ATO & Kalk

[Harpo]

For those of you dosing Kalk are you running your ATO through it?

 

[Miami Reef]

I don’t use Kalkwasser, but I would add it to my ATO if I did. It ensures peak saturation and can have a self purifying effect by precipitating out impurities.

That being said, many people use kalk stirrers or even add it via dosing pumps.

 

[KStatefan]

No I run a separate dosing pump and container. I want a consistent dose.

 

[Fish Fan]

Depends on what you're trying to accomplish with the Kalk; a pH bump or to maintain your Alk and Calc.

For a pH bump, it can work, as can just a simple slow drip device.

To maintain your Alk and Calc this method is problematic because you are at the mercy of whatever your evaporation rate happens to be, and that rate fluctuates throughout the year.

Furthermore, an ATO reservoir is often quite large, and in the event your ATO malfunctions and empties the whole reservoir into your tank, the pH will rise very high, typically resulting in an all out crash.

I don’t use Kalkwasser, but I would add it to my ATO if I did. It ensures peak saturation and can have a self purifying effect by precipitating out impurities.

That being said, many people use kalk stirrers or even add it via dosing pumps.

I'm going to disagree with you a little here. Adding Kalk to the reservoir would allow the Kalkwasser to react to CO2 in the air inside the res. Kalk stirrers work by continuously feeding water into, through and out of the stirrer, so there's never any air in the stirrer. And of course, they regularly agitate the undissolved Kalk, ensuring the Kalkwasser solution is always fully saturated (is the theory, anyway). Further benefits include being able to dial in an exact dose, and not needing to add Kalk to the stirrer as often as you might with other delivery methods.

In my opinion, from least desirable to most desirable method of dosing Kalkwasser would be:
In the ATO res > from a dosing pump (accurate, but can allow for a less than fully saturated Kalwasser solution) > Kalk Stirrer (which address all these other concerns).

 

[RobertK]

Furthermore, an ATO reservoir is often quite large, and in the event your ATO malfunctions and empties the whole reservoir into your tank, the pH will rise very high, typically resulting in an all out crash.

This. That happened to me when my overflow was blocked by a sea cucumber, sump water level dropped, and a whole bunch of kalk got dumped into my tank, killing all my corals. I never dosed kalk via ATO again after that.

I run a separate dosing pump and container. I want a consistent dose

And this. The other problem I had dosing kalk via ATO is that my evaporation rate was much higher in the summer, leading to higher kalk dose that time of year.

Having said all of that, I no longer dose kalk and have switched back to two-part.

 

[Fish Fan]

This. That happened to me when my overflow was blocked by a sea cucumber, sump water level dropped, and a whole bunch of kalk got dumped into my tank, killing all my corals. I never dosed kalk via ATO again after that.

Thank you for your reply here, and sorry to hear about your crash, that's too bad.

 

[RobertK]

Thanks. T

Thank you for your reply here, and sorry to hear about your crash, that's too bad.

Thanks. That was a long time ago. Sometimes you have to learn things the hard way.

 

[Fish Fan]

Thanks. T

Thanks. That was a long time ago. Sometimes you have to learn things the hard way.

True story

 

[bobnicaragua]

I dose saturated kalk through a versa continuously overnight.

I used to dose kalk in my ATO using an aqualifter (air pump). I kept it on a float switch and timer. I think this method works okay in a low demand tank. Evaporation varies and sometimes the water level in the overflow fluctuates.

 

[hatfielj]

I'm currently dosing kalk via a doser at a fixed amount per day. I'm new to the kalk game so I'm not sure how this will pan out over time.
I'm concerned that the solution loses potency over time and that when I have to refill my container the alk will spike because the new solution will be much more potent.
How do others address this? I'm assuming I'll have to lower my dosing amount on the day I add solution to the container and test alk carefully until I get the right rate again.

 

[bobnicaragua]

I'm currently dosing kalk via a doser at a fixed amount per day. I'm new to the kalk game so I'm not sure how this will pan out over time.
I'm concerned that the solution loses potency over time and that when I have to refill my container the alk will spike because the new solution will be much more potent.
How do others address this? I'm assuming I'll have to lower my dosing amount on the day I add solution to the container and test alk carefully until I get the right rate again.

Just mix up your kalk in a container with a lid and you’re good until you need to refill the reservoir. Dose the same amount every night. There won’t be a significant drop in potency.

My 16 gal reservoir will last nearly 2 weeks dosing 4 liters a night.

To refill, I just pour in the missing water, add 2 teaspoons kalk per gallon of added water, and stir.

I clean out the residue at the bottom every few months.

 

[Fish Fan]

I'm currently dosing kalk via a doser at a fixed amount per day. I'm new to the kalk game so I'm not sure how this will pan out over time.
I'm concerned that the solution loses potency over time and that when I have to refill my container the alk will spike because the new solution will be much more potent.
How do others address this? I'm assuming I'll have to lower my dosing amount on the day I add solution to the container and test alk carefully until I get the right rate again.

You are correct, and for the reasons you mention I would only dose Kalk using a calc stirrer. A Kalk stirrer not only stirs the undissolved Kalk powder so the solution remains at maximum saturation, but it feeds water into, through, and out of the stirrer, so there's never air in the stirrer and the kalkwasser can't react with CO2 in the air, which lowers the saturation.

