Okay, I’m Getting Tired of Dripping Kalk

[wvned]

I have never used IO long term. I have no idea what it mixes up to. I would test some.

My other comment was about the 2000 posts I have read about which salt to use. I do not do water changes anymore so I don't expect my salt to maintain anything. I just correct my salinity because my skimmer removes 5 gallons a day at times. I pitched 8 cups of salt into my sump this morning. I built it so I could do that. I am using Aquaforest at the moment. Before that Red Sea Blue. IO, Fritz, LiveAquaria.....
Never seemed to make a real difference. IO has always caked badly when stored for me and has a lot of solids that remain in my vat.

 

[jason2459]

Well, I’m using IO, so in theory, when I do my bi-weekly water changes I should be good despite what my Salifert kit says???

I've pretty much have always used IO except at the very beginning with RC and some testing with many brands for parameter testing.

I've always added some Mg to it. I'm usually around 1400-1500.

 

[jason2459]

So we are down to is IO a "good" salt.
Gee how many threads have I seen about that.

The Salifert test is easy to overshoot. It makes you think you have more Mg than you do.

It's good enough for me. I don't care to pay extra for marketing.

 

[jason2459]

I have never used IO long term. I have no idea what it mixes up to. I would test some.

Saltmix Parameters bring on the test results

There was an excellent thread put together quite some time ago now by Billybeau1 http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1714505 I've referred to it may times to see if someone is close to the expected values of a particular saltmix. There can of course be slight variations and if any...

forums.reefcentral.com

It still mixes to around these parameters

 

[griss]

Saltmix Parameters bring on the test results

There was an excellent thread put together quite some time ago now by Billybeau1 http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1714505 I've referred to it may times to see if someone is close to the expected values of a particular saltmix. There can of course be slight variations and if any...

forums.reefcentral.com

It still mixes to around these parameters

That’s what I was thinking as well. Historically, it’s always tested well.

I started using Coralife salt when it first came out and stuck with it until I had two bad bucket (separate batch numbers) in a row that had a negative impact on my corals.

Since switching to IO, I’ve had no issues. I really need to stop chasing numbers…that’s never gone well for me. I’m only doing it now because I want to get this Doser going and dialed in so we can take more trips to the lake to boat and fish without having to rely on our adult kids to dose while we’re away.

 

[griss]

I don’t get to do this nearly enough.

 

[reefing102]

Looks a little big for even the 75

 

[wvned]

Bags of IO stored in my fish room turn into large concrete blocks or small ones if I get a box of small bags. I started using Red Sea in the 200 gallon bags. Now I am using Aquaforest in bags.
I had IO on autoship from Chewy for a while but then that got cancelled by out of stock.

The point of testing newly mixed saltwater is seeing what you test it to with your kits by you when mixed by you. There are a lot of things there you can test all at once and check behind yourself.

 

[griss]

Looks a little big for even the 75

That’s not my largest catch, but the most recent. He was under the keeper limit and (with Bass) I catch and release anyway. Crappie are another story as they’re delicious

Back in the mid 80’s I caught a 14-1/2” white crappie in a damn Diawa Mini-Cast. Thought I hooked a white or stripped bass at first.

 

[wvned]

It's good enough for me. I don't care to pay extra for marketing.

I don't run my tanks on the lowest bidder.
There, I can be snarky too.

I touched the IO hot button someone said wasn't here.

You don't chase numbers when keeping a marine tank, but you should always have some idea of what they are and where they are going and maybe why.
It's more like balancing a broom standing on your palm. Small moves in the right direction.

 

[griss]

I don't run my tanks on the lowest bidder.
There, I can be snarky too.

I touched the IO hot button someone said wasn't here.

You don't chase numbers when keeping a marine tank, but you should always have some idea of what they are and where they are going and maybe why.
It's more like balancing a broom standing on your palm. Small moves in the right direction.

Fair enough regarding IO, I’ve been in the hobby a long time (not as long as you though) and have learned that one techinque or brand that works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another.

Also, for most of my reefing career, I almost never tested parameters. I always felt it was more important to observe your inhabitants to determine how the tank was doing.

I only recently started testing regularly when I had the worst Cyano issue I’ve ever had that I couldn’t get rid of. Once that was resolved, I stopped/slowed testing until I got this dosing pump for Christmas.

Been doing this long enough, with tanks from 15g to 450g on budgets from almost none to fairly unlimited that I’ve learned to listen to all points of view. That’s the main reason I post my questions that I *think* I already know the answer to on the forum. As always Ned, I appreciate your insight and candid opinion. Thank you.

 

[jason2459]

I don't run my tanks on the lowest bidder.
There, I can be snarky too.

