Seeking directions for dosing Kalk via a dosing pump

[pledosophy]

I am looking to start adding kalk, via a dosing pump to a reef tank. My goal is to maintain a nightly pH and also to maintain calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium needs.

I have read conflicting information as to if a stirrer is needed, or can I just put the mixed kalk water in a 5g jug, and then use a dosing pump to pull from the jug? Some people state you need to keep the kalk in it's own reactor and then pump in fresh water to the reactor and have that overflow to the sump.

I am just looking for a way that works.

I will be using a DOS for the doser if that matters.

The tank is a new 165g and currently uninhabited except for a few snails so great time to figure it out. I would like to add this to my SPS cube later, but thought I would try it on my 165g while it goes through the algae cycles and before I start adding to many corals.

Appreciate the help.

 

[Jekyl]

Focus should be on alkalinity and calcium when using kalk, not ph. With a brand new tank I would get accustomed to reading parameters and dosing by hand probably for the duration of the uglies. Which can last up to a year or so.

 

[Garf]

Pumping it from a static container containing saturated calcium hydroxide solution, via dosing pump, is a fine way to go.

 

[srit1]

Agree with Garf, I dose 6.8L (48 doses, 1 every 30 min ) of saturated kalk per day from a 58 gallon/220L container that is covered and unperturbed between refills

Here is an article about it I believe written by Randy Holmes: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/#5

 

[pledosophy]

Focus should be on alkalinity and calcium when using kalk, not ph. With a brand new tank I would get accustomed to reading parameters and dosing by hand probably for the duration of the uglies. Which can last up to a year or so.

Forgot to mention, I've been in the hobby 22 years. Not new to dosing, just new to kalk.

Kalk gives that wonderful pH boost at night. I will supplement the rest of Alk and Ca with 2 part. Based on what the tank is evaporating and how much Alk and Ca my other tanks consume I won't be able to keep levels stable with just Kalk alone. My reason for wanting to include Kalk in my regiment if for pH.

 

[pledosophy]

Agree with Garf, I dose 6.8L of saturated kalk per day from a 58 gallon/220L container that is covered and unperturbed between refills

Here is an article about it I believe written by Randy Holmes: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/#5

So your kalk is sitting for a month at a time with no mixing? That is good to hear. Does the dose stay consistent?

Putting a 55g barrel in the garage on the other side of the wall would be very easy for me.

How are you mixing that amount? wooden spoon?

 

[srit1]

Since I pull the doses from ~12 inches/30cm off the bottom I don't let it get all the way empty before adding new rodi from a valve above this container. While this is happening I add the correct amount of kalk tablespoon by tablespoon. I do not mix it at all, just the let the falling water do that then I close it back up for another 2-3 weeks. I have not tested the doeses themselves to know if they are perfectly consistent but alk in the system remains very stable. I made a little spreadsheet to determine how many tablespoons to add based on how much water I am adding to my kalk container:

Every spring I let it go low, carry outside and rinse it out. I've been doing this for years now supporting my ~500g system.

 

[pledosophy]

Since I pull the doses from ~12 inches/30cm off the bottom I don't let it get all the way empty before adding new rodi from a valve above this container. While this is happening I add the correct amount of kalk tablespoon by tablespoon. I do not mix it at all, just the let the falling water do that then I close it back up for another 2-3 weeks. I have not tested the doeses themselves to know if they are perfectly consistent but alk in the system remains very stable. I made a little spreadsheet to determine how many tablespoons to add based on how much water I am adding:

Every spring I let it go low, carry outside and rinse it out. I've been doing this for years now supporting my ~500g system.

Beautiful!

As long as the Alk is staying consistent that is a good enough tell for me.

I am hopeful that a 55g barrel in the garage will provide me the same result you have, but maybe last a little longer since my tank is only a third of yours. At 2L a day I could stretch that a very long time.

Really appreciate your time on this.

If I could trouble you for one more detail? How is the longevity of the dosing pump for you? Are you doing anything to clean the heads?

 

[srit1]

I use 2 heads on my doser for just kalk. The inner tubes wear out 1-3 times per year. I bought replacement tubing on amazon:
3mm ID x 5mm OD Peristaltic Pump Flexible Hose Silicone Tubing Food Grade Tube 3 Meter for 10 bucks or so.

As you only need a few inches, this has lasted years. Depending on your doser, you may need a different diameter. When the tube does fail by the way, it does so very slowly and I will notice that a few drips will get out, go back down the line and then dry out leaving kalk behind. My doser sits right over my kalk container. If you don't catch that immediately it doesn't cause a problem other than a trivially smaller dose.