Anybody use pickling lime iso kalk?
- Thread starter lj1064
- Start date
PUGroyale
New member
I'm sorry but I have to humbly disagree...
The design of a Kalk reactor/stirrer allows for impurities to settle out to the bottom and the saturated limewater that flows to the tank from the reactor would probably be nearly identical whether you use Mrs. Wages, bulk kalk, or any reef specific brand.
I think most of us wish the products we introduce into our prized reef tanks, like salt mixes and kalkwasser for example, were manufactured in clean rooms by tech's in lab coats and protective eyewear :lol2: but the reality is they're bulk produced commodities... produced in mills. Randy Holmes-Farley gets his kalk directy from the mill... http://www.mississippilime.com/ if that's any indicator.
happy reefing
Kip
New member
maybe it is the design of my k-reactors... but i havent noticed that to be true on my systems
(3 tanks running GEO nilsens, 1 used to run a PM nilsent until i broke it)
if the powder isnt reloaded... each nilsen chamber will go completely clear when using ESV kalk
when i first started running a k-reactor years ago... i ran wages for one load and the mixed powder started turning brown as the the powder aged. this is what i assumed to be the leftover precipitated impurities. i figured that these impurities werent just hanging around to only be seen at the end of the "powder life" and were probably being dosed during the whole life of the kalk powder.
as you can see... far from a lab study, but enough info for me to consider using a higher grade CaOH.
but not in a non-stirred gravity drip.. because the impurities precip to the bottom of the container and are never dosed because the outlet is (should be) above the bottom of the container. The junk at the bottom gets exported during cleaning/refills.
(3 tanks running GEO nilsens, 1 used to run a PM nilsent until i broke it)
if the powder isnt reloaded... each nilsen chamber will go completely clear when using ESV kalk
when i first started running a k-reactor years ago... i ran wages for one load and the mixed powder started turning brown as the the powder aged. this is what i assumed to be the leftover precipitated impurities. i figured that these impurities werent just hanging around to only be seen at the end of the "powder life" and were probably being dosed during the whole life of the kalk powder.
as you can see... far from a lab study, but enough info for me to consider using a higher grade CaOH.
but not in a non-stirred gravity drip.. because the impurities precip to the bottom of the container and are never dosed because the outlet is (should be) above the bottom of the container. The junk at the bottom gets exported during cleaning/refills.
jdieck
New member
Kip, I think you shall check how the stirring is in the reactor, I also have a geo with a mixing powerhead and the residue stay behind (brown as you mentioned) but if anithing is insoluble it stay behind.
When stirring the solids never reach more than about 1/2" above the powerhead suction no matter how long or how many times I stirr.
Could it be that the water trough the reactor is pumped too fast? Are you using a doser pump with the reactors or a PH?
When stirring the solids never reach more than about 1/2" above the powerhead suction no matter how long or how many times I stirr.
Could it be that the water trough the reactor is pumped too fast? Are you using a doser pump with the reactors or a PH?
PUGroyale
New member
According to Randy's work, the water chemical codex grade allows for levels of arsenic and lead higher than that of food grade, has no specification for floride, and when added up... the heavy metals come out virtually the same 
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php
I can't comment on the ESV and your reactor running clear... is it malfunctioning? Or are you saying ESV kalk has 100% purity?
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php
I can't comment on the ESV and your reactor running clear... is it malfunctioning? Or are you saying ESV kalk has 100% purity?
Kip
New member
jdieck... i guess i didnt explain well (i am bad at that)... when i use wages in a k-reactor...i get brown residue.... at the end of the powder's life, the super milky stuff at the bottom begins to get browner and browner. I dont get that with ESV... it stays white the whole time and then just goes clear.
stirring and the level near the powerhead intake... i see the same as you... but I have to wonder whats getting stirred up into the clearer part that i may or may not see.
i use a reeffiller dosing pump... runs in gallons per day instead of gallons per hour ... so.. pretty slow.
PUG...
that whole food grade, lab grade, industrial grade, reagent grade thing... i looked over that years ago and it is what originally made me satisfied to use wages. But the brown left behind, whereas ESV just "burns" down to an all clear chamber (i guess meaning every bit of powder was used up, dosed, and left nothing behind) is what made me decide to use ESV from then on.
