Using Sodium Bicarbonate in a Kalk Reactor?

[Lousybreed]

Due to limited solubility when compared to Calcium Chloride or Sodium Hydroxide, has anyone used a kalk reactor for dosing sodium bicarbonate for your 2 part dosing? Does it work?

 

[Lousybreed]

And by saying kalk reactor I mean using a kalk reactor but instead of using kalk you load it with sodium bicarbonate?

 

[KrisReef]

And by saying kalk reactor I mean using a kalk reactor but instead of using kalk you load it with sodium bicarbonate?

Sodium Bicarbonate will add ALk but zero calcium.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

And by saying kalk reactor I mean using a kalk reactor but instead of using kalk you load it with sodium bicarbonate?

Are you asking if you can put sodium bicarbonate in a kalk reactor to the point that the water inside is fully saturated and have a slurry of undissolved at the bottom and as you pump fresh water in you eventually mix in the undissolved sodium bicarbonate?

 

[helmsreef]

You can super saturate sodium bicarb if you boil water and it will dissolve more bicarb than room temperature water. You can pour out the super saturated solution then let cool but once any powder remaining will crystalize and the solution is unstable and if you were to add some sodium bicarb powder to that solution it will instantly unsettle and crystalize. So it probably wouldn't work for our applications if you are looking at a super saturated solution

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

And by saying kalk reactor I mean using a kalk reactor but instead of using kalk you load it with sodium bicarbonate?

I would not recommend this. While it might be technically feasible, I think it will be hard to control potency (it will change with temperature, for example) and it will be very potent so the dose used is small.

I don’t see any advantage over dosing it from a premixed reservoir.

 

[Lousybreed]

Are you asking if you can put sodium bicarbonate in a kalk reactor to the point that the water inside is fully saturated and have a slurry of undissolved at the bottom and as you pump fresh water in you eventually mix in the undissolved sodium bicarbonate?

Yes

 

[Lousybreed]

I would not recommend this. While it might be technically feasible, I think it will be hard to control potency (it will change with temperature, for example) and it will be very potent so the dose used is small.

I don’t see any advantage over dosing it from a premixed reservoir.

My system is massive, 1,100 gallons. You are correct, the solubility is quite temperature dependent! I have a temperature controlled fish room (separate hvac) where it stays from 72-75 degrees for my two reef flats. It’s quite the set up!

Randy the reason I am looking at doing this is my daily usage is hovering around 3 liters a day and it’s a pain in the butt to keep making10l of solution every couple of days.

 

[Miami Reef]

I agree with Randy: Make a gallon solution and use a dosing pump. It’s much better that way.

 

[Miami Reef]

My system is massive, 1,100 gallons. You are correct, the solubility is quite temperature dependent! I have a temperature controlled fish room (separate hvac) where it stays from 72-75 degrees for my two reef flats. It’s quite the set up!

Randy the reason I am looking at doing this is my daily usage is hovering around 3 liters a day and it’s a pain in the butt to keep making10l of solution every couple of days.

In that case, have you considered a calcium reactor?

 

[Lousybreed]

In that case, have you considered a calcium reactor?

I should start this off with the why. So let’s back up. I design and manufacture LED lights for the reef hobby. So I invested in a R&D lab to design, evaluate, and benchmark lights. I have been using kalk slurry very successfully for several years and I used this on my big reef flat for 2 yrs. I am very close friends with a prominent European reefer (Leo’s Reef on IG) and he shared with my his reefing methods. I have decided to emulate his method with one of my reef flats (3 part dosing, using Tropic marine part C and Tropic Marin traces). The other reef flat will be using calcium reactor and saturated kalkwasser. I am excited to compare these two methods!

So basically it’s just me experimenting and learning a new method. On IG I share how to do these methods economically (buying the chemicals direct that companies use in their products) and I try to bring some innovation to show people you can push ideas to a different angle if you know the fundamentals.

 

[Lousybreed]

Sodium Bicarbonate will add ALk but zero calcium.

Exactly. Calcium chloride is used for all 2-3 part dosing and will be used in my 4 part dosing I am working on.

 

[Lousybreed]

Are you asking if you can put sodium bicarbonate in a kalk reactor to the point that the water inside is fully saturated and have a slurry of undissolved at the bottom and as you pump fresh water in you eventually mix in the undissolved sodium bicarbonate?

Yessssss!!!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If this is something you want to experiment with, I’d set it up outside the tank and monitor the conductivity of the effluent from the start of dosing to near the end of solid present and see if it is stable enough. You can always use that fluid for dosing so it isn’t wasted. Depending in the conductivity probe used, it might need some dilution to bring it on scale, but that’s not hard to do.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Due to limited solubility when compared to Calcium Chloride or Sodium Hydroxide, has anyone used a kalk reactor for dosing sodium bicarbonate for your 2 part dosing? Does it work?

More trouble than its worth. Keeping it stable may be the challenge. It however may be worth a try, and chart as you go along to see if it remains stable or undesirable results when water is added. As Randy stated, I'd start outside of tank first. You tend to grow coral like weeds and i'd hate to see adverse effects

 

[Lousybreed]

More trouble than its worth. Keeping it stable may be the challenge. It however may be worth a try, and chart as you go along to see if it remains stable or undesirable results when water is added. As Randy stated, I'd start outside of tank first. You tend to grow coral like weeds and i'd hate to see adverse effects

I have thought about it. And it’s too much of a risk. But instead I built a large vessel that can hold 40 L of solution. So what I will do is add the sodium bicarbonate to the water and turn on a wavemaker in the vessel to mix until it all dissolves. Turn it off once it’s dissolved. Problem solved. More more stable and still achieving what I was aiming for, longer intervals between mixing. I do appreciate the heads up to reconsider guys!!

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have thought about it. And it’s too much of a risk. But instead I built a large vessel that can hold 40 L of solution. So what I will do is add the sodium bicarbonate to the water and turn on a wavemaker in the vessel to mix until it all dissolves. Turn it off once it’s dissolved. Problem solved. More more stable and still achieving what I was aiming for, longer intervals between mixing. I do appreciate the heads up to reconsider guys!!

That's much better and good plan