jbrown11352
New member
Which do you think would be better for a monti based 24g nano?
Doser or calcium reactor?
- Thread starter jbrown11352
- Start date
JeffersonReef
New member
I cant comment on which would be better... but I can show you the easy DIY Kalk Doser I "built". Took literally 3 minutes... and is working great. It takes me just a minute or two to get kalk prepared.... then I let it set bed time, and start the dosing. Also... did I mention that it cost me like $4 to build this? 
HTH.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/skip/agu/kalkdripper.htm
HTH.http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/skip/agu/kalkdripper.htm
rockindacheeks
New member
Hey Tony, How big of a bottle did you use for yours? and how often do you fill it back up?
JeffersonReef
New member
I used a 1 gallon water bottle... thats all I really had room for. I set it to drip about once per second, and it takes about 7 or 8 hrs for it to empty. I top off every 2 or 3 days, and it has been really easy. I wouldnt mind doing it every day, as I will likely have to once my calcium load gets heaver... all I have to do is put in 1/3 of the 1 gal of top off water, add a tsp of kalk, shake it up, add the rest of the gallon of water... set the dripper somewhere for 4 hrs or so.... then blow in the second airline tube... and it is off! So easy it hurts! (It doesnt really hurt... its quite nice, actually. )
-Tony
)-Tony
JeffersonReef
New member
n_v_s, kalk adds calcium, and it helps maintain ph and alkalinity. A lot of people feel it is one of the most important additives you can add to a reef tank. Here is a article with more info:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm
-Tony
jdieck
New member
The dosser slowly adds a mix of Water and Calcium Hydroxide (hydrated lime; Pickling Lime or Kalkwasser if you want to use the sophisticated German name or "Kalk") to replenish Calcium and Alkalinity consumed by the corals and coralline algae to grow.
It replenishes 10 meq/lt of Alkalinity and 200 ppm of Calcium per every quart of the saturated solution prepared by mixing two tea spoons of powder in 1 gal of purified water. (In other words one quart of solution will replenish 1 meq/lt Alk and 20 ppm Ca of consumption in 10 gallons of aquarium water).
Because the solution substantially increases the PH of the aquarium water it has to be dripped slowly to allow for the PH to stabilize.
Also notice that I use the term "replenishes" rather than "adds" as this method is not suitable to increase the Alkalinity or Calcium levels.
JeffersonReef
New member
I agree. I was advised that I should also dose a 2-part additive in addition to kalk. i will start doing this once the bottle of purple up i am using is gone...
jdieck
New member
I will forget about purple up, it is just like adding powdered aragonite sand to your system, it does little for your Calcium and Alkalinity as it will not dissolve at the normal PH levels we run our aquarium systems.<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8414914#post8414914 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by antjefferson
I agree. I was advised that I should also dose a 2-part additive in addition to kalk. i will start doing this once the bottle of purple up i am using is gone...
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