Starting with kalk... reservoir sizing help

[GOSKN5]

I am about to start dosing kalk on my 180 mixed reef. I purchased a dosing pump that can dose 12 times a day. I plan to use kalk as my main alk/cal additive and "catch up" with 2 part if needed. I am trying to figure out a good container to hold the kalk as I have very limited space under my stand.

My tank is fairly young and will be nearly all zoas and softies, with a few LPS mixed in. I will also have a few SPS like montiopora and birdsnest, likely no acros. Currently the tank goes through about .5 dKH. The tank is 180 with a 40 gallon sump that runs about half full. So considering rocks, sand, etc- I would guess about 180 gallons total water volume.

I am correct in looking at the calculator that I would need approximately .79 gallons daily of kalk to cover the .5 drop?

Also, is there any reason I cannot mix a larger amount (say 5-10 gallons worth) and then add it to the container as needed? Thanks for the help!

 

[BestMomEver]

I’ve always heard that you should use 1/4 tsp of kalk per gallon of water. I don’t know how that figures into the math....

@Randy Holmes-Farley

 

[BeejReef]

I've just done crazy research on this. Doing the same thing. I actually ordered the same dosing pump as you, but don't get it until my birthday in a few weeks.

It looks like you're correct with the .79 gallons.

It depends on your approach. In my house, we run the ac when it gets hot. It's not simply set to a temp. Sometimes the aquarium fan turns on, sometimes not. Sometimes humid inside, sometimes dry. Point being, my evap fluctuates a lot. In the summer, I can't mix Kalk with ATO water without risking an OD or obsessively testing.

That's why I'm going to a doser, like you, with separate reservoirs. One simple RODI, One mixed with an alkalinity and calcium additive.

You can mix larger batches of Kalkwasser. Supposedly, it keeps pretty well if you don't slosh or stir it. It will probably lose a tiny bit of potency whenever you pour it.

So, to the point, if you have very limited space, have you considered https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/carbo-calcium-powder-calcium-alkalinity-additive-tropic-marin.html carbocalcium?

A recent BRS vid showed it as one of the absolute cheapest ways to maintain alk and calc and it can be done with a single dosing pump. It's also much more potent than Kalkwasser, meaning you can dose far smaller volume for the same effect. Smaller reservoir for you...

The other thing I was banging around in my head was how to prevent an OD of Kalk or CarboCalc if the dosing pump malfunctioned. What about having the pump dose into a small hampster-bottle style receptacle that overhangs the outside of your sump? Put a needle valve on it or whatever. Now, the dosing pump fills the bottle. The bottle drips out the dose so it's more even AND if the doser goes wild, most of the excess will overflow out the top of the hampster bottle and not get into the water??

Anyhow, I'm doing the same as you. I have a lot of Kalk left, so I'll probably go that route initially as well, but am thinking I'll switch to the other if/when my daily demand outstrips what I can dose with my evaporation. Best of luck.

Oh, to answer your question.. lol.. I didn't have room under my stand either. I have that infamous "wooden box" next to my stand that fits two 6 gallon recycling bins for water storage.