ATO + Ca/Alk

[SputnikNYC]

Hey folks...

I was looking for a way to automate my Ca/Alk dosing for quite a while now and here's what i think i wanna try.

I have a 10g ATO tank with RO/DI water and i use B-ionic Ca/Alk for dosing, is there a way of somehow pre-dose my ATO water with B-ionic every time i refill my ATO tank, so that when RO/DI water replenishes evaporated water in the system, it could also dose it that way with B-ionic?

Have anyone done that before, or does that at the moment, any suggestions?

If it's possible, then how do i calculate how much Ca/Alk i need to pre dose to my ATO?

Thanks in advance

 

[GeoHawk]

I tried this once with B-ionic and it made my take kind of cloudy, but I had no other adverse affects. I didn't like the tank being cloudy though

 

[Neoferdina]

You want to avoid mixing 2 part solutions together in the same tank. If you are wanting to add calc/alk using your ATO I suggest adding Kalkwasser to your ATO water. Start by mixing in 0.5 tsp per gallon and slowly increase it over a few weeks until you find that the amount of kalk being added meets you calcium supply. Make sure that it doesn't cause a pH rise more than 0.02 at each dose.

 

[chefzif]

You cannot mix two part together otherwise you will get cloudy water and start to see calcium deposits sticking on wall of tank. Need to dose accordingly alk first then calcium!

 

[acroholicreefer]

You want to avoid mixing 2 part solutions together in the same tank. If you are wanting to add calc/alk using your ATO I suggest adding Kalkwasser to your ATO water. Start by mixing in 0.5 tsp per gallon and slowly increase it over a few weeks until you find that the amount of kalk being added meets you calcium supply. Make sure that it doesn't cause a pH rise more than 0.02 at each dose.

Ditto on that

 

[29reef]

You could try a Kalk reactor used with your ATO. If you evaporate enough water this could be a solution. It would be adding calcium and alkalinity to the tank through top off. You can use the method of adding it directly, however I do not suggest it. You can slowly ramp up the amount you use and how often the unit stirs the kalk.

 

[JamesJR]

The only way to really do this is with Kalkwasser. If you are not using a controller it would be wiser to dose it at night when the pH tends to be lower.

Using kalkwasser in an ATO can be a bit risky. If something goes wrong you could very easily add way too much kalkwasser and overshoot the pH. I would strongly suggest you use a pH controller with your ATO. That way the ATO will shut off if the pH gets too high. A peristalic dosing pump would also be ideal so that the additions are gradual.

Kalkwasser can do wonders for reef tanks but but there is definitely a risk involved with using it.