Kalkwaser

[Metrontech]

Need some help. I have been looking into using kalkwasser with my gravity fed ato.

I have a 120 display with 55 sump. So probably 140 with displacement. Give or take.

I have tried doing calc and mag but just can't get it to stay stable.

I have read thst kalkwasser is a simple way to keep things stable.

But have also read that it can't keep up with the calcium demands on some tanks.

Amy input or tips?

I would prefer to hear from those who are using kalkwasser in the ato.

Thanks in advance

Mike

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[FishyFishy!]

Using a kalk reactor/stirrer is the best way. However you can drip it with good success as well. I drip to this day, but also suppliment calcium/alk/mag now as well. It will only keep up with so much demand.

Using a reactor/kalk stirrer will allow you to use your ato to dose the kalk for you. All you have to do is top up the reactor with kalk to maintain a saturated solution as much as needed.

Whats your tank stocking like?

[Myka]

I love kalkwasser. I use a doser for kalk as I find it is not stable enough if used through an ATO as evaporation varies seasonally, but also week to week ime.

[Aquattro]

I used it for years as a super saturated mix (with vinegar) in my top off, no complaints. I had lots of MH lighting, so lots of evap, but it worked well. I upgraded to a reactor after this and wouldn't look back, but at the time, it was a good solution.

[whatcaneyedo]

The problem I found with running it in a gravity fed ATO is it would constantly gum up the float valve that I was using. So I built a reactor and now I run it with a pump fed ATO system. Kalkwasser alone won't keep up with my calcium carbonate needs so I also use a Ca Reactor. The two complement each other nicely because the Ca reactor lowers the pH and the Kalk reactor raises it.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh109/whatcaneyedo/Picture271.jpg

[Metrontech]

Good information, thanks

At this stage I am running a very low demand setup, but I want to get a system in place for future expansion.

I think I'll grab an auto topoff unit tomorrow and run it that way for now.

I can see the seasons affecting evaporation. It's dry here in the winter. So it evaporates faster obviously.

So the question is how do you know what to dose if you don't use it in an ATI setup?

Mike

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I also use Kalk and done properly, it's a good way to keep up with your tank's Ca demands and boosts up pH.

[Aquattro]

Mine was able to keep up fine, here's an old pic of my 150g that I ran it on.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd101/reef_raf/fulljune.jpg

Plenty of stuff in there to use it up, but my Ca stayed near 420ppm all the time. My float valve needed cleaning maybe 2 or 3 times per year.

[dcw1sfu]

I run Kalk along with dosing calcium/alk/mag. Helps with the PH and also can help lower phosphates and skimmer efficiency. I run it in an Avast Marine Kalk stirir with a separate ATO dosing pump from my regular ATO system so that its always consistent.

[Metrontech]

Any suggestions on where to buy kalkwasser? I was looking for pickling lime but found out its not sold in Canada. Any help would be appreciated

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[dcw1sfu]

It's technically calcium hydroxide so most LFS should have it.

[whatcaneyedo]

I bought 50lbs of it from the sponsor Fiji Reef Rock a few years ago so I'll never have to worry about purchasing it again.

[Aquattro]

It's technically calcium hydroxide so most LFS should have it.

Most likely do, but it's expensive as a retail aquarium product. I used to buy it from a member here for $5 per grocery bag :)

[The Guy]

It's technically calcium hydroxide so most LFS should have it.

I have a 1gallon almost full of BRS Calcium hydroxide that I'm not using
$10 or a nice frag if your interested. :smile:

[abcha0s]

I had a beautiful 90g reef that I only ever supplemented with kalkwasser. On this tank it was plumbed through the ATO.

I'm not presently using it, but from my experience I wouldn't connect it to the ATO again. Rather I would use a dosing pump to control the rate of adding it and a seperate ATO on its own. Top up is somewhat unpredictable and prone to fluctuations. In my case, I had a random ATO pump failure while I was away on vacation. The tank sitter discovered it and fixed the pump. Of course the water level had dropped and he added a couple of days of evap back into the tank all within a 10 minute period. The ph shot up to something like 12!

Keep some vinegar on hand in case something like this ever does happen. We added vinegar slowy over the next hour to bring the ph down. There were no losses, just lessons learned.

Brad