What does Kalk dosing cover?
- Thread starter southernfish
- Start date
dwd5813
New member
what are some recommended top off units for use with a kalk top off system? for example, i currently have a system from autotopoff.com. it does well with keeping my salinity in line but seems to pump a lot of water at once, at least with the pump i used with it. i was thinking of picking up a peristalitic pump (since i need a new one anyway after an issue that ended up frying my pump) and wondered if i should swap out the ato as well for future use with kalk. so to those using kalk in a top off system, what unit do you run?
The level change is a function of the float switch, not the pump. I use a Reef Fanatic dual level controller. I cant even see a change in the level. It is probably < 1/8". It tops of a very small amout many times throughout the day. For topoff pumps, I use the Toms Aqualifter. They are $12, deliver at a low rate and are unaffected by pumping Kalk.
phuzzykins
New member
The reef fanatic system should work fine in sumpless systems, but you may not want to use the included suction cups to mount the float switches, and you may want to protect the switches from interference by critters.
It won't work well in a tank where the surface isn't generally calm, so keep that in mind if you have a wavemaker of any sort.
It won't work well in a tank where the surface isn't generally calm, so keep that in mind if you have a wavemaker of any sort.
Yeah. in a sumpless system, you need to tweak a few things. I have my floats mounted to little mags floats (in sump). For a display, I would make an acrylic bracket that would hand the floats from over the edge. Also agree that some sort of protection from critters would be needed.
reefitup
New member
I've always wanted to try this but have been terrified of dirpping too much and killing everything in the tank with a 10.5 PH spike. Is there any way to tell exactly how fast the drip needs to be? Seems with various dosing pumps you could have various dosage going into the tank...maybe?
Not even sure where I'd be able to put it all with the Refugium, Sump, and Octopus Skimmer under there. I'm about out of room now.
Wonder if it might help to physically see a set up? Anyone have a pic handy of what they keep theirs in, the dosing pump etc?
Not even sure where I'd be able to put it all with the Refugium, Sump, and Octopus Skimmer under there. I'm about out of room now.
Wonder if it might help to physically see a set up? Anyone have a pic handy of what they keep theirs in, the dosing pump etc?
iap
BOSS
Yea what he said. I would love to see some pics. I have the auto top off unit with 2 float switches in my sump. I have a hydor pump plugged up for my pumping needs. This pump has the adjustable flow rate thing on it to regulate the power. Would I be able to turn this all the way down and use this and get away with using this to top off my water with kalk. Or will I be better off with a dosing pump or just manually dose it?
Every tank is different, but adjusting a drip with a peristaltic pump isn't that difficult. A few days of watch should be all that's needed to avoid a pH spike. Getting the alkalinity dose tuned might take a bit longer. I would worry about the Hydor pump being too fast, unless the system is very large and there's a lot of flow through the dosing point.
I am far too lazy to dose kalk manually.
I am far too lazy to dose kalk manually.
southernfish
New member
I heared a guy with a very light coral bioload say that kalk works for him now but when he gets more then he dosent know what he's going to do. He thinks the kalk will
not keep up. I was thinking the more corals them the more need for kalk dosing. True or false?
Btw I like the ideas chiming in
not keep up. I was thinking the more corals them the more need for kalk dosing. True or false?
Btw I like the ideas chiming in
jc-reef
New member
Every tank is different, but adjusting a drip with a peristaltic pump isn't that difficult. A few days of watch should be all that's needed to avoid a pH spike. Getting the alkalinity dose tuned might take a bit longer. I would worry about the Hydor pump being too fast, unless the system is very large and there's a lot of flow through the dosing point.
I am far too lazy to dose kalk manually.
iap..like bertoni stated, a good option is via the use of a peristalic dosing pump.
I have mine set up where once I figured out how much my tank was typically evaporating on a daily basis (1.5 - 2 gal), I then had the dosing pump run continuously (after install) dosing RO/DI in an empty 1 gal container and timed how long it took (for me it was 1.5 hrs or 90min per 1 gal = 120min for 1.5 gal). I figured out calculations based on the 'minimum' my tank will evaporate. I programed a simple digital timer (24+ on/off presets) where it doses every 2 hrs (5 min during photo period & 7-10 min during night time). This way you are maintaining higher ph during nighttime when it naturally goes down and minimizes the swings. You can simply adjust the day/night dosing times to your tanks needs. You should start slow with a 1/2 teaspoon of kalk per gal and eventually bring it up to 2 teaspoons per gal (which is max lime saturation). My tank is still relatively new and use just 1 teaspoon per gal. If you add too high of concentration of lime water too qucikly you may see alot of the Calcium precipitate out.
