Kalkwasser what is the best way to dose?

[Roytrolls247]

I am currently using my ato to dose kalk. It is not really the most effective way to do so I was looking at Kalk reactors and Kalk stirrer's some of them are $200+ are they really effective?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I am currently using my ato to dose kalk. It is not really the most effective way to do so I was looking at Kalk reactors and Kalk stirrer's some of them are $200+ are they really effective?

How could the existing ATO be less cost effective than buying a new piece of equipment?

 

[ZoWhat]

A question back to you...

Do you know your exact uptake up Alkalinity daily/weekly?

If you don't... then eventually your dKH will be seriously over 13 before you know it

Kalk is nothing to mess with unless you're committed to testing dKH every other day.
.

 

[Wspangler]

I recently took my stirrer offline and went to a set dose. The evap rate on my tank was increasing due to seasonal. Change. I got sick of trying adjust my 2 part. I am now just dosing .5 gallons a day. I believe this to be the better route for me

 

[Roytrolls247]

How could the existing ATO be less cost effective than buying a new piece of equipment?

Its not effective because my Ph levels are still low and the Kalk is not being stirred

 

[Roytrolls247]

A question back to you...

Do you know your exact uptake up Alkalinity daily/weekly?

If you don't... then eventually your dKH will be seriously over 13 before you know it

Kalk is nothing to mess with unless you're committed to testing dKH every other day.
.

I test my DKh once a week it usually hovers from 9.8 to 9.0 Sunday to sunday

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Its not effective because my Ph levels are still low and the Kalk is not being stirred

Unstirred kalkwasser is perfect, if you make it correctly. Stirring does nothing useful if you make a reservoir of saturated limewater (kalkwasser) and dose from it after it has settled. I used that method for 20 years, and have shown it maintains potency as it sits waiting to be delivered.

Stirrers are only useful if you do not have space for a substantial reservoir.

 

[ZoWhat]

Its not effective because my Ph levels are still low and the Kalk is not being stirred

Define "low" plz

 

[PedroYoung]

Its not effective because my Ph levels are still low and the Kalk is not being stirred

How low is “low” pH? This time of year with the house closed up my pH is always suppressed a couple tenths. I ran my skimmer airline into the crawl space and that elevated my avg pH by 0.2 pH. If your Alk is in the range you want then you’ll have to find another method to raise the pH.

 

[Midrats]

A still reservoir with a dosing pump is the way to go. I have my evaporation dialed into my Litermeter which adds 3L of limewater in 150 small doses daily. My current tank is only a few months old so a half a teaspoon per gallon is holding my alkalinity at 8dkh right now. Just don't use fully saturated limewater until you need it and you don't need to worry about skyrocketing alkalinity. With a Nilsen reactor, you can only add fully saturated.

 

[Silent]

Just get a dosing pump and separate reservoir and dose kalk that way. It is very effective that way. No swings due to different daily/seasonal evap rates.

 

[ajjw0828]

I just started using a Avast marine Kalk stirrer connected to a DOS and really like it. I used to dose Kalk via ATO and 60ml/ min BRS pump which I liked as well. Only benefit to this is it's easier and

Just get a dosing pump and separate reservoir and dose kalk that way. It is very effective that way. No swings due to different daily/seasonal evap rates.

This!

 

[shred5]

I prefer a stirrer.
It is just easier plane and simple. No mess in my ATO container, no messed up pumps, no stirring or mixing. I just add a spoon full of kalk every once in a while. Some are sealed so less chance of air getting to it.

There are many ways of doing it and they all work. The other way I used to do it was drip it in.

I use kalk because it help maintain PH but also alk and calcium and is one of the cheaper ways to do it.

 

[Roytrolls247]

How low is “low” pH? This time of year with the house closed up my pH is always suppressed a couple tenths. I ran my skimmer airline into the crawl space and that elevated my avg pH by 0.2 pH. If your Alk is in the range you want then you’ll have to find another method to raise the pH.

My avg high is 7.3 all year round I am even running a Co2 scrubber on my skimmer the highest ph that tank ever saw was 7.8

 

[Midrats]

I never understood why people think stirrers are easier than still reservoirs. I dump some kalk into the Brute once a month when I fill it up, that's it. It never needs to be cleaned.

 

[Roytrolls247]

I never understood why people think stirrers are easier than still reservoirs. I dump some kalk into the Brute once a month when I fill it up, that's it. It never needs to be cleaned.

I am going off of my own personal experience and trends in my reef tank. Kalk has done very little for my PH but my alk and calcium are steady.

 

[Midrats]

I was referring more to the ease of maintenance of a reservoir over a stirrer. The effect on pH with either method will be the same.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My avg high is 7.3 all year round I am even running a Co2 scrubber on my skimmer the highest ph that tank ever saw was 7.8

pH 7.3? I strongly expect that is an error.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I am going off of my own personal experience and trends in my reef tank. Kalk has done very little for my PH but my alk and calcium are steady.

So any other way of adding the same material to also maintain alkalinity won't alter the pH, will it?

At least that is the simplistic interpretation of your situation. Adding more hydroxide might raise pH a bit, and the raised pH may increase demand for alk, which might offset the extra alk added.

Anyway, there are better ways to raise pH than to try to alter the way you are already dosing hydroxide.

 

[Roytrolls247]

pH 7.3? I strongly expect that is an error.

My Ph probe is Calibrated and I have logs in my Apex lol