A step back, a step forward: Kalkwasser dosing

[jeremy.gosnell]

jeremy.gosnell submitted a new Article:

A step back, a step forward: Kalkwasser dosign

​

All images have been taken from public domain sources and used here under fair source guidelines, as they best illustrate the subject matter.

If you just started keeping a reef aquarium in the past two or three years, chances are you’ve heard about kalkwasser, much in the same way that you’ve heard about wet/dry filters. In an age of two-part additives, advanced automatic dosers and high tech calcium reactors, kalkwasser might...

Read more about this article here...

 

[revhtree]

Well done sir, well done!

 

[jason2459]

I disagree a stirrer is more efficient then a still water reservoir. I do see a place for stirrers/reactors though in some setups.

 

[SaltyGroves]

Nice article! @jeremy.gosnell I just added a bit of BRS kalk to my ATO resivior to help out the coraline I see coming around and I have some mushrooms, GSP, and some Xenia. I don't do water changes but once a month because I have only a fire shrimp in there right now after my clowns died while on vacation (peace be upon them) I have had my tank going for about 7 months. 20 gallon and the ato cuts on frequently for very short intervals. Super low demand tank.

I wonder if I should put a tiny circulation pump in my ATO resivior and set the apex Jr to make it cut on a few times a day to stir up the limewater?

 

[jason2459]

I would suggest reading the articles under the Limewater section in this thread with articles by Randy Holmes-Farley

http://reef2reef.com/threads/randys-reef-chemistry-articles.174821/

Particularly the first one listed there
What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm

 

[Blue Lip]

Great article! I am in the process of setting one up. It has been a long process due mostly to funds. I have an Avast Marine K2 kalkwasser stirrer. I bought an Avast Marine dosing pump and their ATO. I had planned on adding kalkwasser through the top off method. I decided not to go that route because I have a big skimmer. I use a 5 gallon bucket for waste collection. If my skimmer goes nuts then I could have up to 5 gallons kalkwasser being added. I purchased the Vertex Cerebra so I could have the pump on a timer and if the pH is to high, have the receptacle turn off. I purchased my Cerebra from Bulk Reef Supply. They didn't have the Vertex double junction probe in stock. I will purchase one from them when they become available. The Cerebra has a known bug that Vertex is trying to fix. Receptacles can't be programmed for less than a minute. I would like to have kalkwasser added multiple times a day and run for seconds not minutes so I must continue to be patient until Vertex fixes the bug and Bulk Reef Supply gets Vertex probes in stock.

 

[RudyB]

I have used Kalk for over ten years as a drip. Having to match my evaporation rate to the drip. For the last year I installed a Tunze 5074 to my Tunze ATO and it has been working great. I have a 150g mixed reef and the Kalk is keeping up with the demand as I am supplying kalk with the demand of evaporation. I have had to make only minor adjustments to levels and that was when I was doing water changes. I am now trying out "no water changes" and just supplement everything as needed. So far so good. At almost 5 months without a water change with everything growing at a faster rate than ever before. I say it is working great. Thank you for the article. We will just overlook a couple of inconsistencies in chemistry.

 

[buzzword]

Kalk is the only thing I use. Been using it since 2004 when I used to drip it in over night with a 2.5g bucket and IV tubing. Now I use a Kalk King and love it. Has a pH probe and controller, 2 pumps one to feed Kalk stirrer and other to just pump RO from ATO when pH reaches 8.3.

 

[john.m.cole3]

I have used Kalk for over ten years as a drip. Having to match my evaporation rate to the drip. For the last year I installed a Tunze 5074 to my Tunze ATO and it has been working great. I have a 150g mixed reef and the Kalk is keeping up with the demand as I am supplying kalk with the demand of evaporation. I have had to make only minor adjustments to levels and that was when I was doing water changes. I am now trying out "no water changes" and just supplement everything as needed. So far so good. At almost 5 months without a water change with everything growing at a faster rate than ever before. I say it is working great. Thank you for the article. We will just overlook a couple of inconsistencies in chemistry.

Hey Rudy, I also have the tunze 5074 hooked up to the 3155. How do you make adjustments to maintain a certain alk. Mine slowly creeps up over a week. Also, how long do you wait to turn your ATO back on after topping off your 5074?

 

[Waterjockey]

A couple of comments. Kalk mixed in an ATO reservoir doesn't quickly lose it's "potency". My reservoir holds a little over a months' supply of Kalkwasser at average evaporation rates and it holds my alk pretty stable all the way along. Along with the "skin" that forms on the surface, and a cover on the container, very little CO2 exchange happens once the skin forms.
There is nothing simpler than adding 'x' amount of kalk to the container, filling with D.I. water, stirring for 5 minutes...then forget about it for another month. RHF mentions in his article about testing the "potency" of his Kalkwasser after a months time in one of his articles, and found very little loss..which is, in part, why I designed my ato reservoir to the size it is.
My other comment is about dosing based on PH. For many reef keepers, this would likely mean they are dosing primarily only during lights out (nighttime). Would this not mean a larger alk swing throughout a 24 hour period, than simply dosing via top-off? My ato kicks on somewhere around 8 to 14 times a day, adding small amounts of kalk throughout the day and night, providing a pretty stable alk reading no matter if I test in the morning, or evening.(I do have a cut off and alarm programmed in if my sump PH rises above a preset value..but that is not controlling via PH so to speak)
I fail to see the advantage of increasing the complexity of adding additional equipment and controls to something as basic, and critical as maintaining alk and calcium in our reefs. (Caveat being if Kalkwasser alone is enough to meet your demand, obviously those with high demands require the additional complexity of dosing multi-part solutions).

