mr.maroonsalty
New member
Exactly just tryin to create a small medium maintance pass through reservoir. No timers, no switches, just a pair of float valves would be ideal for me.
Last edited:
Those that use Kalk for top off
- Thread starter Capt_Cully
- Start date
Capt_Cully
Active member
You guy sure re a bunch of fart smellers.....er.....uh....smart fellers!
Yes, the chemistry refresher is greatly appreciated, and as always, beneficial to he integrity of this thread. The original point was to derive or outright steal ideas on how to supply water to a reservoir, mix that water with calcium carbonate, allow a settling time to form saturated Kalkwasser, then dose said Kalkwasser to my tank.
So far I'm thinking of increasing the size of my supply pump FROM my RO reservoir TO my Kalk vat for a higher flow rate and pressure model. This would eliminate the need for a mixing pump. I'll have to increase the diameter of my supply line. As Nate described, his supply pump never actually sees any kalkwasser. At this time my vat's only supplying 2000ml per day. I'd like to double or even tripple this volume requiring a new reservoir. Being under the tank, space is limited. I'll have to dig around. The other weak link is the POS, oops, i mean BRS dosing pump that assuredly will konk back out at some point, but for now, seems adequate. I'll need to procure a better quality, medical grade pump from eBay.
Any suggestions on brands or models?
Yes, the chemistry refresher is greatly appreciated, and as always, beneficial to he integrity of this thread. The original point was to derive or outright steal ideas on how to supply water to a reservoir, mix that water with calcium carbonate, allow a settling time to form saturated Kalkwasser, then dose said Kalkwasser to my tank.
So far I'm thinking of increasing the size of my supply pump FROM my RO reservoir TO my Kalk vat for a higher flow rate and pressure model. This would eliminate the need for a mixing pump. I'll have to increase the diameter of my supply line. As Nate described, his supply pump never actually sees any kalkwasser. At this time my vat's only supplying 2000ml per day. I'd like to double or even tripple this volume requiring a new reservoir. Being under the tank, space is limited. I'll have to dig around. The other weak link is the POS, oops, i mean BRS dosing pump that assuredly will konk back out at some point, but for now, seems adequate. I'll need to procure a better quality, medical grade pump from eBay.
Any suggestions on brands or models?
. Expensive, sometimes requires unique plumbing, and not the smallest things ever but RELIABLE and controllable as hell.
Post #36 handles the chemistry succinctly . So, I get to skip that
unless there are q's. Please fell free ,it helps to understand the reactions taking place ,so it might be worth your while to get your head around it.
To answer the original q's:
How do you stir/mix it and let it settle? (A pump or manually?)
Refill with ro water ;stir with a length of pvc pipe for about 30 seconds , humming Strange Brew by Cream helps. Settles for an hour and a half to two hours before dosing.
How often do you clean it out?
Never. If the slurry at the bottom( a mix of precipitated impurities and undissolved calcium hydroxide) gets to be an inch or two deep , I'll scoop some out ,so the inlet tube for the pump(liter meter 3) stays clear of it.
Usually a cupful or two scooped out every two or 3 months.
How big is your vat?
A 32 gallon lidded brute can covers abut 7 days of most of my top off at 18 liters per day of lime water. I could go with 3 or 4 times that size without worrying about the lime water losing strength in a still reservoir.
A few other points:
All of the vinegar you put into lime water to increase saturation ends up as an organic carbon source which you may or may not want.
I dose ethanol( vodka) and acetic acid
(vinegar) but don't mix either with the lime water. I prefer to keep the processes separate and to do some bolus organic carbon dosing.
Two tsps is max saturation without the vinegar , I believe it can go to 2.72tsps with 48 ml of 5% vinegar.
I add about 2.5 tsps per gallon with no vinegar ,so there is always a little undissolved kalk at the bottom. I dose only clear lime water via the peristaltic pump( liter meter 3) inlet tube which is positioned about 3 inches off the bottom.
When I refill the can with water I shut the dosing pump off. Stir in the new kalk and the slurry.Et it settle and restart teh pump.
Agitating the limewater increases gas exchange with the air funneling in CO2 which will weaken it significantly, leaving calcium carbonate precipitant,just a bunch of sand. Putting the lid on helps too.
Limewter at full saturation or less may be enough for many aquariums without spiking with vinegar or using another supplement ,ie, CaCO3 reactor or two part dosing. That was the case for my tanks untill about 6months ago. I now dose a little baking soda and calcium chloride routinely. There are a couple of threads displaying growing sps dominant tanks that rely only on lime water to maintain adequate alk and calcium but many need a little extra.
unless there are q's. Please fell free ,it helps to understand the reactions taking place ,so it might be worth your while to get your head around it.
