Switching to Kalk

[adrianzamora]

I want to automate my dosing. I am interested in trying kalk. I am manually dosing about 1/2 tbsp of calcium chloride anhydrous and a little more than that of sodium bi-carbonate. I mix them with rodi water. Calcium in the evening and alk in morning. I evaporate about 2 to3 liters of water a day. I have read most of Randy's articles as well as seen some reef calculators. I am trying to figure out what these dry amounts of cal and alk translate to in saturated kalk to see if it will meet the demands of the tank. Also I manually dose mag as needed to stay between 1300 and 1350.

Cal=400
Alk=8 to 8.5

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Bugger]

Ive been looking into this aswell the only problem is I can't find a store that sells the two little fishes reactor. Does anybody know who has it. can you link the article for vinger I havent seen it for some time.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I want to automate my dosing. I am interested in trying kalk. I am manually dosing about 1/2 tbsp of calcium chloride anhydrous and a little more than that of sodium bi-carbonate. I mix them with rodi water. Calcium in the evening and alk in morning. I evaporate about 2 to3 liters of water a day. I have read most of Randy's articles as well as seen some reef calculators. I am trying to figure out what these dry amounts of cal and alk translate to in saturated kalk to see if it will meet the demands of the tank. Also I manually dose mag as needed to stay between 1300 and 1350.

Cal=400
Alk=8 to 8.5

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

It will meet those demands. I'd start with limewater with 1 teaspoon solid calcium hydroxide per gallon of fresh water. The math cannot be exact because demand will likely rise as the pH rises. Remember to add it very slowly.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Ive been looking into this aswell the only problem is I can't find a store that sells the two little fishes reactor. Does anybody know who has it. can you link the article for vinger I havent seen it for some time.

You mean Craig Bingman's old vinegar in limewater article?

http://web.archive.org/web/20030418...twork.com/fish2/aqfm/1999/oct/bio/default.asp

 

[allsps40]

Do as Randy said. When I started dosing kalk I tested every day for a week with no dosing to figure my daily needs. Then I started to add kalk to my ATO water and tested daily until I had the correct amount of kalk in the top off water to keep up with tank demands.

 

[reefgeezer]

I tried the reactor method and ended up using the still basin method instead. My ATO is simply a 30 gallon Brute filled with lime water @ about 1.5 tsp. per gallon, a BRS 50 ml/hr dosing pump, and a digital timer. I did install a float valve to cut off flow should the timer fail in the on mode. So far it seems pretty bullet proof. At my evaporation rate, I fill the Brute about every 4 weeks.

 

[adrianzamora]

Thanks for the info.
Randy I have seen where you talk about your setup. I believe it was a float switch and a large container. Do you have other back ups such as high ph shutoff or timers? I am a bit nervous about this and feel like I need a bunch of failsafes. I wanted to use a small reservoir and many other safeties. The small reservoir would defeat the convenience.
Maybe I am more concerned about this than I need to be. I would welcome any input regarding the failsafes being implemented by members of this forum.

Thanks

 

[bertoni]

I used dual float switches, in case one failed. Also, I used a peristaltic pump with the pumping rate turned down to a very low level.

 

[adrianzamora]

Hello Jonathan. Looks like we are neighbors.
I was thinking about getting the BRS 50 ml doser. When you say pumping rate turned down to a very low level do you mean by limiting the pumping time or can you control the speed of your pump? Also do you recommend a dosing pump? I think I want a peristaltic pump without a controller.

Thanks

 

[bertoni]

My pump has a speed control. It's a Master-Flex pump. I like it, but new ones are expensive. A local reefer found a bunch on sale and I snagged a few of them.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks for the info.
Randy I have seen where you talk about your setup. I believe it was a float switch and a large container. Do you have other back ups such as high ph shutoff or timers? I am a bit nervous about this and feel like I need a bunch of failsafes. I wanted to use a small reservoir and many other safeties. The small reservoir would defeat the convenience.
Maybe I am more concerned about this than I need to be. I would welcome any input regarding the failsafes being implemented by members of this forum.

Thanks

I do not have high pH cut off, but I think that is a good idea.

I do have two float switches, one that shuts off if too much water is delivered.

You can also set the dosing pump not much higher than the demand. I try to do that to some extent.