kalkwasser question
 

hi

i have a question want to ask you guys
i'm so tired to mix kalkwasser everyday
so now i want to mix 20 gal instead of 1 gal per day
and use it for my next three week
my question is after the kalkwasser mix with water
how long it can last or it doesn't matter how long after i mix them

thanks

unless your storage/dosing container is airtight, you may want to look into using a kalk reactor instead.

3 weeks is a long time, and as the kalk gets in contact with co2 it will precipitate out of solution.

HTH.

There is an article on the RC magazine about this, the author claimed that kalkwater stored in a container with a lid would not degrade over time, I used this method for a while (garbage can full of kalkwater mixed up every couple of weeks) however when I got my kalkreactor I noticed higher pH in the tank and higher calcium level in the tank.

I mix kalk in a 25 gallon drum and slowly drip it in. It lasts me about a week and does not degrade over time as long as I have the lid on. There is a test done on Reefkeeping magazine that proves that covered kalk (not anally airtight) lasts for over a month.


The kalk container.

http://www.members.shaw.ca/bkotrla2/...2/IMG_6802.JPG

The dosing part.

http://www.members.shaw.ca/bkotrla2/...2/IMG_6803.JPG

Connection to the RO/DI to fill it up.

http://www.members.shaw.ca/bkotrla2/...2/IMG_6805.JPG

Hope that gives you a few ideas. :biggrin:

How about a calcium reactor as another idea??

Dave

Good pics Ben. :smile:

As mentioned, Randy did some studies on RC and showed no loss in calcium content in his large rubbermaid storage tub for kalk, even afetr a month or more. Just mix in some water when low and throw in a cup or kalk now and then. I think he cleans it out a couple times per year.

Many of us now does our kalk that way. Bens pics show a similar set-up. Randy even argued the non benefit of running a kalk reactor versus the tub method.

thanks guy

I notice that too.

I was thinking of getting a kalk reactor one of these days, which one do you have? Where did you get it? How long have you had it for? Is it PH run or magnetic stirrer? How much maintenance does it require?

OK enough questions for now! :biggrin:

Littlesilvermax, what do you have in there to stir up the Kalk?

Nothing. It is saturated lime water, it does not need stirring.

A Nilsen reactor because it is small has to have something to stir it because of the new water coming in.

I have a Precision Marine Kalkreactor. Basically there is a big garbage can full of water, a Tunze Osmolator pumps the RO water from the garbage can into the input of the kalkreactor, then from the kalkreactor it flows through the output tube into the sump. I placed a check valve between the RO water container and the kalkreactor.

I got the kalkreactor 3rd hand from Sam who got it 2nd hand from someone else. Interestingly, OA sells their own brand of kalkreactor which looks identical to the PM kalkreactors except for a lower price. At first I thought this was just an amazing coincidence but now I attribute it to convergence in engineering, much the same as the evolution of the eye in completely unrelated species.

The kalkreactor runs off a Maxijet 400 powerhead.

Maintainence is: every few days fill up the RO water container, every month or two add some kalk powder to the kalkreactor, and every two or three months clean the kalk buildup from the output tube of the kalkreactor where it flows into the sump. Total maintainence is maybe 10 minutes a month max.

As far as Randy Holmes-Farley's article, I think he is wrong. I tried his method, then got a kalkreactor. Higher pH levels and higher calcium levels with a kalkreactor prove that I am dosing more kalk with the kalkreactor than with Randy's method.

Sounds pretty good! How long have you owned it for? I wonder how long your PH will last compared to magnetic stirrer.

I have had it for 6 or 8 months. When I first got it the powerhead was shot so I had to get a new powerhead, it has been fine since then.

Who is OA that sells a simliar model, what did yours cost, if you don't mind.

OA = Ocean Aquatics in Delta, BC

I think I paid $200.00 for it used, this is about the same price as a new one from Ocean Aquatics.

Definitely a worthwhile purchase.