Another DIY Reactor

Saltyanimals · Sep 5, 2023

Thought I would share a modified stirrer into a DIY kalk reactor. I bought 5L version of the stirrer below and did some minor mods reusing some old plumbing stuff. Working great! Aliexpress. Modified the feed tube. Drilled the exit and put on a 1/2 bulk head with some gaskets. I took inspiration from A.V. and other kalk stirrers using a PVC union and elbow for easy maintence. The stirrer motor itself works fine on a Apex schedule. Simple alternative for the fun DYI and of course saving $$$. Besides I like the red as it matches the rest of my plumbing. =)

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MarineandReef Jaron · Sep 5, 2023

Looks good. I used a DIY stirrer for years and it looked a whole lot worse than yours. I am a huge stirrer fan and wish there were more options out there. I would love a small hang-on version for Nanos.

Saltyanimals · Sep 19, 2023

I'm still working out the kinks, but I don't think it is with the Rx itself but the whole kalk stirrer principles. I've commented on other threads trying to solve the problem as I'm find myself dosing alot more kalk volume contrary to various calculators around. I thought maybe my kalk was bad, or I'm not stirring enough. I'm now on an hourly timer to stir for 10 mins turning the water very milky white and opaque which suggest it's a good stir however it quickly settles after 5 mins leaving mostly clear water when the doser kicks on. I'm now playing with the timing trying to get it closer to the stir time without actually dosing the milk water which I read is bad.

Saltyanimals · May 19, 2025

Motor on this stirrer just failed so I'm searching back to this post to see when I put it into service. Math shows this thing was running for 24x7 for 20 months which isn't bad at all. Just ordered a replacement low RPM 12v DC motor online which is about the same rough size as the original motor. Hope to have it as an easy swap and back in service. If this works, I think I have a long term solution. I assume my replacement motor is a more premium motor so in theory I hope it last longer than the original.