Kalk reactor
- Thread starter 09bumblebee
- Start date
I drip kalk at night to maintain ph in my tank.Alot of people use kalk in addition to a calcium reactor because calcium reactors drip low ph effluent and they use the kalk reactor to stabalize the ph of the system.In some systems that require less calcium and dkh you can get away with just dosing kalk.The downsides of kalk have to do with overdosing and crashing the system.This usually happends when people run the kalk through the auto top off and a float valve fails or a pump sticks on.This is why it is important to have some fail safes when dealing with kalk reactor HTH-Kieth
Calcium, Alk, and PH. PH is more of a side effect, so if you already have high ph, it can be a problem... Fully saturated Kalk has a ph of about 12. Calcium and Alk are added, and maintain levels (in general) at the same time, and same rate. If you start dosing kalk at 500 calcium, and say 8.5 for alk, it will maintain those levels with the correct dose... they will drop at the same ratio if you dont add enough, and rise at the same ratio if you add too much... if that makes sense..
My ph during the day stats around 8.1 at night falls to 7.89 where do you keep your ph at?
How often do add kalk to the reactor if I run it separately on a dose pump from my ato that will allow me to control how much goes into the tank. Also can you control the amount of kalk you put in the reactor or do you want complete saturation?
How often do add kalk to the reactor if I run it separately on a dose pump from my ato that will allow me to control how much goes into the tank. Also can you control the amount of kalk you put in the reactor or do you want complete saturation?
Because my lights can raise my ph from 8.3 to 8.35 during the day, I program the kalk not to dose above 8.3, and it will not usually drop below 8.25 at night. Once you get a kalk system dialed in, there pretty stable. In my biocube I do all the top off with about a 50% premixed saturation of kalk for all the top off, and it runs very stable. Ca is about 525, dkh around 8.5, and ph 8.3. The 90 gal has the stirrer, and runs closer to 550 Ca, but my dkh will drop a little over a couple weeks, and need a little bump for alk.
I looked into all this stuff recently. I posted the thread below and got a lot of help. I ended up doing what Kalgra et al have done in just running it straight in my ATO, and not line up another reactor (I didn't have room and trying to simplify some things etc). Could check this thread for ideas.
In running it this way for a while, I've got no complaints. When I fill up my ATO, I take the system offline, add a powerhead for 15 minutes, add the kalk, wait a few hours for all to settle, then put my ATO back online. Repeat when ATO is empty, and clean out ATO tank once in a while.
If you run it this way or with reactor and your system doesn't need as much kalk, you just mix in less. That also causes less sediment, as your Kalk mix won't get supersaturated. I add about 1/2 tsp per Gallon and still get some saturation. I'm using Seachem Kalk, which recommends 1 tsp per Gallon.
http://www.marinecolorado.org/forums/showthread.php?18180-Kalk-in-ATO&highlight=kalk+ato
In running it this way for a while, I've got no complaints. When I fill up my ATO, I take the system offline, add a powerhead for 15 minutes, add the kalk, wait a few hours for all to settle, then put my ATO back online. Repeat when ATO is empty, and clean out ATO tank once in a while.
If you run it this way or with reactor and your system doesn't need as much kalk, you just mix in less. That also causes less sediment, as your Kalk mix won't get supersaturated. I add about 1/2 tsp per Gallon and still get some saturation. I'm using Seachem Kalk, which recommends 1 tsp per Gallon.
http://www.marinecolorado.org/forums/showthread.php?18180-Kalk-in-ATO&highlight=kalk+ato
This is the safest way imo. A top off from autotopoff.com and an aqua lifter pump is all you need. You can also control the saturation of the kalkwasser this way. You can start slow and really dial it in. I use 4 teaspoons in a 10 gallon reservior and this keeps my params in check. I can add more or less per gallon depending on my alk, ca and ph. I think 2 teaspoons per gallon is the max amount of kalk that can be dissolved in fresh water. I have never had better colors or growth in four years since starting kalk dosing.
My ato line from the aqua lifter pumps into the last chamber of my sump and is only in contact with my return pump. I could see how kalkwasser would be bad on a skimmer but I dont have any issues with my return pump. As far as the aqua lifter just have a couple of these on hand: http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/catalog/product/view/id/1442/
Another potential benefit is its possible ability to bind phosphates so they can be more effectively skimmed out:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1975420
Another potential benefit is its possible ability to bind phosphates so they can be more effectively skimmed out:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1975420