Kalk Dosing
- Thread starter jrok3401
- Start date
I use limewater (kalkwasser), but I see no need to pH control it.
This has more:
What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm
This has more:
What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm
No need make it more complicated than it has to be (which your proposal is, IMO) I've never heard of anyone who actually needed to limit the pH rise (And I've read thousands of such threads, literally, thousands). That said, the stirring of many reactors is easily controlled to dose less than saturation. I dose less than saturated limewater because my tank does not need saturated limewater to maintain calcium and alkalinity.
I use it in top off from a still reservoir of kalkwasser. I prefer that to a reactor. It certainly keeps the pH in a fine range, but most importantly, it boosts both alkalinity and calcium.
I use it in top off from a still reservoir of kalkwasser. I prefer that to a reactor. It certainly keeps the pH in a fine range, but most importantly, it boosts both alkalinity and calcium.
I may very well be doing just that. I use the two little fishes reactor, which really doesn't have a lot of adjustment, only to slow top off to the DT. I also run an ATS which gives me about a gallon of evaporation each day. I have a twenty gallon top off reservoir. I find it easier to add a 1/4 cup kalk to the reactor and maintain it and keep it clean as apposed to keeping the reservoir clean and exposing pump to residual kalk and byproduct. Without the second pump my pH was running up to 8.5 and higher. I guess it scared me so I came up with the plan of the two pumps controlled by apex, determined by pH. I have only had it running for a week and Alk has stayed at 9 so far, with pH of 8.3 - 8.5. I plan to keep an eye on alkalinity to see if I can maintain a level this way. Not Sure that I can. Before kalk, my pH was always at 7.7-7.8. I have a air pump outside which pumps fresh air into my skimmer which helped, got pH up to 7.9 but could never get it above 8 without Kalk. Just not sure if I should be chasing pH, more worried about ALK. The pH was just a way that I could automate and control it.
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I find it easier to add a 1/4 cup kalk to the reactor and maintain it and keep it clean as apposed to keeping the reservoir clean and exposing pump to residual kalk and byproduct.
OK, that's fine. I don't clean my reservoir, FWIW.
pH 8.5 is fine, but if you want it lower, more aeration of the water or less kalkwasser as you plan seem to be fine options. If you pH control this way, frequent calibration of the probe would be in order.
OK, that's fine. I don't clean my reservoir, FWIW.
pH 8.5 is fine, but if you want it lower, more aeration of the water or less kalkwasser as you plan seem to be fine options. If you pH control this way, frequent calibration of the probe would be in order.
Thanks Randy. I'm not 100 percent positive that's how I want to do it long term, it was just a solution that I came up with. It will depend more on what my alkalinity numbers stay at. I have some sps but, mostly lps and softies. My demand is not high at the moment and newer to kalk dosing. I really just want a stable way to maintain, not looking to reinvent the wheel. If I were to go back to adding kalk to reservoir, what would be a good measure of kalk/ gallon of water as a starting point?
FWIW, I use kalk at full sturation for all of my alk and calcium supplementation beyond water changes for the sps dominant mixed reef system. I use a still reservoir modeled from Randy's. In my case , a peristaltic pump with a controller doses a dally preset amount spread into 150 timed increments ,one every 9 minutes or so .
LobsterOfJustice
Recovering Detritophobe
The problem with using kalk to keep your pH in range is you are going to be adding different amounts of alkalinity to your tank day-to-day, while your consumption largely remains the same. It is much more important to shoot for constant alkalinity levels then pH levels IMO.
I would shoot for somewhat consistent kalk additions, and use the pH as a safety shutoff only if necessary.
I would shoot for somewhat consistent kalk additions, and use the pH as a safety shutoff only if necessary.
Kind of what it started out as. I had my apex set to shut down the Ato if the pH went too high. The problem I have is that my limit was 8.5 and once my ATO shut down, my return pump reservoir got low and began shooting air bubbles. I have never had ph this high. I was always at the 7.7 range, I added the air line to the outside which bumped it up to just below 8.0. Only when I started using the kalk reactor did I climb above 8.5. Should I now ditch the reactor? Ditch the outside airline? I'm thinking now that maybe I should do all of the above and just put a small amount of kalk in the twenty gallons of top off water and see what happens. I just got this all online, I kind of also hate to have so many drastic changes so fast. Gonna go test my alk again for now while I try and figure it out.
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leveldrummer
New member
very interested in reading this thread later, so Im just commenting to find it. dont mind me...
lol that's a good idea tho
