Experienced Kalk reactor users?

[Crustaceon]

And you didn't experience variance in saturation sitting in that container? As for ease of use, I open the stirrer, dump in kalk powder, and it stirs itself :)....

That’s pretty much all I do with my TLF reactor. Add kalk and make sure the ato reservoir has ro in it.

 

[DangerDave]

Yeah the stirrer is what works, I mean if I coulda way to auto mix my 35 gallon container I woulda been fine with that.

 

[hart24601]

Open Brute container once a month, dump in however much lime you want, fill with water, close lid, done. All of the Nilsen reactors I have ever used were definitely more work than that. That's why the couple I have are in the equipment heap in the basement.

I started using hydroxide 2 part, but I agree. I always used either brute or 5g bucket on smaller tanks. Ultra easy and lasts a long time.

 

[Midrats]

And you didn't experience variance in saturation sitting in that container? As for ease of use, I open the stirrer, dump in kalk powder, and it stirs itself :)....

The solution maintains it's full strength until I need to refill. RHF's limewater article mirrors my experience with static reservoirs. Don't get me wrong, Nilsen reactors work well, but for the sake of simplicity I like my Brute.

 

[DangerDave]

The solution maintains it's full strength until I need to refill. RHF's limewater article mirrors my experience with static reservoirs. Don't get me wrong, Nilsen reactors work well, but for the sake of simplicity I like my Brute.

I ask because as it sat in my 35 gallon container, it would lose saturation. That’s the only reason I went to a stirrer. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the stirrer and I’m glad I got it, but now I want to know what I was doing wrong. It’s gonna bug me till I figure it out.

 

[Midrats]

How were you testing, conductivity? If the container is filled, stirred, covered, and left undisturbed, the potency should drop very little over the period of a month.

 

[DangerDave]

How were you testing, conductivity? If the container is filled, stirred, covered, and left undisturbed, the potency should drop very little over the period of a month.

I wasn't testing conductivity so I don't have any numbers. I was seeing the effects though. I started using Kalk to supplement my 2 part because of the PH effects. The tank is in the garage, a few feet from a water heater and a ventless gas heater. Even with an outside air hose feeding a C02 reactor, the PH in the system was way to low. If left as is in the winter months, it won't peak over 7.8/7.9 during the day, lows will be 7.6. The Kalk reacts with enough C02 to keep it from 8.0 to 8.3.

I am feeding about 2.5-3 gallons of kalk a day. When I would use my container, I would mix up 35 gallons and feed it in with an aqualifter. It worked great. My only issue was after 2-3 days of making the kalk, the PH would start falling. If I opened the container and mixed it up we'd be back in business for another few days. The container has a small opening and it's under one of my tanks so it was a real pain in the butt. Plus, when I was away there is no one to mix.

I don't know why it was losing potency, but it was. Now the stirrer does the work for me :). I hear from a lot of reefers to ignore PH, but I see the difference in my reef when it's low. Unhappy looking corals and slower growth...

Dave

 

[biecacka]

i run continuous water changes, about 2 gallons a day, thinking about dumping some Mrs.wages in the 50 gallon can. Question, what are the disadvantages of not having the top covered?

Corey

 

[joseserrano]

i run continuous water changes, about 2 gallons a day, thinking about dumping some Mrs.wages in the 50 gallon can. Question, what are the disadvantages of not having the top covered?

Corey

You are not supposed to add Kalk to salt water directly. It can be added to fresh/rodi water. It is recommended to keep your container covered when topping off with kalk.

 

[biecacka]

You are not supposed to add Kalk to salt water directly. It can be added to fresh/rodi water. It is recommended to keep your container covered when topping off with kalk.

That is right. It has been years since I ran out and forgot that. Thank you.
I used to run in it my ato when it was a homemade set up. Now I use tunze and would need a mixing pump in there so I need to look at some other options


Corey