To answer the original q's:
How do you stir/mix it and let it settle? (A pump or manually?)
Refill with ro water ;stir with a length of pvc pipe for about 30 seconds , humming Strange Brew by Cream helps. Settles for an hour and a half to two hours before dosing.
How often do you clean it out?
Never. If the slurry at the bottom( a mix of precipitated impurities and undissolved calcium hydroxide) gets to be an inch or two deep , I'll scoop some out ,so the inlet tube for the pump(liter meter 3) stays clear of it.
Usually a cupful or two scooped out every two or 3 months.
How big is your vat?
A 32 gallon lidded brute can covers abut 7 days of most of my top off at 18 liters per day of lime water. I could go with 3 or 4 times that size without worrying about the lime water losing strength in a still reservoir.
A few other points:
All of the vinegar you put into lime water to increase saturation ends up as an organic carbon source which you may or may not want.
I dose ethanol( vodka) and acetic acid
(vinegar) but don't mix either with the lime water. I prefer to keep the processes separate and to do some bolus organic carbon dosing.
Two tsps is max saturation without the vinegar , I believe it can go to 2.72tsps with 48 ml of 5% vinegar.
I add about 2.5 tsps per gallon with no vinegar ,so there is always a little undissolved kalk at the bottom. I dose only clear lime water via the peristaltic pump( liter meter 3) inlet tube which is positioned about 3 inches off the bottom.
When I refill the can with water I shut the dosing pump off. Stir in the new kalk and the slurry.Et it settle and restart teh pump.
Agitating the limewater increases gas exchange with the air funneling in CO2 which will weaken it significantly, leaving calcium carbonate precipitant,just a bunch of sand. Putting the lid on helps too.
Limewter at full saturation or less may be enough for many aquariums without spiking with vinegar or using another supplement ,ie, CaCO3 reactor or two part dosing. That was the case for my tanks untill about 6months ago. I now dose a little baking soda and calcium chloride routinely. There are a couple of threads displaying growing sps dominant tanks that rely only on lime water to maintain adequate alk and calcium but many need a little extra.
Willistein
Active member
DWZM - my system sounds very much like yours:
I have a 20gal bin with a mechanical float valve connected directly to RO/DI. I have an MJ1200 in the bottom which is controlled by float switch to topoff the sump. When I need to make up kalk water, I pump into a 5 gallon bucket and mix manually (I will be changing this over to another 20gallon bin soon). I have a peristaltic pump controlled by a digital timer that spreads the dosing over a 24 hour period. I do about a gallon a day. I also dose 2-part but I'd like to reduce it as much as possible and let the kalk do it. The system is a 120 with 40 gallon sump. Lately I've been increasing the kalk dosing to see where the evaporation rate is. Might have to back it off again in the summer. Or add a fan.
Related question - what does everyone use for kalk? I use Mrs. Wage's pickling lime with no issues.
I have a 20gal bin with a mechanical float valve connected directly to RO/DI. I have an MJ1200 in the bottom which is controlled by float switch to topoff the sump. When I need to make up kalk water, I pump into a 5 gallon bucket and mix manually (I will be changing this over to another 20gallon bin soon). I have a peristaltic pump controlled by a digital timer that spreads the dosing over a 24 hour period. I do about a gallon a day. I also dose 2-part but I'd like to reduce it as much as possible and let the kalk do it. The system is a 120 with 40 gallon sump. Lately I've been increasing the kalk dosing to see where the evaporation rate is. Might have to back it off again in the summer. Or add a fan.
Related question - what does everyone use for kalk? I use Mrs. Wage's pickling lime with no issues.
der_wille_zur_macht
Team RC
I buy it from BRS when there's a group buy - iirc price ends up a wash compared to the Mrs Wages stuff and it lets me feel better about paying for shipping from BRS if I'm buying other odds and ends.
I used Mrs Wages exclusively in the past, before BRS existed.
I used Mrs Wages exclusively in the past, before BRS existed.
IronMan72
New member
I mix Mrs. Wages into the stream of RO/DI as I fill the 15G container. I clean it when the sludge gets close to the inlet tube of my aqualifter pump. The pump is controlled by the JBJ ATO I bought from you. I add about 1/2 gallon of RO/DI to the sump before I mix new kalk so it has time to settle before the ATO goes into action again. My 240G system uses about 2 gallons per day so I have to fill and mix my top off container about once a week. Once a month I disconnect and blow through the aqualifter lines to prevent any clogs and inspect the floats.
Capt_Cully
Active member
I misspoke, I said calcium carbonate. I meant calcium hydroxide, and I use BRS.
