avast

MACHO · Jan 23, 2023

Katherine Corals said:
Maybe I'm confused on the initial reactor style. If it is a magnetic stirrer with the magnetic bar that mixes it to a high grade concentration, then I would set it up something similar to this:
Stirrer - -
Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If Time 00:00 to 00:03 Then ON
If Time 04:00 to 04:03 Then ON
If Time 08:00 to 08:03 Then ON
If Time 12:00 to 12:03 Then ON
If Time 16:00 to 16:03 Then ON
If Time 20:00 to 20:03 Then ON

DOS -- *This will all depend on the amount of kalk you need to dose to match with your calcium consumption* (which is why I placed the end time in ??)
Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If Time 00:18 to 00:?? Then ON
If Time 04:18 to 04:?? Then ON
If Time 08:18 to 08:?? Then ON
If Time 12:18 to 12:?? Then ON
If Time 16:18 to 16:?? Then ON
If Time 20:18 to 20:?? Then ON

So speaking from experience, I had a IceCap magnetic stirrer and I upgraded the bar to a larger size because I found that the kalk solution would bind up the stir bar if I added too much. I used this for about 6 months and switched to an Avast

This is what i have setup currently
If pH > 8.40 Then OFF
If ATO_lv OPEN Then OFF
If Swx12_2 CLOSED Then OFF

Then the kalk stirrer is setup-
Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If Time 00:00 to 00:05 Then ON
If Time 04:00 to 04:05 Then ON
If Time 08:00 to 08:05 Then ON
If Time 12:00 to 12:05 Then ON
If Time 16:00 to 16:05 Then ON
If Time 20:00 to 20:05 Then ON
If pH > 8.40 Then OFF
Min Time 010:00 Then OFF

anthonymckay · Jan 23, 2023

divewsharks said:
Question:
Why would you stir 24/7? Once you hit max saturation, why stir beyond that point versus stop stirring and dose 24/7 (or some set interval?

*this coming from someone looking to add kalk dosing to my tank*

A kalk reactor is given far more kalkwasser than can be dissolved in the volume of water it can hold (ie: a 1 gallon reactor may gave enough kalkwasser for 5-10 gallons), and then is being fed a constant slow drip of freshwater (RODI) via a dosing pump. This causes the saturated kalk solution to in turn drip into the aquarium's water. By continuously slowly mixing the solution, it ensures that it's always being mixed to max saturation (via all that extra undissolved kalkwasser), rather than being diluted over time by the freshwater feed.