How should i run Kalkwasser safely?

[Vadafallon]

As per the BRS tv video they said i could put it in with my auto top off stuff, but that is scary a bit because its supposed to be hard on pumps. Soooo with that should i just create a drip into my return area in addition to my auto top off stuff? Will that be an issue or are there better safer ways to do this?

I am basically just looking for a easy way to keep my alk and calc solid and steady without costing a ton but i want it safe. Right now i am dosing two part manually and its not very consistant.

 

[Brieninsac]

For the last year I've been dosing kalk in my ATO with the Tunze 3155 ATO and haven't had any problems. I do make a point to raise my ATO pump about an inch from the bottom. I also have to clean the sensor eye monthly to keep it clean.

 

[Sk8r]

Kalk is death on Maxijets. OTOH two years with an eheim pump have produced no problems. Do not let the pump sit in the white slurry at the bottom. The stuff is corrosive like sandpaper---but not like acid, in that sense.

It is a safe means of dosing because only 2 tbs per gallon CAN dissolve. The rest stays particulate until more ro/di is added to the reservoir. At which point the undissolved dissolves. Letting evaporation drive the delivery of kalk to your tank is safe and steady.

OTOH, get a bottle of Schweppe's Bar Soda to have on hand in case you have a topoff accident: 1 tsp per 50 gallons will moderate the ph should you create a snowstorm in your tank: I've seen coral reefs in completely whited out water by a topoff accident ---and no damage. The ph will correct itself real fast, but a teaspoon of bar soda per 50 gallons can help speed that a tad. Of dosing you can make mistakes with, kalk is one of the safest.

 

[Elricsfate]

Kalk is death on Maxijets. OTOH two years with an eheim pump have produced no problems. Do not let the pump sit in the white slurry at the bottom. The stuff is corrosive like sandpaper---but not like acid, in that sense.

It is a safe means of dosing because only 2 tbs per gallon CAN dissolve. The rest stays particulate until more ro/di is added to the reservoir. At which point the undissolved dissolves. Letting evaporation drive the delivery of kalk to your tank is safe and steady.

OTOH, get a bottle of Schweppe's Bar Soda to have on hand in case you have a topoff accident: 1 tsp per 50 gallons will moderate the ph should you create a snowstorm in your tank: I've seen coral reefs in completely whited out water by a topoff accident ---and no damage. The ph will correct itself real fast, but a teaspoon of bar soda per 50 gallons can help speed that a tad. Of dosing you can make mistakes with, kalk is one of the safest.

This is something I have been trying to figure out. My wife says I have a tendency to see the complex and miss the obvious, so maybe I am missing the obvious here.

I have a tunze water controller mounted in a bucket, and my RODI connected to that bucket with a float switch. I also have a Tunze ATO pump in that bucket. ATO fills my tank, when the bucket is empty the RODI unit fills the bucket. This has been working perfectly for several months....so I never touch water insofar as my top off is concerned.

Now... if I add kalk to the bucket, and it dissolves, goes to the sump, more RODI is pumped in, more kalk dissolves, etc... How do I know when I need to add more kalk to the bucket??

 

[TokiHacker]

This is something I have been trying to figure out. My wife says I have a tendency to see the complex and miss the obvious, so maybe I am missing the obvious here.

I have a tunze water controller mounted in a bucket, and my RODI connected to that bucket with a float switch. I also have a Tunze ATO pump in that bucket. ATO fills my tank, when the bucket is empty the RODI unit fills the bucket. This has been working perfectly for several months....so I never touch water insofar as my top off is concerned.

Now... if I add kalk to the bucket, and it dissolves, goes to the sump, more RODI is pumped in, more kalk dissolves, etc... How do I know when I need to add more kalk to the bucket??

The issue with this is the RODI should never actually be setup directly to a tank or auto top off. I run mine 15 mins before I actually start using the water.

 

[tazdvl]

I've been using a small pump I got at Home Depot for like 15 bucks. It has been running like a champ for almost a year now.It has even gone into some constant on, no water situations, due to my forgetfulness to look at reserve water level.

 

[hkgar]

I use a Cole Parmer Masterflex. It is a peristaltic pump so no problem

 

[Elricsfate]

The issue with this is the RODI should never actually be setup directly to a tank or auto top off. I run mine 15 mins before I actually start using the water.

Yeah, I've heard that. But I'm not big on "conventional wisdom". It uses both a float switch and a solenoid. The water controller is designed to do exactly what I am doing with it, and I am comfortable that it is functioning properly and safely.

I pretty much watched the 52 weeks of reefing series and then set up my 180 exactly like BRS setup their 160. It works for them, it works for me...I'm sure it works for a lot of other people. So it's at least possible that the word "never" is a bit too strong in this instance.

Were it not setup like this I would be needing to check my ATO reservoir repeatedly to insure it had water in it, or risk burning up both the ATO pump and the DT return pump. Given that I am not at home 12 hours a day, and I am asleep for 8 of the hours that I am home... that's not a risk I am willing to take.

With this setup my bucket stays full, my ATO goes on and off as it needs to, and my salinity/water level are maintained 24/7 without me having to lift a finger or touch a water container. I like it like that.

And I answered my own question btw... the ph reading will tell me when I need to add more kalk to the system...thus also putting a dent in the notion that the Apex ph probe serves no useful purpose.

 

[Potatohead]

Peristaltic pump on a timer is safest

 

[jayball]

I just use an aqualifter controlled by a float switch on my apex. Nice thing about the aqualifter is that it is basically a waterproof air pump so it is no big deal if it runs dry. (as it does nearly weekly for me) I got about 18 months of maintenience free use on my first one. one of these days I will replace the 3 dollar part inside that goes bad and keep it as a backup.

Only issue is you do not get much head on these so if you need to pump up to DT level rather than sump you may have issues.

 

[zsuman101]

Mix your Kali in a bucket, let it sit overnight , then siphon off all but the very bottom of your Kali mix and pour it into your top off resivoir . That way you don't kill your pump that's what I do. Good luck. Zsu