Kalk vs dosing Ca build up everywhere question

2000se · 02/11/2018, 01:50 PM

Ok..Getting kinda tired of all the Ca build up everywhere in my tank.. I'm not sure if Im not doing something right or that's just part of it..but I've been adding kalk to my ATO for about a year. Things are fairly stable in terms of numbers (Ca --> 425ish ,Alk-->7.5ish , Mg --> 1300 , etc.) but man, the Ca build up is everywhere. Just seems it is adhering to everything instead of being consumed by the corals and such..And it seems to be softer in that I can just wipe it off (Except in the pumps where I have to vinegar soak to get it off)

I'm running a Spyglass GFO reactor and it has it everywhere on it too. I know this is pretty common for these reactors to make Ca precipitate but it is everywhere and I'm getting tired of it... need a solution before I give up.

Do you guys/gals have much better luck running a doser with 2-part rather than adding Kalk to keep things cleaner?

DesertReefT4r · 02/11/2018, 03:33 PM

I never had that issue and I dosed kalk in my ato for years. I did have a high demad for cal and alk with many sps. Are you sure you need dose the amount you are? Try dropping cal to 400 up alk and mag to 8 and 1380.

bertoni · 02/11/2018, 03:48 PM

If the buildup just wipes off, it's not calcium carbonate precipitation, at least not on that surface. Calcium carbonate is rock, and it adheres well. Maybe you are seeing some sort of bacterial slime or maybe the precipitation is happening in the water column. Are you sure that the Kalk that's going into the system doesn't have any precipitate stirred up or sucked off the bottom of the container? Is there a surface film going into the tank?

Those parameters are fine, but the test kits could be wrong. I might get a second opinion if that were easy to do. Where are you dosing the Kalk? If it goes into a large volume of water with good circulation, it should be okay.

2000se · 02/11/2018, 04:00 PM

Thanks for all the replies. So give more info, The Ca seems to wipe right off the GFO acrylic reactor but really no where else.

The the 2 pumps I have need to be soaked in the vinegar to get the Ca off. The Ca there is rock solid. Once it hits the vinegar I see bubbles being made from the reaction. Once I soak for about 1 hour so, it gets easier to get off. I usually need to soak twice to clean the pumps good.Soak once and clean as good as I can, then soak a second time to get the rest that didn't come off the first time.

I have my ATO dumping into the sump. In the same chamber as the return pump so I am assuming that it gets picked up by the return pump and immediately pushed into the display.

I could be wrong and that could be the wrong place. I might be simply adding too much Kalk to the ATO reservoir. Or maybe both...Not sure on either.

bertoni · 02/11/2018, 04:09 PM

The return chamber might be a bit small to handle the ATO flow, depending on what kind of pump is in use. A peristaltic pump generally is safer than pumps that produce a faster flow. I might consider dosing into the display. That's the way I ran my tanks, although they mostly didn't even have sumps.

GFO can encourage precipitation, or the precipitation might be taking place in the water column, with the GFO acting as a mechanical filter. I'd guess the second.

So is one pump the return pump from the sump, and the other for the calcium reactor? Pumps tend to get warm, which encourages precipitation.

2000se · 02/11/2018, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bertoni

So is one pump the return pump from the sump, and the other for the calcium reactor? Pumps tend to get warm, which encourages precipitation.

No. One pump is the return VectraM1.
One pump in the skimmer pump Vectra M1
And the 3rd which is tiny sicce for the gfo. I never really have problems with the tiny one.

2000se · 02/11/2018, 05:37 PM

I'm using a Avast Marine ATO pump for the ATO. NOT the peristaltic one. The other small diaphragm one.

bertoni · 02/11/2018, 05:47 PM

Okay, bigger pumps generate more heat, so that makes some sense. It's still a bit strange to see so much precipitation.

Well, if it delivers a steady stream, I personally would try moving the output to the display tank, or at least a larger volume area. That might not help, but it should be easy to try.

2000se · 02/11/2018, 06:03 PM

ok - thanks for all suggestions and insights. And the quick responses!!

So I am going to try reducing the amount of kalk I'm adding in addition to (somehow increasing the amount of ALK) moving the ATO stream to the display.

I just gave everything a good bath. We'll see how that goes.

bertoni · 02/11/2018, 08:17 PM

Okay. I hope you get some improvement in the situation. If not, there are more ideas to try.

tkeracer619 · 02/15/2018, 10:44 PM

I used to have the same issue in my 34gal. I had to test and dose daily. It always precipitated out... I had to switch to a calcium reactor.

