Would kalkwasser work well for me?

[TexasTodd]

I don’t see why not, maybe start lower concentration of kalk solution, such as 1 teaspoon per gallon of RODI. I am still using kalk solution with my ATO and I supplement it with daily dosing of 2 parts (my tank is heavy sps), but I started with just kalk solution then gradually increase as the Ca and Alk uptake in my tank increased

This. You're better off with two part and a doser but kalk in ato will work. Worst part is it tends to swing your PH a bit too much as the ATO adds a fair amount each time it kicks on. You can run amazing systems off of just kalk but it's better to drip it 24/7

 

[Philipgonzales3]

Ok, so I always like to summarize what I got from the posts after a few of them came in. What @Hemmdog and a few others said made sense to me. I guess it would be best not to rely on evaporation to dictate the amount of solution (kalkwasser) is dosed.

I might as well plan to get dosing pumps. Now that I will have another cabinet next to my tank, I think the issue of space won't be an issue at all anymore.

I guess the rough plan should be wait until Alk drops more than 1 DKH per week (I'll double check with the forum as soon as I see either DKH or Calcium dropping) then start either manually dosing or with a dosing pump and a dosing calculator. I guess the method of dosing doesn't matter in the very very beginning, but may be good to do it manually the first few times to ensure I get the same results with a doser to verify it is working correctly.

Ok, so questions on the dosing pumps. Why do some models have 3 pumps and some have 4. I assume something is doubled up?

What dosers should I look into getting. I know I don't need them yet but I like to plan ahead.

Also I threw my two part in the shed during the move. Could storing them this way cause them to go bad?

I think this is what I bought in the smallest sizes.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/esv-b-ionic-calcium-buffer-system.html

 

[Dkeller_nc]

Since ESV is supplied in a "just fill it to the line" package, they're still good to go. The concern with storing calcium chloride that you have to weigh out is that it's hygroscopic and can absorb moisture, making the weight a bit "off" when you use it.

A few posts ago you mentioned that your pump is "kalk safe". As others have mentioned, that's not actually the concern. The concern is that your pump and/or pickup tube gets into the undissolved kalk on the bottom of the container, and that gets pumped into the tank, wiping out everything.

With respect to dosing pumps, you generally only need 2 channels, which is why the Apex D.O.S. system has only two. However, some folks want the "extra" pumps in a 3, 4 or even 7 channel dosing pump to do other things. The GHL system, for example, uses a couple of channels to run automatic alkalinity tests.

 

[Retro Reefer]

I use Kalkwasser on all my reefs. I don’t like adding it to my ATO because of the erratic dosing and fouling of pumps. IMO the best way to do it is with a dedicated dosing pump and timer. I just fill a container with the clear solution syphoned from my Kalk mixing bucket and use a dosing pump on a mechanical timer to control when and how much I dose.. It’s best to dose over night to help keep PH stable and prevent potential spikes that can happen if administered midday.

The pump is from BRS, You can catch deals on these for around $50

A decent water resistant timer will cost about $12.. I purchased mine at Lowe’s

 

[Retro Reefer]

Another thing to mention is you want the Kalk solution to drip into a high flow area of your system.. I have mine dripping next to a return line.

 

[lolgranny]

+1 in kalk. I’ve use it on a 40g, 75g, and a 400g. Strictly kalk and water changes. The 40g had a good 40+ pieces of coral in it, the 400g had hundreds of coral. I never had a issue with levels aside from a tank crash on the 40g due to a pump failure and lack of redundancy. It’s easy to use. I’m currently using it on my 700g system along side a calcium reactor.

 

[jtl]

I have been using kalkwasser (pickling lime) in my tank for years and always through my ATO. I lose about 1 gallon of water per day thru evaporation and dose the kalk at 1 tsp per gallon of top off water. My tank is going on 2 years and I have mostly lps but some sps, no softies. So far the kalk is keeping my alk at 9 and my Ca at 425. I use regular IO and do 10% weekly water changes.

