Best Of: Kalk Reactors

[ReefCheef]

The re-emergence of kalk in the hobby due to its ability to buffer pH has got me looking everywhere for one that looks like it will work effectively and consistently. Unfortunately, with these devices there does not seem to be a clear "best in show" product like you have with a Royal Exclusiv Dreambox Sump or an Abyzz return pump. As far as I can gather, there appears to be several good options, with a couple borderline great ones. That said, they all take slightly different approaches to keeping the kalk saturated.

In my experience with aquariums, there seem to be two hobby grade varieties in all products. Toy grade stuff like you find at Petco/Petsmart and the like, and more high end components like you'll find on BRS and Coralvue etc. I am only interested in the higher end products where people are only concerned with making the best product possible. The cost is a nonfactor for this thread. I am in the hobby knowing fully that it is expensive. The amount we spend on corals (and even fish nowadays) is crazy expensive, so spending an extra $100 or $200 on a piece of kit that is going to last twice as long as a cheaper alternative is worth its weight in gold to me for the piece of mind. After 15 years in the hobby I prefer to plan things out in advance, develop budgets, and buy things I'm after when I see they go on sale. I find that more effective than bargain shopping for pieces I need as I determine I need them and buying something on a whim that turns out to be snakeoil or fails in 2 months. With this new system I'm buying all tried and true products and as such, lets bring it back to the kalk stirrers.

My two favorite ones I have come across so far are the Deltec and MRC options.
Deltec: https://deltecdirectusa.com/products/deltec-km500-kalwasser-stirrers
MRC: https://www.mrcamerica.com/nilsen-kalk-reactors/

I'm leaning more toward the Deltec as it is quieter and looks as though it had more thought put into it. The MRC appears to be the best version of a plastic tube with a pump attached to it. This will be my first time ever implementing a stirrer/reactor. Is there a significant advantage to stirring vs mixing via pump? Is the pump version better? It definitely seems like the pump will mix it better, but perhaps will overmix it? And I'd imagine the pump will definitely fail before the stirrer and also require more maintenance.

Is there a better version of stirrer I am not seeing? It seems like there's room in the market for someone to make an exceptional one of these. Not to mention, the one's I'm seriously looking at seem a bit overpriced for what you're getting. We need BRS to use their new superpowers of extreme wealth Batman style to plug holes in the hobby like this one. I'm hoping they do that in the years to come.

As for now, who makes the best Kalk reactor/stirrer?

All of the above is my random stream of consciousness. Not looking to put anyone down or argue over petty nonrelated things. Looking to be a source for the Best Kalk Stirrer on this site so when people search for it like I did, something useful actually comes up!

Cheers,
ReefCheef

 

[Betex]

I tried a few of them and my favorite one was avast marine. With that said in the end I used none I felt like it was a pain in the butt to clean it so often and the saturation wasn’t that consistent. I ended up switching to pre mixing it all in a large container and just dosing.

but in the end I switched to Randy’s 2-part with hydroxide about 1 year ago and has worked really well for me.

 

[ReefCheef]

I tried a few of them and my favorite one was avast marine. With that said in the end I used none I felt like it was a pain in the butt to clean it so often and the saturation wasn’t that consistent. I ended up switching to pre mixing it all in a large container and just dosing.

but in the end I switched to Randy’s 2-part with hydroxide about 1 year ago and has worked really well for me.

Honestly this is exactly what I'm afraid of. None of them seem very consistent. They all just seem like slightly more refined DIY offerings with prettier seems. I fear the lack of competition in this realm leads to lazy designs all around. Although I said price is not the concern here, I definitely don't want to just burn $500 on something I use for a month and then take offline because it's such a pain in the a** and/or doesnt even work that well.

 

[Midrats]

Why not save some money and use the tried, true, and simplest method for the dispensing of saturated limewater, the still reservoir? RHF shows that it remains saturated for a month and that Nilsen reactors don't always deliver a saturated solution.

I've used a couple of different Nilsen reactors over the years and always have gone back to a still reservoir for the ease and simplicity. I also like that ALL of the solids stay on the bottom of the container, something I can't say about a stirrer.

 

[Betex]

Honestly this is exactly what I'm afraid of. None of them seem very consistent. They all just seem like slightly more refined DIY offerings with prettier seems. I fear the lack of competition in this realm leads to lazy designs all around. Although I said price is not the concern here, I definitely don't want to just burn $500 on something I use for a month and then take offline because it's such a pain in the a** and/or doesnt even work that well.

That’s basically what happened to me bought it used it for 1-2mo and reverted to bigger batch mix and dosing. It’s still sitting in my closet along with icecap one.

