Basic - Dosing Kalkwasser Questions

noj3333 · 01/19/2015, 08:26 PM

I’m planning on starting my kalkwasser dosing in the next week and I just wanted to ask a few questions before I get things up and running.
I have an autotopoff.com ATO. I would like to put this on a simple rotary timer, running only during the night. Would this have a negative impact on the life of the ATO? I would like to run it during the middle of the night. Maybe 1am-2am. I know this may allow the water levels to be a little less stable. But I believe dosing kalk in the night will be better (in regards to ph levels). Am I correct here?

I don’t have a drip style pump. I purchased a chepo pump from ATO.com when I bought the ATO. Right now my daily top off/ kalk addition would probably be dosed in a matter of 30 seconds, or less. I could adjust this pump down a little I’m sure, maybe spreading that 30 second does over 5-10 minutes but I doubt I can get the pump to run much slower while maintaining a reliable pump. Is this 30 second super does of ATO/ kalk a serious issue (in regards to a possible ph spike)? Should I get a Tom’s aqua lifter, or should my current system be ok?

Thanks!

whosurcaddie · 01/19/2015, 08:48 PM

Yeah a full dose of kalk in 30 seconds is a no no. I see no problem with running it at night. It will counteract the ph drop. Depending on your setup the salinity swing from a single day of evap isn't a big deal. Now if you have fans running to cool your water from the heat of halides and your evaporating 5 gallons a day then it would be a problem.

noj3333 · 01/19/2015, 08:55 PM

What would an acceptable time line be for dosing kalk? I have a 60g total tank volume, and it appears that I use maybe 3/4 gallon of water a day.

Mcgeezer · 01/19/2015, 09:03 PM

My tank is 70 gal with maybe 10 gal or less in the sump.

I have a jbj auto top off. It runs every 90 min or so....maybe puts a cup of limewater in the tank and the pump is on maybe 6-7 seconds tops.

It's important to have a very low flow pump (25-30 gph) so as not to dump a ton of kalk in at once. You can find cheap pumps on amazon for like $9.99 shipped.

Calcium stays at 420-440, Dkh at 9 and Mg at 1380. pH is almost always 8.4

If your cheap ATO is going to run for 30 seconds, DONT run kalk thru it. You can kill everything in your tank. Use an aqua lifter with a dedicated jug for limewater or a more reliable ATO

01/19/2015, 08:26 PM	#1
noj3333 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Albany, New York Posts: 235	Basic - Dosing Kalkwasser Questions I’m planning on starting my kalkwasser dosing in the next week and I just wanted to ask a few questions before I get things up and running. I have an autotopoff.com ATO. I would like to put this on a simple rotary timer, running only during the night. Would this have a negative impact on the life of the ATO? I would like to run it during the middle of the night. Maybe 1am-2am. I know this may allow the water levels to be a little less stable. But I believe dosing kalk in the night will be better (in regards to ph levels). Am I correct here? I don’t have a drip style pump. I purchased a chepo pump from ATO.com when I bought the ATO. Right now my daily top off/ kalk addition would probably be dosed in a matter of 30 seconds, or less. I could adjust this pump down a little I’m sure, maybe spreading that 30 second does over 5-10 minutes but I doubt I can get the pump to run much slower while maintaining a reliable pump. Is this 30 second super does of ATO/ kalk a serious issue (in regards to a possible ph spike)? Should I get a Tom’s aqua lifter, or should my current system be ok? Thanks!

01/19/2015, 08:48 PM	#2
whosurcaddie Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 2,354	Yeah a full dose of kalk in 30 seconds is a no no. I see no problem with running it at night. It will counteract the ph drop. Depending on your setup the salinity swing from a single day of evap isn't a big deal. Now if you have fans running to cool your water from the heat of halides and your evaporating 5 gallons a day then it would be a problem.

01/19/2015, 08:55 PM	#3
noj3333 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Albany, New York Posts: 235	What would an acceptable time line be for dosing kalk? I have a 60g total tank volume, and it appears that I use maybe 3/4 gallon of water a day.

01/19/2015, 09:03 PM	#4
Mcgeezer Reef gardener Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: DeLand, Florida Posts: 1,205	My tank is 70 gal with maybe 10 gal or less in the sump. I have a jbj auto top off. It runs every 90 min or so....maybe puts a cup of limewater in the tank and the pump is on maybe 6-7 seconds tops. It's important to have a very low flow pump (25-30 gph) so as not to dump a ton of kalk in at once. You can find cheap pumps on amazon for like $9.99 shipped. Calcium stays at 420-440, Dkh at 9 and Mg at 1380. pH is almost always 8.4 If your cheap ATO is going to run for 30 seconds, DONT run kalk thru it. You can kill everything in your tank. Use an aqua lifter with a dedicated jug for limewater or a more reliable ATO