I have no idea if ESV is 100%... in fact, i am sure it is not after seeing what reagent grade CaOH costs. It may be the same grade as wage's, ball's, kents, miss, etc, etc.... but for me and as i tell people IMO/IME... i think ESV to be a better choice. Not stating as a black and white fact... just what makes me sleep a little better at nite.
Further example of how the "grade" thing may not be a good parameter for choosing chemicals. I couldnt get MagFlake without shipping it in. MagFlake is industrial grade MgCl. A local company in charlotte had industrial grade MgCl by a different company. I measured, tested, and figure out the dosage i needed to raise my Mg by 100ppm. I dosed over a week (LPS tank)... and the LPS, zoanthids, mushrooms, etc all bleached. I had a gallon of ESV mag and the gallon of MgCl + h20 that i'd made. The homemade had a strong chemical smell and the ESV was pretty much odorless. I am betting the MgCl material that is used to make ESV is the same "grade" as the materials in the MagFlake as well as the industrial product i acquired.... but nobody has had any trouble outta the ESV and the MagFlake product.
I am not a chemist.. i am not a grade tester... such are beyond me... once again.. just sharing experiences that lead me to make decisions on additives i use on my tank.
and........... FWIW... i have used DowFlake CaCl before getting a c-reactor, while the c-reactor was down for whatever reason, etc.... and have never ever had a bit of trouble with it.
I have a large system with a good deal of time, money, blood, sweat, and tears in it. For me... it is worth the extra money to buy the ESV... and it makes it a little easier (in the long run) to buy the bulk tub of it.
I wanna make sure i am not scaring folks away from wages.... i use it in a traditional drip in a 20g tank in my office... but i choose not to in a nilsen reactor for reasons in this posts and my past several.
stirring and the level near the powerhead intake... i see the same as you... but I have to wonder whats getting stirred up into the clearer part that i may or may not see.
i use a reeffiller dosing pump... runs in gallons per day instead of gallons per hour ... so.. pretty slow.
PUG...
that whole food grade, lab grade, industrial grade, reagent grade thing... i looked over that years ago and it is what originally made me satisfied to use wages. But the brown left behind, whereas ESV just "burns" down to an all clear chamber (i guess meaning every bit of powder was used up, dosed, and left nothing behind) is what made me decide to use ESV from then on.
I have no idea if ESV is 100%... in fact, i am sure it is not after seeing what reagent grade CaOH costs. It may be the same grade as wage's, ball's, kents, miss, etc, etc.... but for me and as i tell people IMO/IME... i think ESV to be a better choice. Not stating as a black and white fact... just what makes me sleep a little better at nite.
Further example of how the "grade" thing may not be a good parameter for choosing chemicals. I couldnt get MagFlake without shipping it in. MagFlake is industrial grade MgCl. A local company in charlotte had industrial grade MgCl by a different company. I measured, tested, and figure out the dosage i needed to raise my Mg by 100ppm. I dosed over a week (LPS tank)... and the LPS, zoanthids, mushrooms, etc all bleached. I had a gallon of ESV mag and the gallon of MgCl + h20 that i'd made. The homemade had a strong chemical smell and the ESV was pretty much odorless. I am betting the MgCl material that is used to make ESV is the same "grade" as the materials in the MagFlake as well as the industrial product i acquired.... but nobody has had any trouble outta the ESV and the MagFlake product.
I am not a chemist.. i am not a grade tester... such are beyond me... once again.. just sharing experiences that lead me to make decisions on additives i use on my tank.
and........... FWIW... i have used DowFlake CaCl before getting a c-reactor, while the c-reactor was down for whatever reason, etc.... and have never ever had a bit of trouble with it.
I have a large system with a good deal of time, money, blood, sweat, and tears in it. For me... it is worth the extra money to buy the ESV... and it makes it a little easier (in the long run) to buy the bulk tub of it.
I wanna make sure i am not scaring folks away from wages.... i use it in a traditional drip in a 20g tank in my office... but i choose not to in a nilsen reactor for reasons in this posts and my past several.
Serioussnaps
New member
impurities can make it into the water........even Randy will acknowledge this.....however...he will say that they are very slights and will not be harmful to your system.....
is that kalk only 16 oz??????if so how much was it.....i dont know if it is that much cheaper after shipping and the fact that it is only 16 oz...
is that kalk only 16 oz??????if so how much was it.....i dont know if it is that much cheaper after shipping and the fact that it is only 16 oz...