 

[Betex]

Why not save some money and use the tried, true, and simplest method for the dispensing of saturated limewater, the still reservoir? RHF shows that it remains saturated for a month and that Nilsen reactors don't always deliver a saturated solution.

I've used a couple of different Nilsen reactors over the years and always have gone back to a still reservoir for the ease and simplicity. I also like that ALL of the solids stay on the bottom of the container, something I can't say about a stirrer.

I agree wasted money on stirrers instead of sticking to what I know worked well

 

[Midrats]

I also like that with a still reservoir that I am able to control the strength of the solution. In my current tank one teaspoon per gallon is sufficient to maintain the desired alkalinity. Not really an option with a stirrer.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

So what is a Still Reservoir?
Are you using Kalk or buffer?
Thanks

 

[Cory]

A still reservoir is just ro water with lime mixed in. You let it settle and dose the clear part.

 

[jcdeng]

what about magnetic stirrer?
ONiLAB Magnetic stirrer

 

[RobB'z Reef]

I had very good luck with the avast K1 when I used it. No issues holding a stable dKH. I cleaned it like once in 12 months. Never had any issues with it really. Generally most (including the K1) are pretty over priced for what they do, but they do have a place.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I'm just gonna dose and move on to cal rx when I need to if I ever do all that. Lol.
Geo was the Kalk rx stirrer I think of the past.
They do make affordable mag stirrers. Prob just need a larger stir bar. Which u can do.
D

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

Thanks Cory, if I remember correctly you are suppose to keep the lid tight, is that correct?

 

[Midrats]

A lid is good, especially if you have cats It can't really be air tight or occlusion will occur, so how much it helps is negligible. As long as it's only stirred once and then left still it remains potent. A crust forms on the surface somewhat sealing it off.

 

[Cory]

Thanks Cory, if I remember correctly you are suppose to keep the lid tight, is that correct?

A loose lid or just that its covered is fine. The top of the water forms a calcium carbonate crust which prevents further co2 from entering.

 

[Ironfish]

The re-emergence of kalk in the hobby due to its ability to buffer pH has got me looking everywhere for one that looks like it will work effectively and consistently. Unfortunately, with these devices there does not seem to be a clear "best in show" product like you have with a Royal Exclusiv Dreambox Sump or an Abyzz return pump. As far as I can gather, there appears to be several good options, with a couple borderline great ones. That said, they all take slightly different approaches to keeping the kalk saturated.

In my experience with aquariums, there seem to be two hobby grade varieties in all products. Toy grade stuff like you find at Petco/Petsmart and the like, and more high end components like you'll find on BRS and Coralvue etc. I am only interested in the higher end products where people are only concerned with making the best product possible. The cost is a nonfactor for this thread. I am in the hobby knowing fully that it is expensive. The amount we spend on corals (and even fish nowadays) is crazy expensive, so spending an extra $100 or $200 on a piece of kit that is going to last twice as long as a cheaper alternative is worth its weight in gold to me for the piece of mind. After 15 years in the hobby I prefer to plan things out in advance, develop budgets, and buy things I'm after when I see they go on sale. I find that more effective than bargain shopping for pieces I need as I determine I need them and buying something on a whim that turns out to be snakeoil or fails in 2 months. With this new system I'm buying all tried and true products and as such, lets bring it back to the kalk stirrers.

My two favorite ones I have come across so far are the Deltec and MRC options.
Deltec: https://deltecdirectusa.com/products/deltec-km500-kalwasser-stirrers
MRC: https://www.mrcamerica.com/nilsen-kalk-reactors/

I'm leaning more toward the Deltec as it is quieter and looks as though it had more thought put into it. The MRC appears to be the best version of a plastic tube with a pump attached to it. This will be my first time ever implementing a stirrer/reactor. Is there a significant advantage to stirring vs mixing via pump? Is the pump version better? It definitely seems like the pump will mix it better, but perhaps will overmix it? And I'd imagine the pump will definitely fail before the stirrer and also require more maintenance.

Is there a better version of stirrer I am not seeing? It seems like there's room in the market for someone to make an exceptional one of these. Not to mention, the one's I'm seriously looking at seem a bit overpriced for what you're getting. We need BRS to use their new superpowers of extreme wealth Batman style to plug holes in the hobby like this one. I'm hoping they do that in the years to come.

As for now, who makes the best Kalk reactor/stirrer?

All of the above is my random stream of consciousness. Not looking to put anyone down or argue over petty nonrelated things. Looking to be a source for the Best Kalk Stirrer on this site so when people search for it like I did, something useful actually comes up!

Cheers,
ReefCheef

Did you end up getting one? Which one? How is it working?
Cheers,