what does the "tunze calcium dispenser" do?

[mic209]

Does it function the same way as a kalk reactor/stirrer? Can i use this to maintain my calcium and alkalinity on my 50 gallon system?

 

[rvitko]

A kalk stirrer tends to mix a more concentrated slurry, the calcium dispenser just makes a saturated solution. In most cases regardless of how it is dispensed kalkwasser alone will not maintain calcium. It is a fairly weak source of calcium. Kalk does help greatly with alkalinity and binding phosphates and in my opinion that is the reason to use kalk but calcium will require other forms of supplementation. The only exception being tanks with a very low calcium demand where the only real demand is the calcereous algae and the corals are mainly soft corals and coralimorphians (mushrooms, polyps etc.).

 

[mic209]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11574505#post11574505 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rvitko
A kalk stirrer tends to mix a more concentrated slurry, the calcium dispenser just makes a saturated solution. In most cases regardless of how it is dispensed kalkwasser alone will not maintain calcium. It is a fairly weak source of calcium. Kalk does help greatly with alkalinity and binding phosphates and in my opinion that is the reason to use kalk but calcium will require other forms of supplementation. The only exception being tanks with a very low calcium demand where the only real demand is the calcereous algae and the corals are mainly soft corals and coralimorphians (mushrooms, polyps etc.).

Well i'm planning keeping mostly SPS and a Clam or two, will the calcium dispenser plus dosing 2 part solutions do the job?

 

[rvitko]

Yes but that combination can be particularly hard on the ionic balance of the aquarium and cause a lot of precipitation in pumps because the solution is being added to a higher pH aquarium with more alkalinity. The best is a calcium reactor which uses CO2 and just use the dispenser to mop up excess CO2.