Tank a look at a Kalk stirrer like this for example, or there's some DIY options too:
https://aquacave.com/bubble-magus-k...yfwMZwjyvRXxPubAPJOSh-whHKr4M6rBoCkSMQAvD_BwE
I hope that helps!

 

[hatfielj]

You are correct, and for the reasons you mention I would only dose Kalk using a calc stirrer. A Kalk stirrer not only stirs the undissolved Kalk powder so the solution remains at maximum saturation, but it feeds water into, through, and out of the stirrer, so there's never air in the stirrer and the kalkwasser can't react with CO2 in the air, which lowers the saturation.

Tank a look at a Kalk stirrer like this for example, or there's some DIY options too:
https://aquacave.com/bubble-magus-k...yfwMZwjyvRXxPubAPJOSh-whHKr4M6rBoCkSMQAvD_BwE
I hope that helps!

You say there's never air in the stirrer, but in the picture of that stirrer, there's an opening at the top for the kalk water to drain out. Won't that mean there's air at the top of the stirrer? Or is there some sort of one way valve there?

 

[bobnicaragua]

You are correct, and for the reasons you mention I would only dose Kalk using a calc stirrer. A Kalk stirrer not only stirs the undissolved Kalk powder so the solution remains at maximum saturation, but it feeds water into, through, and out of the stirrer, so there's never air in the stirrer and the kalkwasser can't react with CO2 in the air, which lowers the saturation.

Tank a look at a Kalk stirrer like this for example, or there's some DIY options too:
https://aquacave.com/bubble-magus-k...yfwMZwjyvRXxPubAPJOSh-whHKr4M6rBoCkSMQAvD_BwE
I hope that helps!

The OP doesn’t need a kalk stirrer to dose kalk.

OP if you are concerned about your kalk losing potency, you can test it with an EC tester.

 

[Fish Fan]

You say there's never air in the stirrer, but in the picture of that stirrer, there's an opening at the top for the kalk water to drain out. Won't that mean there's air at the top of the stirrer? Or is there some sort of one way valve there?

I'm going to be honest, I just grabbed that stirrer randomly as an example, I don't know how that particular one works for sure, but the general idea is how I described above; the water is pushed in and back out, so there's never much of any air, if any at all, in the stirrer. You can also go much longer in-between tending to a stirrer because your adding in extra Kalk that dissolves as needed. Is a stirrer totally necessary? No, but it is the easiest way to ensure you're always at max saturation, you're always delivering the same dose, and you don't have to refill it every week.

The OP doesn’t need a kalk stirrer to dose kalk.

OP if you are concerned about your kalk losing potency, you can test it with an EC tester.

I disagree, it happens

 

[exnisstech]

I'm currently dosing kalk via a doser at a fixed amount per day. I'm new to the kalk game so I'm not sure how this will pan out over time.
I'm concerned that the solution loses potency over time and that when I have to refill my container the alk will spike because the new solution will be much more potent.
How do others address this? I'm assuming I'll have to lower my dosing amount on the day I add solution to the container and test alk carefully until I get the right rate again.

I dosed kalk with a brs 50ml a minute doser on timer. The 180g tank ran for almost 6 years this way. I was dosing 7200ml a day over 24hrs. My kalk container was a brute and I suspended the dosing tube so it didn't suck the sediment from the bottom. I added fully saturated kalk 4 gallons at a time and just dumped it in the brute. I wouid clean the brute out every few months. It doesn't get much easier IMO
The tank did ok

 

[bobnicaragua]

I'm going to be honest, I just grabbed that stirrer randomly as an example, I don't know how that particular one works for sure, but the general idea is how I described above; the water is pushed in and back out, so there's never much of any air, if any at all, in the stirrer. You can also go much longer in-between tending to a stirrer because your adding in extra Kalk that dissolves as needed. Is a stirrer totally necessary? No, but it is the easiest way to ensure you're always at max saturation, you're always delivering the same dose, and you don't have to refill it every week.


I disagree, it happens

I agree there’s nothing wrong with a stirrer if that’s the way you want to go, but it’s not necessary. The OP is already set up with a reservoir.

Dosing a fixed amount of kalk from a reservoir will hold your alkalinity very stable.

 

[Fish Fan]

I agree there’s nothing wrong with a stirrer if that’s the way you want to go, but it’s not necessary. The OP is already set up with a reservoir.

Dosing a fixed amount of kalk from a reservoir will hold your alkalinity very stable.

But I wasn't replying to the OP, I was replying to the poster I quoted, whose specific concern was not having their Kalkwasser at maximum saturation. A Kalk stirrer alleviates that concern. It's totally fine with me if you don't want to use one, I was just answering the poster's question

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Just bear in mind that the output of many stirrers is not saturated. It disappoints and surprises many when they actually test it.

 

[Fish Fan]

Just bear in mind that the output of many stirrers is not saturated. It disappoints and surprises many when they actually test it.

I'm indeed disappointed and surprised lol! What happens, is there CO2 getting the water? Or something else at play?