 

[bif24701]

A couple of comments. Kalk mixed in an ATO reservoir doesn't quickly lose it's "potency". My reservoir holds a little over a months' supply of Kalkwasser at average evaporation rates and it holds my alk pretty stable all the way along. Along with the "skin" that forms on the surface, and a cover on the container, very little CO2 exchange happens once the skin forms.
There is nothing simpler than adding 'x' amount of kalk to the container, filling with D.I. water, stirring for 5 minutes...then forget about it for another month. RHF mentions in his article about testing the "potency" of his Kalkwasser after a months time in one of his articles, and found very little loss..which is, in part, why I designed my ato reservoir to the size it is.
My other comment is about dosing based on PH. For many reef keepers, this would likely mean they are dosing primarily only during lights out (nighttime). Would this not mean a larger alk swing throughout a 24 hour period, than simply dosing via top-off? My ato kicks on somewhere around 8 to 14 times a day, adding small amounts of kalk throughout the day and night, providing a pretty stable alk reading no matter if I test in the morning, or evening.(I do have a cut off and alarm programmed in if my sump PH rises above a preset value..but that is not controlling via PH so to speak)
I fail to see the advantage of increasing the complexity of adding additional equipment and controls to something as basic, and critical as maintaining alk and calcium in our reefs. (Caveat being if Kalkwasser alone is enough to meet your demand, obviously those with high demands require the additional complexity of dosing multi-part solutions).

Waterjockey, you hit just about every point I wanted to make. You are correct, my 32 Brute reservoir does not lose any potency. With out any ego I feel I have the best Kalk system. Its very very simple, effective, and nearly fail safe. There are few components to fail.

My system for Kalk additions:
BRS 50ml doser
32 gallon Brute reservoir
Apex (for control and programming)

That's it!!!!!

How it works:

The 50ml doser is programmed to turn on for 4 min every half hour via my APEX relay socket. The doser adds the Kalk directly to the sump. I have a Vertex magnetic line holder at the bottom of my reservoir that holds the intake tube and I can adjust it so that it is above the kalk settlement. I was easily able to determine the time my pump needed to run with in just a few days. If I found that salinity was going up or down I could adjust the time. I do NOT adjust the time to pH or ALK! Only salinity. If there is a change in evaporation and I need to adjust there is no big hurry as any direr change to water chemistry would take weeks, so I can make corrections before there is any problem. If I need more ALK/Cal I can improve the Kalk concentration by adding vinegar. If you need a weaker kalk then add less kalk.

My system is only a year old but due the my Kalk system it has been extremely stable and with all the SPS I have I still haven't needed any thing but KALK.

 

[Waterjockey]

I have since changed the method I dose kalk since that post....to virtually the same method you described. I mix a batch of "full strength" kalk (with vinegar), and set my 50ml doser to run every 30 minutes as well. My resevoir is bigger again, prividing about 2 months worth. My ato makes up any difference in evaporation. I just check my dkH every week or so and it remains very steady...rarely do I make an adjustment. I changed methods to seek the "ultimate" alk stability with an eye to trying a frag or two sps for first time in such a small tank. I agree, dead simple and rock stable.

 

[bif24701]

I have since changed the method I dose kalk since that post....to virtually the same method you described. I mix a batch of "full strength" kalk (with vinegar), and set my 50ml doser to run every 30 minutes as well. My resevoir is bigger again, prividing about 2 months worth. My ato makes up any difference in evaporation. I just check my dkH every week or so and it remains very steady...rarely do I make an adjustment. I changed methods to seek the "ultimate" alk stability with an eye to trying a frag or two sps for first time in such a small tank. I agree, dead simple and rock stable.

Nice! What works works.
For ROCK steady ALK I would say we found it! I don't think my ALK have been anything but 10-11 for the last 10 month.

 

[jason2459]

I also like separating my limewater dosing from my ATO and dose 1 second every minute 24/7 with a 250ml/m spectrapure standalone peristaltic pump.

Which is under my evap rate year round. I still also run an ATO with rodi water as my evaporation rate varies greatly pending on time of year and weather.

Helps keep alk and salinity steady and still very easy with little thought put into it to maintain.

 

[bif24701]

I also like separating my limewater dosing from my ATO and dose 1 second every minute 24/7 with a 250ml/m spectrapure standalone peristaltic pump.

Which is under my evap rate year round. I still also run an ATO with rodi water as my evaporation rate varies greatly pending on time of year and weather.

Helps keep alk and salinity steady and still very easy with little thought put into it to maintain.

That's another great way to do Kalk when adding it doesn't match your evaporation rate. Ensures that your ALK is steady 24/7 because it's added in a consistent way.