ReefCheef
Active Member
The re-emergence of kalk in the hobby due to its ability to buffer pH has got me looking everywhere for one that looks like it will work effectively and consistently. Unfortunately, with these devices there does not seem to be a clear "best in show" product like you have with a Royal Exclusiv Dreambox Sump or an Abyzz return pump. As far as I can gather, there appears to be several good options, with a couple borderline great ones. That said, they all take slightly different approaches to keeping the kalk saturated.
In my experience with aquariums, there seem to be two hobby grade varieties in all products. Toy grade stuff like you find at Petco/Petsmart and the like, and more high end components like you'll find on BRS and Coralvue etc. I am only interested in the higher end products where people are only concerned with making the best product possible. The cost is a nonfactor for this thread. I am in the hobby knowing fully that it is expensive. The amount we spend on corals (and even fish nowadays) is crazy expensive, so spending an extra $100 or $200 on a piece of kit that is going to last twice as long as a cheaper alternative is worth its weight in gold to me for the piece of mind. After 15 years in the hobby I prefer to plan things out in advance, develop budgets, and buy things I'm after when I see they go on sale. I find that more effective than bargain shopping for pieces I need as I determine I need them and buying something on a whim that turns out to be snakeoil or fails in 2 months. With this new system I'm buying all tried and true products and as such, lets bring it back to the kalk stirrers.
My two favorite ones I have come across so far are the Deltec and MRC options.
Deltec: https://deltecdirectusa.com/products/deltec-km500-kalwasser-stirrers
MRC: https://www.mrcamerica.com/nilsen-kalk-reactors/
I'm leaning more toward the Deltec as it is quieter and looks as though it had more thought put into it. The MRC appears to be the best version of a plastic tube with a pump attached to it. This will be my first time ever implementing a stirrer/reactor. Is there a significant advantage to stirring vs mixing via pump? Is the pump version better? It definitely seems like the pump will mix it better, but perhaps will overmix it? And I'd imagine the pump will definitely fail before the stirrer and also require more maintenance.
Is there a better version of stirrer I am not seeing? It seems like there's room in the market for someone to make an exceptional one of these. Not to mention, the one's I'm seriously looking at seem a bit overpriced for what you're getting. We need BRS to use their new superpowers of extreme wealth Batman style to plug holes in the hobby like this one. I'm hoping they do that in the years to come.
As for now, who makes the best Kalk reactor/stirrer?
All of the above is my random stream of consciousness. Not looking to put anyone down or argue over petty nonrelated things. Looking to be a source for the Best Kalk Stirrer on this site so when people search for it like I did, something useful actually comes up!
Cheers,
ReefCheef
In my experience with aquariums, there seem to be two hobby grade varieties in all products. Toy grade stuff like you find at Petco/Petsmart and the like, and more high end components like you'll find on BRS and Coralvue etc. I am only interested in the higher end products where people are only concerned with making the best product possible. The cost is a nonfactor for this thread. I am in the hobby knowing fully that it is expensive. The amount we spend on corals (and even fish nowadays) is crazy expensive, so spending an extra $100 or $200 on a piece of kit that is going to last twice as long as a cheaper alternative is worth its weight in gold to me for the piece of mind. After 15 years in the hobby I prefer to plan things out in advance, develop budgets, and buy things I'm after when I see they go on sale. I find that more effective than bargain shopping for pieces I need as I determine I need them and buying something on a whim that turns out to be snakeoil or fails in 2 months. With this new system I'm buying all tried and true products and as such, lets bring it back to the kalk stirrers.
My two favorite ones I have come across so far are the Deltec and MRC options.
Deltec: https://deltecdirectusa.com/products/deltec-km500-kalwasser-stirrers
MRC: https://www.mrcamerica.com/nilsen-kalk-reactors/
I'm leaning more toward the Deltec as it is quieter and looks as though it had more thought put into it. The MRC appears to be the best version of a plastic tube with a pump attached to it. This will be my first time ever implementing a stirrer/reactor. Is there a significant advantage to stirring vs mixing via pump? Is the pump version better? It definitely seems like the pump will mix it better, but perhaps will overmix it? And I'd imagine the pump will definitely fail before the stirrer and also require more maintenance.
Is there a better version of stirrer I am not seeing? It seems like there's room in the market for someone to make an exceptional one of these. Not to mention, the one's I'm seriously looking at seem a bit overpriced for what you're getting. We need BRS to use their new superpowers of extreme wealth Batman style to plug holes in the hobby like this one. I'm hoping they do that in the years to come.
As for now, who makes the best Kalk reactor/stirrer?
All of the above is my random stream of consciousness. Not looking to put anyone down or argue over petty nonrelated things. Looking to be a source for the Best Kalk Stirrer on this site so when people search for it like I did, something useful actually comes up!
Cheers,
ReefCheef
It can't really be air tight or occlusion will occur, so how much it helps is negligible. As long as it's only stirred once and then left still it remains potent. A crust forms on the surface somewhat sealing it off.
