who uses their ATO for Limewater??

[TOMACONDA]

Are you guys running your ATO RO water separate from your Limewater(KALK)??

If so what do your systems look like ?

Looking for Ideas

Do you have it mixing while in container or is it just still with the lid ?

 

[ThaBeast]

My ATO is separate from my kalk dose as my evap rate changes significantly though the year depending on AC or heat. I use a doser and a GEO kalk reactor for limewater dosing from 11pm to 9am. Working well so far. I have an LPS tank and this usually manages my alk and calcium well. On my previous SPS tank I used kalk but also had separate alk and calcium dosers due to demand

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

I use fully saturated kalk in my ATO. I just mix it in a bucket, and have the hydros ATO with the pump at the bottom.

I think the most important thing is set the ATO to have a MIN on time and a MAX on time with a break in between, so on heavy evap days, (or return chamber fluctuating because of strong display pumps) it doesn't make PH go too crazy.

 

[exnisstech]

Everything in this tank was moved out a few months ago. When it was running the only thing I dosed was fully saturated kalk mixed in a brute container with the lid. No need for it to be sealed air tight. I just set the tube up off the bottom so it didn't pull the settled stuff out. I'd clean it once or twice a year, easy peasy. I started in the ato but my evaporation rate varied to much for my liking so I switched to dosing it with a brs 1ml minute dosing pump on a timer. No pics of kalk set up. It was nothing fancy to look at, just a brute with a tube running to the doser. Sump was in the basement so appearance was unimportant to me.

 

[TOMACONDA]

Everything in this tank was moved out a few months ago. When it was running the only thing I dosed was fully saturated kalk mixed in a brute container with the lid. No need for it to be sealed air tight. I just set the tube up off the bottom so it didn't pull the settled stuff out. I'd clean it once or twice a year, easy peasy. I started in the ato but my evaporation rate varied to much for my liking so I switched to dosing it with a brs 1ml minute dosing pump on a timer. No pics of kalk set up. It was nothing fancy to look at, just a brute with a tube running to the doser. Sump was in the basement so appearance was unimportant to me.

Thank you ! I also have a basement sump set up this helps a lot I am using a brute can as my ATO container I have a 233 g how much kalk are you going through and how are you mixing it once every 24 hours

 

[fish farmer]

Everything in this tank was moved out a few months ago. When it was running the only thing I dosed was fully saturated kalk mixed in a brute container with the lid. No need for it to be sealed air tight. I just set the tube up off the bottom so it didn't pull the settled stuff out. I'd clean it once or twice a year, easy peasy. I started in the ato but my evaporation rate varied to much for my liking so I switched to dosing it with a brs 1ml minute dosing pump on a timer. No pics of kalk set up. It was nothing fancy to look at, just a brute with a tube running to the doser. Sump was in the basement so appearance was unimportant to me.

Similar to how I run. Limewater in a 5 gallon carbon, usually mix up 3 to 4 gal at a time, dosed via a BRS dosing pump on a peg style light timer.

ATO separate system, JBJ nano optic in sump, pump in 2 gallon container next to lime water res, both in basement. I used to run a Tank Boss mercury float switch for years, hooked to whatever pump could push several feet.

I tried limewater in my ato years ago, had more issues.

 

[landlubber]

I did using a little vessel Tunze makes that spares the ATO pump from having to run the Kalk through its pump. I don't anymore as like the other have mentioned was not a fan of the inconsistency the seasonal changes brought.
A separate doser is definitely the move but despite having an extra i never got it rolling again.

 

[exnisstech]

Thank you ! I also have a basement sump set up this helps a lot I am using a brute can as my ATO container I have a 233 g how much kalk are you going through and how are you mixing it once every 24 hours

I was dosing 7200ml daily. Some people do it at night for a pH boost but I didn't see a boost and didn't need one so I did it 24 /7. No need to mix it every 24 hours. I had 1 gal marks in the brute and would just add how ever many gallons of RODI that was needed to get it full when I felt like filling it. I just added the water and 2 tsp kalk powder for each gallon, tossed an old power head for a few minutes and called it done. It's a very simple method that just works. Once you you mix it let it settle. No need to stir it after that. There will be a lot of sediment that is normal so I just rigged my tubing up so it was a few inches off of the bottom of the container. My tank wa probably 200ish gallons total.

 

[bobnicaragua]

I dose kalk continuously with a versa. 10 gal reservoir lasts about 12 days. I mix it up with a little paddle and keep the lid on the container.

I have a little skinny 3 gal reservoir for my ATO. The kalkwasser makes up for most of the evaporation.

 

[TOMACONDA]

I was dosing 7200ml daily. Some people do it at night for a pH boost but I didn't see a boost and didn't need one so I did it 24 /7. No need to mix it every 24 hours. I had 1 gal marks in the brute and would just add how ever many gallons of RODI that was needed to get it full when I felt like filling it. I just added the water and 2 tsp kalk powder for each gallon, tossed an old power head for a few minutes and called it done. It's a very simple method that just works. Once you you mix it let it settle. No need to stir it after that. There will be a lot of sediment that is normal so I just rigged my tubing up so it was a few inches off of the bottom of the container. My tank wa probably 200ish gallons total.

Are you dosing into your Ato or directly into your sump?

 

[gastone]

I use different ato reservoirs for different systems. IM 5g ATO containers, ten gallon aquarium, 5 gallon buckets. I dump in 1/4c of powder at a time, and then dump in 5g of water. Once the kalkwasser is saturated it's gtg. Let the sediment settle out and keep the ato pumps off the bottom so they don't pick up slurry. Stick a ph probe in occasionally to verify that it's still over 12 and call it good. When it starts to drop I dump in more powder. Couldn't be easier. I fight with low pH as it is.

 

[TOMACONDA]

I use different ato reservoirs for different systems. IM 5g ATO containers, ten gallon aquarium, 5 gallon buckets. I dump in 1/4c of powder at a time, and then dump in 5g of water. Once the kalkwasser is saturated it's gtg. Let the sediment settle out and keep the ato pumps off the bottom so they don't pick up slurry. Stick a ph probe in occasionally to verify that it's still over 12 and call it good. When it starts to drop I dump in more powder. Couldn't be easier. I fight with low pH as it is.

This was great nice and simple !! thank you