Best Kalk Stirrer Brands/Types

[-Logzor]

I'm thinking of upgrading my ATO from manually mixed limewater to a kalk stirrer system. This would give me more consistent limewater dosing concentrations. It's always guess-work when I mix it up.

My other option is to run the kalk stirrer separately from my ATO and ran by a stand alone dosing pump. This way I could run my ATO with no kalk and have total control over kalk dosing, I could also have it dose at night only to help maintain my pH.

What brands have people had good experience with? Not looking for a reactor, but a stirrer. I've heard aqua-medic is good. Thoughts?

 

[Reef Pets]

I use Avast Marine. Its a great stirrer that can be ran all of the time. No timer is needed to allow the motor to cool like a couple other brands on the market. I run all of my top off through the stirrer. Not only at night but 24 hours a day which when using Brightwell Kalk+2 thats all you will need because it contains magnesium.

 

[-Logzor]

I haven't heard of that product, Gary. I typically add a mag crystals manually to my water change water, but I like the idea of using that 2-in-1 product. I'll check it out.

I'll look at Avast Marine, I'm guessing I could get away with a smaller model than the one you're using.

 

[Reef Pets]

Logan they have a couple different sizes. I think you would be happy with the Kalk+2. It keeps my water stable as can be. To the point that I rarely bother testing anymore.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I'm thinking of upgrading my ATO from manually mixed limewater to a kalk stirrer system. This would give me more consistent limewater dosing concentrations. It's always guess-work when I mix it up.
?

Would it be more consistent?

IMO, it may be easier to control concentrations in batch mode than in reactors. You can either measure in an amount of solid calcium hydroxide, or aim for a particular conductivity (I do the latter).

FWIW, many reactor users are surprised to find they are not dosing saturated limewater.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Not only at night but 24 hours a day which when using Brightwell Kalk+2 thats all you will need because it contains magnesium.

Unfortunately, that's really misleading (IMO). For fear of being sued, I won't say what I really think of it.

Magnesium is not soluble in limewater, so it will just sit on the bottom and worse, the amount present in kalk+2 is not nearly enough to meet the demand for magneisum, and far worse yet, is LESS than is present in many bulk brands of calcium hydroxide as an impurity.

 

[Reef Pets]

Unfortunately, that's really misleading (IMO). For fear of being sued, I won't say what I really think of it.

Magnesium is not soluble in limewater, so it will just sit on the bottom and worse, the amount present in kalk+2 is not nearly enough to meet the demand for magneisum, and far worse yet, is LESS than is present in many bulk brands of calcium hydroxide as an impurity.

In that case please explain how Magnesium stays absolutely perfect in my system and has done so for years without dosing anything other than Kalk+2? You state that it is not soluble in limewater because it sits on the bottom. Wouldn't the stirrer prevent it from sitting on the bottom being the stirrer stirs constantly 24 hours a day? Im not making an argument, Im just looking for an explanation being it clearly works for me and many others in the hobby.
Fear of being sued by whom? Certainly not me!

 

[Matt144]

What kind of salt do you use?

 

[jgraz]

FWIW, many reactor users are surprised to find they are not dosing saturated limewater.

Randy,
Could you please elaborate on this statement. I too have been considering switching to a stirrer/reactor. I also add to my ATO. Right now I add 4 Teaspoons to 5 gal of water and just fill up my top off resovior when it need it with that solution. I will be going up to 5 teaspoons soon but I still have a long way to go till saturation. needless to say I am intrigued by your statement. I have been hesitant to switch to the reactor because it will be a much higher concentration.

 

[Reef Pets]

I must note also that I have used Bulk Reef Supply Kalk and Two Little Fishes Kalk and with both I had to dose Magnesium daily. With Kalk +2 I have never had to dose, to the point that I do not even keep magnesium on hand. I had to check my Mag directly after my last post and the mag sits at 1320.
I have used it for years with great success and color but if there is something you know about Kalk+2 please let me know. Even through PM or on the phone if there are concerns.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Here's the Brightwell kalk+2 claim:

http://brightwellaquatics.com/products/kalk2t.php

Guaranteed Analysis
Calcium (min) 54.20% (542,000 ppm), Strontium (min) 1.00% (10,000 ppm), Magnesium (min) 0.15% (1,500 ppm)

So that is a ratio of magnesium to calcium of 1:361.

I show in this article that bulk calcium oxide (dried calcium hydroxide) has more magnesium as an impurity (1:263) and tht in the actual limewater, the magnesium ratio does not exceed 1:36,000m, witht eh remainder ending up undissolved on the bottom.

Magnesium and Strontium in Limewater
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/dec2003/chem.htm

I show in this article that a typical coral or coralline aglae incorporation rate is 0.1 to 4%by weight, for a ratio of about 1:400 to 1:10.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/10/chemistry

 

[Reef Pets]

Randy have you tried the product to see if the magnesium ends up undissolved in the bottom which would lead to the drop of magnesium or going by the numbers alone, which should be accurate but.. I have never experienced this with Kalk+2. Mag stays perfect

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I must note also that I have used Bulk Reef Supply Kalk and Two Little Fishes Kalk and with both I had to dose Magnesium daily. With Kalk +2 I have never had to dose, to the point that I do not even keep magnesium on hand. I had to check my Mag directly after my last post and the mag sits at 1320.
I have used it for years with great success and color but if there is something you know about Kalk+2 please let me know. Even through PM or on the phone if there are concerns.

