Kalkwasser question

[Docdiggy]

I have been reading that lot's of people replace all their evap water with kalk mixed ro/di. I have read people have the drip set so it's a steady evap and replacement. I top off twice a day. Could you do that with kalk water or is that to much at once?? I've got a problem with dino's at the moment and that is causing me to get into this. I guess it's good regardless. I'm evaporating about 1/2 gallon per day. I don't want to get involved with ATO.

[HumbleFish]

Go buy a pitcher (or similar) from Walmart. Mix 1/2 gal of RODI with some kalk (maybe start with just 1/4 tsp), and gravity drip that into your sump (or tank) using a crimped airline hose overnight. The drip needs to be slow to prevent a mass swing in alk. You also will need to test alk/cal daily until you figure out how much kalk is needed to compensate for your tank's daily consumption. For example, I use about 1 tsp every night for my 150 gal mixed reef.

[Docdiggy]

Ya my problem is I don't have a spot to elevate the pitcher.

[HumbleFish]

Ya my problem is I don't have a spot to elevate the pitcher.

How about a kalk reactor then? The only other way I know of adding kalk is via ATO. You definitely don't want to ever just dump that stuff in. You can add a little at a time, pre-mixed with RODI, but that's time consuming and will cloud up your tank (briefly) every time you do it.

[JRR1285]

I have been reading that lot's of people replace all their evap water with kalk mixed ro/di. I have read people have the drip set so it's a steady evap and replacement. I top off twice a day. Could you do that with kalk water or is that to much at once?? I've got a problem with dino's at the moment and that is causing me to get into this. I guess it's good regardless. I'm evaporating about 1/2 gallon per day. I don't want to get involved with ATO.

I know you said you don't want to get involved in an ATO and I admit I felt the same way since I only evaporated maybe 1/2-3/4 of a gallon depending on time of year, but I feel it has been one of the best things I have done for my system. I add Kalk to my ATO and it works great. I just add it each time I fill up my 7 gallon ATO reservoir. I probably use a little more than a tsp per gallon.

If you don't want to do a full blown ATO and since you mention that you can't get the pitcher elevated above the tank, maybe a pitcher next to the tank using a restricted Aqua Lifter pump would work? Just use a valve to adjust the flow.

[Docdiggy]

Wow!! I just looked up the Aqua Lifter. So you could run that pump with an inline valve to restrict flow with no adverse effects? It can stay running continuously?

[Docdiggy]

I read many interesting things. If that pump can stay plugged in and not overheat from turning down flow, then that is what I'm going to use. When using this stuff I need to make sure the hose does not go into deep and suck up any undissolved solution?? Can anything negative happen like going "stale" if the water is not used up in reasonable time??

[animalkingdom]

Wow!! I just looked up the Aqua Lifter. So you could run that pump with an inline valve to restrict flow with no adverse effects? It can stay running continuously?

yes you can...and every once in a while you will come across a champ of a aqualifter that can handle kalk.
I have broke aqualifters in several months blowing kalk through them, but my current one has been in service non-stop for over a year and a half pushing kalk saturated topoff as needed.

[Uncle Luke]

Get yourself a kalk stirrer and you won't have the hassle of having kalk going through your topoff pump. Kalk has ruined many of my pumps over the years. Go for a stirrer and not a reactor.

[Lavoisier]

I have been reading that lot's of people replace all their evap water with kalk mixed ro/di. I have read people have the drip set so it's a steady evap and replacement. I top off twice a day. Could you do that with kalk water or is that to much at once?? I've got a problem with dino's at the moment and that is causing me to get into this. I guess it's good regardless. I'm evaporating about 1/2 gallon per day. I don't want to get involved with ATO.

What is the size of your tank? Do you have a sump? A bolus top off of 1/4 gal. twice a day would fine for a 55g+; not so good for a 20g system.

[Docdiggy]

It's a 75 gallon. Yes I have a sump but, I'm not sure the gallon. It's an eshopps r 100 refugium. Since its summer and humidity is high I evap 1/2 gallon a day. The winter is 1 gallon per day.

[Docdiggy]

Bump for opinion on topping off that amount at a time.

[Portsie]

I would really consider an ATO if I was you. By far the best purchase I ever made for my reef. There are lots of inexpensive options out there if money is an issue. If it's not, I recommend tunze.

[Docdiggy]

I'm really considering the aqualift and maybe cleaning it frequently. It kinda suits my setup situation. If topping it off myself would work I would go that route.

[Reverend Reefer]

I'm really considering the aqualift and maybe cleaning it frequently. It kinda suits my setup situation. If topping it off myself would work I would go that route.

i run it with an aqualifter. i pay for my laziness and buy a new one with new tubing ever couple months but since the pump only runs for under 20$ its no big deal. if i was smarter i'd clean it every once in a while.

i used to just run the aqualifter on a timer and dumped kalk powder into my ro/di resevoir (fancy name for a glass vase from wal mart) mixed with vinegar on a timer. i still use the vase/vinegar/rodi water for top off and i still use the aqualifter but i now have it connected to a float valve instead of a timer.

[Docdiggy]

Why do you add vinegar?

[Xavibear]

Why do you add vinegar?

Carbon dosing.

[Reverend Reefer]

Carbon dosing and helps dissolve the kalk powder and allows me to slightly over saturate the kalkwasser

[Docdiggy]

Gotcha