Help setting up Kalk Stirrer and accurate dosing

Jasontkd

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Hey everyone. Happy Independence Day!

I am hoping someone will have some suggestions on how to set up a kalk stirrer/reactor on my existing setup. Not so much the actual equipment, but how to tie it into my system.

Let me try and explain:

I have a 90 gallon tank with 30 gallon sump. There is very little room under my stand left for equipment. I currently have an Apex system with Dos containers and doser that doses BRS Calcium Chloride and Sodium Bicarbonate. I currently go through a decent amount of both liquids, and my pH hovers just between about 7.8 and 8.0. So, I thought I would add a way to dose Kalkwasser along with my 2-part to try and help my pH and slow down my dosing of 2-part.

For my ATO, I have a 30 gallon reservoir (along with my salt mixing station) in my basement, plumbed through the floor. The float switches trigger an IWAKI pump that pushes water up to my sump. So, i get a decent amount of water all in a short amount of time. This setup works well for me because it also lets me pump new saltwater upstairs without carrying buckets.

So here is my issue. In order to tie the kalk stirrer into my ATO, I would have to split the current output. I would also have to put a gate valve on one side to slow the water pumping up to my sump and force some RODI water to the kalk stirrer. I can do that, but I don't know how to do so and dial things in to keep a somewhat accurate amount of Kalk dosing throughout the day. I would ideally like to set up another doser so I could control my dosing amount, but I don't think that would work since the RODI water is about 14 ft below the tank.

Does anyone have some thoughts on what I could do differently, or how I could accomplish an accurate kalk dosing with my current setup?
 

lakai

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Hey everyone. Happy Independence Day!

I am hoping someone will have some suggestions on how to set up a kalk stirrer/reactor on my existing setup. Not so much the actual equipment, but how to tie it into my system.

Let me try and explain:

I have a 90 gallon tank with 30 gallon sump. There is very little room under my stand left for equipment. I currently have an Apex system with Dos containers and doser that doses BRS Calcium Chloride and Sodium Bicarbonate. I currently go through a decent amount of both liquids, and my pH hovers just between about 7.8 and 8.0. So, I thought I would add a way to dose Kalkwasser along with my 2-part to try and help my pH and slow down my dosing of 2-part.

For my ATO, I have a 30 gallon reservoir (along with my salt mixing station) in my basement, plumbed through the floor. The float switches trigger an IWAKI pump that pushes water up to my sump. So, i get a decent amount of water all in a short amount of time. This setup works well for me because it also lets me pump new saltwater upstairs without carrying buckets.

So here is my issue. In order to tie the kalk stirrer into my ATO, I would have to split the current output. I would also have to put a gate valve on one side to slow the water pumping up to my sump and force some RODI water to the kalk stirrer. I can do that, but I don't know how to do so and dial things in to keep a somewhat accurate amount of Kalk dosing throughout the day. I would ideally like to set up another doser so I could control my dosing amount, but I don't think that would work since the RODI water is about 14 ft below the tank.

Does anyone have some thoughts on what I could do differently, or how I could accomplish an accurate kalk dosing with my current setup?
You run it inline after your ato. So every time your ato activates it pumps fresh water into the reactor which pushes saturated kalk water into your sump. Theres no real way to fine tune it other than using a peristaltic pump to draw water from your ato.

ATO > Kalkreactor > Sump
 

Krw

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Get the two little fishes Kalkwasser chamber with built in stirrer. Put it inline with ATO output. Mine sits in the sump uses 1/2 cup Kalkwasser every 2 to 3 weeks. Same size setup 90 with 25 g sump. PH stays around 8.2 have never added calcium or alk or Mg been running over a year now.
 

ceaver

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Get the two little fishes Kalkwasser chamber with built in stirrer. Put it inline with ATO output. Mine sits in the sump uses 1/2 cup Kalkwasser every 2 to 3 weeks. Same size setup 90 with 25 g sump. PH stays around 8.2 have never added calcium or alk or Mg been running over a year now.
I have a question about this. I'm currently dosing kalk through my ato reservoir, however, given my rate of evaporation and alk/ca needs the strength of kalk solution is far less than fully saturated. So if I were to just stick a kalk stirrer inline and have my ato pump push water through it at my normal evaporation rate, wouldn't I end up overdosing kalk as if my current ato solution now were fully saturated?

I seem to have a hard time wrapping my head around the kalk stirrer concept. Am I missing something here??
Thanks!
 

BoneDoc

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Kalk stirrer allows you to add a kalk solution that is denser than fully saturated… ie., you are adding CaOH particulates into the tank and let the tank water dissolve them.

Not recommended as an uncontrolled ATO as they can easily spike your pH and quite toxic to your fish. If you’re doing the ATO>Kalk>DT route, then just add a saturated solution. But this also is a bit temperamental because it depends on your evaporation rate. That doesn’t include the additional risk of crashing your tank if your ATO is left wide open.
 

Breadman03

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So if I were to just stick a kalk stirrer inline and have my ato pump push water through it at my normal evaporation rate, wouldn't I end up overdosing kalk as if my current ato solution now were fully saturated?
Yes, you would. The best way, IMO, to run a kalk stirrer is by setting a dosing schedule that matches your needs and run it parallel to your ATO.
 

ceaver

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Yes, you would. The best way, IMO, to run a kalk stirrer is by setting a dosing schedule that matches your needs and run it parallel to your ATO.
Okay, this is the conclusion I was beginning to come to as well. So I'd need my ato to deliver fresh water for evaporation, then have a separate dosing pump pulling some water out of ato reservoir and pushing it through the kalk stirrer to match my consumption needs.
Got it, thanks!!
 

ceaver

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I was thinking that very thing. But the budget stirrer I was looking at, two little fishies, won't work with a low flow pump, which I assume a doser like that would be. My tank is only 40 gal, so looking for a small stirrer, not a huge one...
 

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