Unless you were dosing milky limewater so the solids eventually were delivered to the tank, I doubt the kalk+2 and its small amount of magnesium was making any important difference. Maybe your salt mix upped its magnesium level. IO boosted magnesium a while back. Was salinity the same as always?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Randy have you tried the product to see if the magnesium ends up undissolved in the bottom which would lead to the drop of magnesium or going by the numbers alone, which should be accurate but.. I have never experienced this with Kalk+2. Mag stays perfect

I've not tested that product, but both chemical theory and my testing of other limewater products with magnesium show it to be true. I can't see how it could be any different. Magnesium is just quite poorly soluble at the pH of limewater.

FWIW, Brightwell has had a number of chemical misunderstandings with its products. This is certainly not the only one. For example, I recently got Jack Kent (new owner of Brightwell) to change the guaranteed analysis of the Magnesion P as it was impossible to be as high in magneisum as they stated (and not by a small amount, but was about half of what they claimed). But Chris Brightwell made that claim for many years.

 

[ReeferBen]

I use the aquamedic kalkstirrer. I was gonna go avast but read it had to be placed above sump level or something so went aquamedic. It has been stirring non stop for a few years now with no issues.

 

[Newb73]

Would it be more consistent?

IMO, it may be easier to control concentrations in batch mode than in reactors. You can either measure in an amount of solid calcium hydroxide, or aim for a particular conductivity (I do the latter).

FWIW, many reactor users are surprised to find they are not dosing saturated limewater.

Depending on the brand and the kalk. In my very limited experience kalk reactors work well in large systems where having 100% saturated limewater can be accepted by the water volume without over drving the PH. I use the Tunze which is not a typical stiring unit. It's made to hook up to the tunze ato and it just has a nozzle at the bottom that turns as the water goes through and it suspends and mixes some of the lime water in the column.

However what you may get is some portion of fully saturated lime water and some portion of slurry. It really all just depends on how much volume is going to run through in a single ATO cycle. I can attest to the precipitation being all over my hoses and the walls of my sump return area where it's pumped into.

Still if you do it right I find the stirrer to be better in large systems where you have high demands and really want a lot of kalk....but disasterous in anything under say 180gallons for the reasons Randy mentioned, ill think you will want the ability to regulate how much kalk is dissolved in the ato bin the traditional way.

I have recently abandoned kalk and switched to 2 part in hopes of being able to put more into the tank in a more controlled way over the course of the day without all of the ebbs and flows. I am no where nearly as experienced as most but overall I find 2 part to be superior due to the fact that you can control exactly what goes into the tank and when and adjust as necessary depending on the tank needs and what your water change routine adds or takes out etc. etc.

My .1 cent.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Randy,
Could you please elaborate on this statement. I too have been considering switching to a stirrer/reactor. I also add to my ATO. Right now I add 4 Teaspoons to 5 gal of water and just fill up my top off resovior when it need it with that solution. I will be going up to 5 teaspoons soon but I still have a long way to go till saturation. needless to say I am intrigued by your statement. I have been hesitant to switch to the reactor because it will be a much higher concentration.

I've been in a number of threads where folks have assumed that they were getting saturated limewater from their reactor. On measuring it (conductivity is the easiest way), quite a few have found it well below saturation.

There's no reason you must have saturation, but in a stirrer where you do not want solids to enter the tank but are sending in new water and pumping out old water, it often doesn't get saturated before leaving.

You can often reduce potency by putting the reactor stirrer on a timer, but in such a case you may get variable potency of the limewater potency through the day. That too isn't necessarily a problem, but if the hypothesis is that a reactor gives "more consistent" limewater, I'm not convinced.

 

[Reef Pets]

Honestly I can give an answer to any of it other than it has Been tested and proven in my system for years. I use Reef Crystals which I may or may not do a water change every month. Sometimes I do and others I will go months. I generally only do a water change if I see something has changed in the system.
I rarely test the water, again unless I see something changing. I have it written down and the last water test was 10/24, so about 6 weeks ago. As stated I tested mag today and it was the same as 6 weeks ago and I haven't done a water change since then.
I can't explain it but my Mag never has fluctuation and I use 100% Kalk+2.
Salinity was right on an well.

 

[s2nhle]

I am currently using avast kalk stirrer on a timer. I have a dosing pump that run the freshwater to my kalk reactor every 2 hrs for 3 min. I have pH controller to monitor the kalk. So when the ph drop i add more kalk to the reactor. beside that I also do 2 parts dosing to keep up with the demand.

 

[hawkinsrgk]

I use an avast marine as well and absolutely love it

One thing to note is that I use two part as well. It is able to keep ph up and cal/alk more stable. I see a lot of benefits using both at the same time