Dosing pump for kalk? Do need a stepper motor?

[rsaylor3]

So I going to start dosing Kalk. I will not be using a stirrer or reactor, just mixing in a tote, letting settle and then dosing hourly. I have been looking at the 4 head Jebao and the Kamoer X1 Pro 2, but then I wondered if I needed one with a stepper motor like the X1 PROT.

My current system is 80 gallons including the sump, but I plan to upgrade to a new tank early next year that will be between 225-265 gallons. Whatever I end up going with, I would like it to work just as well for the new system. It will not be a long run, as my container of Kalk will be on the other side of the wall, and will only be pumping about 1-2 feet of line. Not entirely sure on the number of ml's that will go each out, but I currently lose about 1/2-3/4 of a gallon a day in evaporation. So was planning on starting below that with my does and calculate my ALK, Calcium and PH and fine tune.

Will the cheaper non stepper motor units serve my purpose, or would the stepper motor unit last longer or have any added benefit in my situation? And if I am missing something, please let me know, as I appreciate everyone's input.

 

[GarrettT]

BRS Top Off Doser - 50 mL per minute

Ideal for auto top off applications. Our peristaltic pump has a slow, predictable 50 mL per minute flow rate which ensures gradual and subtle changes to water chemistry. Precision two roller design extends pump life and will not back siphon. 24-month warranty offered by Bulk Reef Supply...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[rsaylor3]

Thanks Garrett, thought about that as well, and then using a simple timer or Alexa smart plug to have it turn on and off.

Do most that use kalk in a container, dose hourly, or do they dose even more often or continuously?

 

[GarrettT]

I dose hourly from a container. Originally, 2 gals per day, but switched to 0.5 gal after adding a CaRx.

 

[Justdrew]

Thanks Garrett, thought about that as well, and then using a simple timer or Alexa smart plug to have it turn on and off.

Do most that use kalk in a container, dose hourly, or do they dose even more often or continuously?

I use Apex Dos for kalk dosing. I am currently at 1830ml per day. It doses 16.6ml every 13 minutes.

 

[Nemosis]

Stepper pumps are usually used with calcium reactors or automatic water changes. Can't really justify recommending one for your particular needs. Once you figure out your consumption rate/tank needs, you can set up a doser and add kalk throughout the day, night, or around the clock. Any decent dosing pump will be sufficient to take care of the needs of any size tank. As your tank matures and begins to consume more of those elements, you simply dose more and more frequently.

 

[rsaylor3]

Thanks everyone! That's exactly what I though after reading through everything and listening to countless videos and podcasts. Then I get ready to order the dosing pump and start second guessing myself

Let me add one more question here. I had read in a few places, that it's best to have the container of kalk lower than the pump so that it doesn't syphon back into the sump. Is that something to worry about, as most of the pumps I found say they will not back syphon. My plan was to place the kalk container tote, right on top of my current tote I use for ato water and doing this will probably have it setting above the pump.

Also, the tote I plan to use is a Husky watertight tote that has a gasket. Will this help to keep a skim layer from forming as much, and work better than a non gasketed container?