Kalk reactor quewtion

[jgs107]

Ok so I'm about to put a Kalk reactor onto my reef tank but I'm hesitant because I can't get a straight answer as far as dosage. Am I dosing based off reactor volume or off of ro tank volume. I have a 4 gallon reservoir that then pumps directly into my 1 gallon Kalk reactor making 5 gallons. Do I dose based off this total volume or base it off the one gallon in my reactor. I really appreciate the help as I don't want to over or under dose my tank.

[Potatohead]

The reactor should make pretty much fully saturated solution. The RO reservoir doesn't have anything to do with it, really. You will need to figure out how much cal/alk your tank consumes and dose the kalk solution based on that number. Start out low and work your way up. Also, never dose more than .25% of your system water volume at any given time or you will drive too much of a pH swing.

[vhuang168]

Ok so I'm about to put a Kalk reactor onto my reef tank but I'm hesitant because I can't get a straight answer as far as dosage. Am I dosing based off reactor volume or off of ro tank volume. I have a 4 gallon reservoir that then pumps directly into my 1 gallon Kalk reactor making 5 gallons. Do I dose based off this total volume or base it off the one gallon in my reactor. I really appreciate the help as I don't want to over or under dose my tank.



You need to figure out how much your tank is consuming 1st. Then start slow and ramp up the kalk dose until your levels are stable.


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[jgs107]

So I was going to push fresh ro into my Kalk reactor and that solution that drips out of the reactor will be my top off with Kalk added to it. So I should run a 24 hour test and see how much ro is used in that amount of time and then base my saturation dosage in that amount. Seems like it won't be but a teaspoon for my 45 total gallon tank. Does that seem accurate

[Potatohead]

45 gallon tank will likely evaporate about 1/2 gallon a day, so yes a teaspoon of kalk would be full saturation.

[jgs107]

Wow this jug of Kalk is going to last me a lifetime haha

[Potatohead]

What reactor is it? Most of them you just put a bunch in and it will mix with incoming RO water, so you don't have to add every day. The water will only "absorb" so much kalk.

[jgs107]

I believe it's one of those diy avast reactors. It has a stir bar at the bottom

[Kevin Guthrie]

My system goes thru about 2 gallons of makeup water a day, added by a pump on a timer and routed thru a kalk reactor at a slow drip rate. I add maybe 5 tablespoons of kalk to the reactor a week. When it runs out I add more. You don't want milky (full of kalk powder) water to go into your aquarium.

[mpderksen]

My system uses 1/2 gallon/day of top off in the winter, and a full gallon/day in the summer. How do Kalk users adjust for that?

[Kevin Guthrie]

When the water in the sump goes up I cut back the timer on the pump 1/2 hours. When it goes up I go the other way. The pump is adjustable but the timer is easier.

Here in the far north the house is driest in winter when the furnace is on, so adjustment is in spring and fall - about a month from now the level will start dropping.