 

[cobast]

I've never understood people going for ATO 'dosing' of kalkwasser. I use a dosing pump for consistency. Here in Sydney with the weather variances the evaporation and hence top up dosing varies drastically. Particularly if it's hot and I am running the cooling fans where the evap can be many times greater. How do you cater to the varied dosing?

 

[dwest]

I've never understood people going for ATO 'dosing' of kalkwasser. I use a dosing pump for consistency. Here in Sydney with the weather variances the evaporation and hence top up dosing varies drastically. Particularly if it's hot and I am running the cooling fans where the evap can be many times greater. How do you cater to the varied dosing?

I used kalk in my ato for many years. I suppose my evaporation rate is somewhat constant. However now I dose constant kalk, and make up the remainder with ato. That gives me more consistent alkalinity.

 

[lolgranny]

I've never understood people going for ATO 'dosing' of kalkwasser. I use a dosing pump for consistency. Here in Sydney with the weather variances the evaporation and hence top up dosing varies drastically. Particularly if it's hot and I am running the cooling fans where the evap can be many times greater. How do you cater to the varied dosing?

10+ years here without a issue. I’m in Chicago so the weather can be -20 or + 100. I’ve had setups in small very hot humid spaces as well.

 

[MrObscura]

The reason to dose kalk through ato is because it's simple and effective.

Unless youre using more than necessary and/or your ato just decides to dump a ton in its not going to effect Ph in anything but a positive manner.

 

[Philipgonzales3]

Ok to resummarize it sounds like I can use kalkwasser if I want but I may just opt to 2 part.

Current params.

Seems like Alk has gone down. Water change day is tomorrow. Will see what the trend is next week. One thing I need to get in a better habit is testing at the exact same time but with a hectic life sometimes that is hard to do. I test when I can at the moment.

 

[MrObscura]

You know whats worth looking into which I am thinking about trying, especially on a young system thats low-mid demand? Tropic Marin All for Reef. It's a 1 part that'll handle Alk and cal(as well as dose Mag and trace elements).

That stuff paired with a Kamoer X1 Bluetooth doser is looking like a good approach.

 

[Philipgonzales3]

You know whats worth looking into which I am thinking about trying, especially on a young system thats low-mid demand? Tropic Marin All for Reef. It's a 1 part that'll handle Alk and cal(as well as dose Mag and trace elements).

That stuff paired with a Kamoer X1 Bluetooth doser is looking like a good approach.

Yeah I created a post on 1 part dosing. Now I'm not sure which route I will go. Probably just two part since I bought ESV 2 part a while back. Already have some so might as well continue down that road when the time comes.

 

[patrsnracn]

+1 on 1\2 tsp per gal ato works 4 me 3 yrs 75g mixed reef LPS Heavy some softies

 

[Philipgonzales3]

Alright you may need to set me up with an acrylic tube thingy and a bulkhead lol. Sounds like this one is worth trying.

 

[tony'stank]

I dosed Kaklwasser with my ATO for a couple of years. My ARO was the Tunze. The Tunze ATO use a diaphragmatic pump. The diaphragm is made of rubber that is degraded by the Kalwasser. It will work but you will be replacing the pump every six months. I also found that it raised the Calcium too much. The Ca precipitated out into m ravel. I literally took me a year to lower my Ca level

 

[Dkeller_nc]

I dosed Kaklwasser with my ATO for a couple of years. My ARO was the Tunze. The Tunze ATO use a diaphragmatic pump. The diaphragm is made of rubber that is degraded by the Kalwasser. It will work but you will be replacing the pump every six months. I also found that it raised the Calcium too much. The Ca precipitated out into m ravel. I literally took me a year to lower my Ca level

You must've had a (very) old model of the Tunze ATO system - they don't use diaphragm pumps, they use ordinary centrifugal pumps of the same basic design as a run-of-the-mill AC reef pump (though the Tunze pump is DC).