02/11/2018, 01:50 PM	#1
2000se Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: charlotte Posts: 532	Kalk vs dosing Ca build up everywhere question Ok..Getting kinda tired of all the Ca build up everywhere in my tank.. I'm not sure if Im not doing something right or that's just part of it..but I've been adding kalk to my ATO for about a year. Things are fairly stable in terms of numbers (Ca --> 425ish ,Alk-->7.5ish , Mg --> 1300 , etc.) but man, the Ca build up is everywhere. Just seems it is adhering to everything instead of being consumed by the corals and such..And it seems to be softer in that I can just wipe it off (Except in the pumps where I have to vinegar soak to get it off) I'm running a Spyglass GFO reactor and it has it everywhere on it too. I know this is pretty common for these reactors to make Ca precipitate but it is everywhere and I'm getting tired of it... need a solution before I give up. Do you guys/gals have much better luck running a doser with 2-part rather than adding Kalk to keep things cleaner?

02/11/2018, 03:33 PM	#2
DesertReefT4r Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Mesa Az Posts: 771	I never had that issue and I dosed kalk in my ato for years. I did have a high demad for cal and alk with many sps. Are you sure you need dose the amount you are? Try dropping cal to 400 up alk and mag to 8 and 1380. __________________ Tank history 29g tropical ,55g cichlid tank, 20H softy reef, 29g mixed reef, 20H brackish goby & puffer tank, 55g mixed reef, 6g Nanocube softy lps reef, 40B sps reef, 75g sps reef, 75g sps reef in bu Current Tank Info: 75g sps reef build in the works.

02/11/2018, 03:48 PM	#3
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	If the buildup just wipes off, it's not calcium carbonate precipitation, at least not on that surface. Calcium carbonate is rock, and it adheres well. Maybe you are seeing some sort of bacterial slime or maybe the precipitation is happening in the water column. Are you sure that the Kalk that's going into the system doesn't have any precipitate stirred up or sucked off the bottom of the container? Is there a surface film going into the tank? Those parameters are fine, but the test kits could be wrong. I might get a second opinion if that were easy to do. Where are you dosing the Kalk? If it goes into a large volume of water with good circulation, it should be okay. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

02/11/2018, 04:09 PM	#5
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	The return chamber might be a bit small to handle the ATO flow, depending on what kind of pump is in use. A peristaltic pump generally is safer than pumps that produce a faster flow. I might consider dosing into the display. That's the way I ran my tanks, although they mostly didn't even have sumps. GFO can encourage precipitation, or the precipitation might be taking place in the water column, with the GFO acting as a mechanical filter. I'd guess the second. So is one pump the return pump from the sump, and the other for the calcium reactor? Pumps tend to get warm, which encourages precipitation. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

02/11/2018, 05:47 PM	#8
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Okay, bigger pumps generate more heat, so that makes some sense. It's still a bit strange to see so much precipitation. Well, if it delivers a steady stream, I personally would try moving the output to the display tank, or at least a larger volume area. That might not help, but it should be easy to try. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

02/11/2018, 04:00 PM	#4
2000se Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: charlotte Posts: 532	Thanks for all the replies. So give more info, The Ca seems to wipe right off the GFO acrylic reactor but really no where else. The the 2 pumps I have need to be soaked in the vinegar to get the Ca off. The Ca there is rock solid. Once it hits the vinegar I see bubbles being made from the reaction. Once I soak for about 1 hour so, it gets easier to get off. I usually need to soak twice to clean the pumps good.Soak once and clean as good as I can, then soak a second time to get the rest that didn't come off the first time. I have my ATO dumping into the sump. In the same chamber as the return pump so I am assuming that it gets picked up by the return pump and immediately pushed into the display. I could be wrong and that could be the wrong place. I might be simply adding too much Kalk to the ATO reservoir. Or maybe both...Not sure on either.

02/11/2018, 05:37 PM	#7
2000se Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: charlotte Posts: 532	I'm using a Avast Marine ATO pump for the ATO. NOT the peristaltic one. The other small diaphragm one.

02/11/2018, 06:03 PM	#9
2000se Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: charlotte Posts: 532	ok - thanks for all suggestions and insights. And the quick responses!! So I am going to try reducing the amount of kalk I'm adding in addition to (somehow increasing the amount of ALK) moving the ATO stream to the display. I just gave everything a good bath. We'll see how that goes.

02/11/2018, 08:17 PM	#10
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Okay. I hope you get some improvement in the situation. If not, there are more ideas to try. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

02/15/2018, 10:44 PM	#11
tkeracer619 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 17,289	I used to have the same issue in my 34gal. I had to test and dose daily. It always precipitated out... I had to switch to a calcium reactor. __________________ Hobby Experience: 9200ish gallons, 26 skimmers, and a handful of Kent Scrapers. Current Tank: Vortech Powered 600G SPS Tank w/ 100gal frag tank & 100g Sump. RK2-RK10 Skimmer. ReefAngel. Radium 20k.