help with kalk-stirrer and topoff setup please.

[zombiereef]

Hi, i have a 60g reef with fuge/sump and a kalk-stirrer for calcium. my question is: what would be the best way to hook up the kalk stirrer to my system? i have an aquacontroller jr and an auto topoff system. can i run the kalk stirrer with the acjr and set it up to dose dependent on ph? or should i just use it with the topoff system? i could run the topoff system through the acjr so even if i set it up to dose when ph drops, the float switch could shut the pump off to prevent over-filling. or is a kalk-stirrer not the greatest way to dose calcium. i really dont have the budget to spring for a calcium reactor right now. thanks for any ideas and exeriences.

 

[MrSandman]

I do what you're talking about with my AC3 but take it to another level. I use it to control pH and to top-off together. I have a Brute container filled with RO/DI water that leads to a dosing pump. On the outlet of the dosing pump i have it going to a tee. One leg of the tee has a solenoid that leads to the kalk reactor and then goes directly to the tank. The other leg of the tee has a solenoid that goes directly to the tank. I have it programmed such that one solenoid will always be open. I have a dual float switch in the sump that senses when the water level is low. When it is low, it kicks on the dosing pump. Depending on the tanks pH it knows whether or not to simply dose freshwater, or to dose kalk saturated water.

For you however, this will be your primary source of calcium (i also run a calcium reactor). If your ph is high and you set it to just dose freshwater at a high pH, how will calcium levels be maintained? On the other hand, doing it this way will ensure that you don't nuke your tank by dosing an excessive amount of kalkwasser and boosting your pH. Nuking your tank can happen over a matter of seconds (or hours) depending on how you will be dosing (pump or peristaltic pump) while a decline in calcium happens gradually over the course of several days (much easier to catch).

Hope this helps.

 

[zombiereef]

that is a cool setup you described, but i still worry about if my ph stays high, i wouldnt be dosing kalk. right now i have 2 29g tanks with freshwater for topoff. i have a floatswitch controlling one tank to topoff regular water and then the other 29g is hooked up to a timer to dose the kalkstirrer. i just have it flip on for a few minutes 4 times a day. i just want to utilise the float switch and acjr for calcium replenishment, but i dont have enough experience to figure it out.

 

[MrSandman]

I agree with your concerns but if your pH is high, would you really want to be dosing kalk anyways?

 

[zombiereef]

i am just worried that the ph may get pretty high after a little while and then the calcium will be getting cutoff. may cause a calcium yo-yo thing going on. i guess i may just have to run it and see what happens. since i have two topoff tanks, i could easily note which tank (the kalkstirrer water or freshwater) has been used up faster.
sandman, what kind of solenoid are you using? where did you get it? thanks

 

[MrSandman]

I really don't think your pH will get that high unless you're evaporating a large amount of water a day. If for some reason it does, then that's what your controller is for. It'll revert to dosing freshwater and at the very least keep the water level and salinity stable.

I got the solenoids here: http://www.autotopoff.com/solenoid/

You could probably DIY them yourself but when you add things up, it only comes out a little less than the website prices and figured i'd help out another reefer. Plus, its more convenient buying it all from one location and having it already fully assembled. Its literally plug n' play.

 

[kurtflys]

I have a problem with my ph going down at night .so I am trying to set up my new kalk reactor to come on when my ph is at 8.00 then off at 8.20 . is this ok ? I to have a neptune jr and I am scared to death that I am going to float my fish. I am using a aqua lifter to get it to the tank. will the ph change fast enough to turn off the pump that is pumping the kalk to the tank.

 

[zombiereef]

after thinking more
about my setup, i finally hooked it up tonight. i wound up plugging my autotopoff dot com float switch into my acjr and having it work normally until the ph hits 8.4. i have the aqualifter pump for my kalkstirrer plugged into the topoff system. this way, i shouldnt nuke the tank. if the ph stays up for extended periods of time i still have my other topoff tank running on a float valve in my sump. this way i will still have topoff happening. we will see how this works. my ph is usually around 8.35-8.40 during the day and 8.2 ish at night. this should keep the kalkstirrer working at night and off during the day to keep the ph more stable.(in theory).
Kurtflys, i think that your system should work good. it should do what my system is doing. that is,when the ph drops, the acjr will kick the kalkreactor on. when the ph rises, the acjr will cut it. the acjr will kick it off the instant the ph value hits your programmed ph level and vice-versa. i cant guarantee this is a great long-term practice though. i havent had my kalkstirrer set up this way before and i havent had any other input about long-term use of kalk stirrers/reactors. the only trouble with my kalkstirrer (aqua-medic ks1000) is that when i first fill it, the mixture is very potent and seems to only last a week or so. the strength of the kalk drops off dramatically. seems like it should last longer than it does.

 

[MrSandman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15487315#post15487315 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kurtflys
I have a problem with my ph going down at night .so I am trying to set up my new kalk reactor to come on when my ph is at 8.00 then off at 8.20 . is this ok ? I to have a neptune jr and I am scared to death that I am going to float my fish. I am using a aqua lifter to get it to the tank. will the ph change fast enough to turn off the pump that is pumping the kalk to the tank.

I would not use the kalk reactor only set to turn on/off based on pH. I would use it in conjunction with a float switch to top-off.

I honestly don't think that the pH you guys are at are anything to be alarmed at. The pH in my tank dips down to around 7.8 at night and peaks at 8.0 during the day and everything is doing great.

If you find your pH swings to be too large, then you may want to look into your alkalinity levels as well.

 

[zombiereef]

sandman, you could be right about the ph. it may not even be an issue. i just ran it through the acjr as a precaution, but still have it on a topoff switch too.

 

[AcroporAddict]

Here's how mine was set up:

Tunze osmolator pump -> check valve->Nilsen (Kalk) Stirrer -> tank

The Osmolator sensors control the pump. But I had the power supply to the Osmolator and the Nilsen plugged into the high setpoint power outlet of an American Marine pH controller. If the ATO/Nilsen dumped too much kalk into the tank, the controller cut off power at pH 8.5.

Personally, I would not worry about a low pH setting in regards to feeding power to the Nilsen. What you are doing is pushing the clear saturated water out of the top of the Nilsen into the tank, and replacing it with the ATO water. Periodic stirring of the Kalk powder keeps the top part saturated.

You only have the Nilsen pump turned on when you stir the kalk, only a few minutes a day anyways.

I've never owned a controller, but I think you are doing the same thing with yours.
Dave