Obviously some days there will be greater evaporation than others. On days like that I simply manually add plain RO/DI to the sump since you are still dosing the same levels of kalk.
My main reason for Kalk was to increase pH since I have a new home and live in Florida where everything is closed up most of the year with A/C running causing high CO2 levels...thus a low pH in my tank. The added benefit to the increased pH is stable Alk & Calcium which has caused Coraline alagae to really take off!! :dance:
Good luck!!
jimmyj7090
aka John K
I strongly agree with using a peristaltic or other precise dosing pump on a timer or other failsafe of somesort.
True you can rig up a kalk drip connected to a good ATO system and it will work great. Problem is, if you lose or remove some water the ATO will fairly quickly replace it with kalk. That could be really bad if, say, your skimmer overflows a gallon, or you bag a bunch of frags, or some sort of leak happens.
By using a dosing pump on a timer you can deliver a consistent measured dose of kalk and not have to worry about an overdose due to lost water.
By using a dosing pump on a timer, then connecting that to a good ATO, you can get a very consistent drip matched to your evaporation rate, AND have a failsafe (becuase the timer can be set so that even if the ATO stuck "on", the amount of kalk drip in a 24 hour period would be limited). The timer would limit you to dosing the kalk in 5 or so spurts per day, but that should space it out enough that it would minimize any PH spikes enought to not have a problem.
Personally, I run a cole-parmer peristaltic pump on a timer so that it drips about 80-90% of my evaporation during the night (something like 64oz in 10 or so hours). This is the kalk drip. A simple mechanical float valve to gravity feed of RODI makes up the difference. This way there is no way the kalk can overdose, and if I remove or lose some saltwater from the tank, the RODI will water things down a bit, but the kalk won't cause instant disaster.
As to the original question - "what does kalk cover?"
Kalk adds Ca directly, and supplements alk indirectly by neutralizing acids that would otherwise deplete alk. It acts as a "balanced additive" meaning that it should maintain both levels in balance. Kalk doesn't add anything else important, though it is sometimes said that it depletes Mg. Kalk does not deplete Mg, but Mg is used up in calcification with Ca and alk, so sometimes you will see a decline in Mg when a tank is primarily maintained with kalk (because all 3 are used up together, but kalk only maintains 2).
True you can rig up a kalk drip connected to a good ATO system and it will work great. Problem is, if you lose or remove some water the ATO will fairly quickly replace it with kalk. That could be really bad if, say, your skimmer overflows a gallon, or you bag a bunch of frags, or some sort of leak happens.
By using a dosing pump on a timer you can deliver a consistent measured dose of kalk and not have to worry about an overdose due to lost water.
By using a dosing pump on a timer, then connecting that to a good ATO, you can get a very consistent drip matched to your evaporation rate, AND have a failsafe (becuase the timer can be set so that even if the ATO stuck "on", the amount of kalk drip in a 24 hour period would be limited). The timer would limit you to dosing the kalk in 5 or so spurts per day, but that should space it out enough that it would minimize any PH spikes enought to not have a problem.
Personally, I run a cole-parmer peristaltic pump on a timer so that it drips about 80-90% of my evaporation during the night (something like 64oz in 10 or so hours). This is the kalk drip. A simple mechanical float valve to gravity feed of RODI makes up the difference. This way there is no way the kalk can overdose, and if I remove or lose some saltwater from the tank, the RODI will water things down a bit, but the kalk won't cause instant disaster.
As to the original question - "what does kalk cover?"
Kalk adds Ca directly, and supplements alk indirectly by neutralizing acids that would otherwise deplete alk. It acts as a "balanced additive" meaning that it should maintain both levels in balance. Kalk doesn't add anything else important, though it is sometimes said that it depletes Mg. Kalk does not deplete Mg, but Mg is used up in calcification with Ca and alk, so sometimes you will see a decline in Mg when a tank is primarily maintained with kalk (because all 3 are used up together, but kalk only maintains 2).
Here is the failsafe that i use. I have 2 of them My Reef Fanatic dual float switch uses a primary and secondary float switch. If the primary fails, and the level rises 1", the secondary kicks in. I also have a Neptune ACIII. If the pH rises above 8.35, it sends me an email and shuts off the ATO for 1 hr. It wont allow it to come back on until it is below that. It will also send me an email alert on a low pH condition. I've been running this for over 6 years topping off 2 - 3G/day. It has worked out very well.
jimmyj7090
aka John K
I agree, there are many ways to have a failsafe. Just make sure you have at least one
I also agree, controllers really are great. I didn't mention that my kalkdrip timer is an apex, and it shuts the drip down when the PH hits 8.4.
I also agree, controllers really are great. I didn't mention that my kalkdrip timer is an apex, and it shuts the drip down when the PH hits 8.4.