I touched the IO hot button someone said wasn't here.

You don't chase numbers when keeping a marine tank, but you should always have some idea of what they are and where they are going and maybe why.
It's more like balancing a broom standing on your palm. Small moves in the right direction.

Not sure there's a hot button. Just stating my experience. I've got no problem with anyone using any brand of salt. I did have major caking with RC when I first started. I also didn't like the organics in it.

I just remembered I also used coral life pre flood when I first got my tank from my sister in law as it's what my LFS carried. They also sold me a coral life super skimmer I modified greatly.

 

[wvned]

Fair enough regarding IO, I’ve been in the hobby a long time (not as long as you though) and have learned that one techinque or brand that works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another.

Also, for most of my reefing career, I almost never tested parameters. I always felt it was more important to observe your inhabitants to determine how the tank was doing.

I only recently started testing regularly when I had the worst Cyano issue I’ve ever had that I couldn’t get rid of. Once that was resolved, I stopped/slowed testing until I got this dosing pump for Christmas.

Been doing this long enough, with tanks from 15g to 450g on budgets from almost none to fairly unlimited that I’ve learned to listen to all points of view. That’s the main reason I post my questions that I *think* I already know the answer to on the forum. As always Ned, I appreciate your insight and candid opinion. Thank you.

I have used 100s of gallons of water made with IO, maybe 1000s. There is nothing wrong with it. It works fine. It has never stored well for me and I got tired of a chunk, caplunk into the vat after storing it.
IO IS FINE > USE IT

Dosing is different that testing and correcting. You have a machine adding something to the tank every day. It can go bad wrong if you don't do it right. Lot's of testing when you set it up and verify it's doing what you want, you mixed the stuff right, you did the math right, the tubes....

Then you can relax and do testing less and less. I am back to only doing it when I sense something is off or I want to change something.

Aquaforest must be wasting their marketing dollars. I have not seen any adds for them anywhere.

 

[griss]

For those curious, I mixed a fresh batch of water and just tested.

IO at 35 ppt

Alk - 10.5
Mg - 1200
Ca - 390

 

[wvned]

It seems a fine place to start

 

[wvned]

Had to go see Earnest. Looking at him now.

 

[five.five-six]

Not cheep… I went through cheep and ended up with this and for eas and convenience, I believe this to be the best setup for most people with a med to large setup

This stirrer

Kalk Stirrer

The motor driven design of our stirrer gently mixes your calcium hydroxide 24 hours a day. This ensures that you are always dosing the freshest possible kalkwasser to your system. Since the undissolved particles are always kept at the bottom and the clear liquid is always at the top, this is the...

www.avastmarine.com

I feed the stirrer from an ATO reservoir with a good paristolic pump

I use this one

Versa - Peristaltic Pump

A precision aquarium pump that does everything. Dosing, auto top-off, water changes even feeding. Accurate to 2% or less and capable of several hundred ml. a minute, the Versa is the new expectation in multi-purpose pumps.

ecotechmarine.com

I use pH and a mechanical float switch to control the pump

Amazon.com

here is my program

Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If Float CLOSED Then ON
Defer 001:00 Then ON
Defer 000:30 Then OFF
If pH_Tan > 8.30 Then OFF
If Kalk_h CLOSED Then OFF
If Sump_H CLOSED Then OFF


I also put optical sensors (sump high and Kalk high) to prevent spills in case of a blockage.

I dump a crapton of Kalk in the dang thing every 3 months and THOROUGHLY CLEAN IT AND THE PLUMBING EVERY TIME THE KALK DEPLETES

I’ve been running it like this since last Christmas and I love it!

Here’s what it looks like

 

[T Diddy]

My apologies, @griss …I just realized that I never posted pictures of my ATO. It’s hard to tell from the pictures, but I’ve got a 1/4” rigid tube running through a 1/2” hose. The cap on the 5 gallon jug has a Push fit connector for the 1/2” hose, and an added som liquid rubber to ensure an air tight seal.
Anyway, I fill the jug the majority of the way, add my Mrs. Wages, then replace the cap. I fill the jug the rest of the way with RO/DI through the rigid tube. The 1/2” hose sits at the desired water level in the sump, and the rigid tube is much longer so it can be placed in a high flow area. Once the jug is full and I remove the RO source water from the rigid tube, a back siphon is created. When the water level drops below the 1/2” hose, my ATO kalkwasser drains into the sump through the rigid 1/4” tube until the bottom of the 1/2” hose is resubmerged, which stops the siphon.

 

[griss]

Thanks @T Diddy

 

[T Diddy]

Thanks @T Diddy

I realize it’s too late, but maybe someone else can use this simple system