Is dosing kalk this way safe???

[Sakosreef]

Hi everyone, I've got a kalk question. I want to eventually get a kalk stirer but it's out of my budget at the moment but I want to start dosing kalk because I dose 2 part and it's expensive, also my ph peaks at 8.1 but is not very stable so I want to get my average ph higher. Could I take some kalk, mix it in a 5 gallon jug and just dose it to my tank via a dosing pump? I plan an dosing less than what my evap is and have my ato still kick on and fine tune my alk/calcium levels via small amounts of 2 part dosing. Kalk scares me so I want to start off slow, please let me know what I should watch out for and if you've done it this way, please tell me how you did it.

 

[mdb_talon]

You can but ideally want the kalk mixed multiple times a day and want a sealed container.

 

[Sakosreef]

You can but ideally want the kalk mixed multiple times a day and want a sealed container.

Do you know what would happen if I just mixed it up once until it fully dissolved and dosed it out of a sealed container? What issues might I run into by not having it mix every so often?

 

[mdb_talon]

Do you know what would happen if I just mixed it up once until it fully dissolved and dosed it out of a sealed container? What issues might I run into by not having it mix every so often?

Well to be honest i have seen recommendations go both ways(mix frequently or only mix once). I am not currently using kalk but when i did in the past i found frequently mixing gave me more consistent results. Would look for input from others though.

 

[Sakosreef]

Well to be honest i have seen recommendations go both ways(mix frequently or only mix once). I am not currently using kalk but when i did in the past i found frequently mixing gave me more consistent results. Would look for input from others though.

I don't plan on using kalk to completely cut out 2 part dosing but I want kalk to handle the bulk of my tanks demands. I think I'll start off this way until I can get a stirrer, I appreciate the tips and info. Is there anything else you think I should be mindful of?

 

[Garf]

Hi everyone, I've got a kalk question. I want to eventually get a kalk stirer but it's out of my budget at the moment but I want to start dosing kalk because I dose 2 part and it's expensive, also my ph peaks at 8.1 but is not very stable so I want to get my average ph higher. Could I take some kalk, mix it in a 5 gallon jug and just dose it to my tank via a dosing pump? I plan an dosing less than what my evap is and have my ato still kick on and fine tune my alk/calcium levels via small amounts of 2 part dosing. Kalk scares me so I want to start off slow, please let me know what I should watch out for and if you've done it this way, please tell me how you did it.

That’s how I’ve done it, for ages. Keep the reservoir lower than your dosing line, just in case. No need for a stirrer. I only keep a few days worth available to the pump but I mix up a couple of weeks worth at a time and top the reservoir up with that. Now I only dose it at night.

 

[Sakosreef]

That’s how I’ve done it, for ages. Keep the reservoir lower than your dosing line, just in case. No need for a stirrer. I only keep a few days worth available to the pump but I mix up a couple of weeks worth at a time and top the reservoir up with that. Now I only dose it at night.

This may be a very stupid question but can you elaborate on what you mean by "keep the reservoir lower than the dosing line"?

 

[mdb_talon]

I don't plan on using kalk to completely cut out 2 part dosing but I want kalk to handle the bulk of my tanks demands. I think I'll start off this way until I can get a stirrer, I appreciate the tips and info. Is there anything else you think I should be mindful of?

I think the only other thing to keep in mind is make sure you are not dosing too much at once and in a high flow area. Thats pretty similar to 2-part though so i am sure nothing you dont know. Otherwise i would consider it pretty easy.

 

[Sakosreef]

I think the only other thing to keep in mind is make sure you are not dosing too much at once and in a high flow area. Thats pretty similar to 2-part though so i am sure nothing you dont know. Otherwise i would consider it pretty easy.

I'll dose it in my return pump chamber so everything stays moving. I was thinking of dosing rodi/kalk mix at a rate of half a gallon a day to start, maybe even 1/4 of a gallon to start and just spacing that out as much as I can, probably will just divide the amount im dosing into as many increments as I can so it doesn't dose too much at once. How does that sound?

 

[Garf]

This may be a very stupid question but can you elaborate on what you mean by "keep the reservoir lower than the dosing line"?

Yeah, that wasn’t clear at all. Make sure kalk liquid cannot syphon into your tank, and so your tank can’t syphon into the kalk. Don’t know if that makes sense now, just finished a 12 night shift, lol

 

[Sakosreef]

Yeah, that wasn’t clear at all. Make sure kalk liquid cannot syphon into your tank, and so your tank can’t syphon into the kalk. Don’t know if that makes sense now, just finished a 12 night shift, lol

Oh I completely understand now! No worries I appreciate the help. Enjoy the rest of your day/night.

 

[mdb_talon]

I'll dose it in my return pump chamber so everything stays moving. I was thinking of dosing rodi/kalk mix at a rate of half a gallon a day to start, maybe even 1/4 of a gallon to start and just spacing that out as much as I can, probably will just divide the amount im dosing into as many increments as I can so it doesn't dose too much at once. How does that sound?

Sounds like that should work just fine based off the details you shared. Based of your earlier comments that is less than the evap rate which can sometimes be a concern with kalk. Otherwise it just making sure you not sending your alk level too high but i am sure you have done the math to determine how much you need to cut back on 2-part when you start this.

Let us know how it goes. i switched away from kalk when i needed more than evap allowed, but I am actually planning to start kalk again soon myself. My ph is plenty high during day but going to switch to kalk at night hoping to stablilize the ph a bit and keeping a nighttime ph higher. Not really sure it makes a big difference but looking to find out....

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Do you know what would happen if I just mixed it up once until it fully dissolved and dosed it out of a sealed container? What issues might I run into by not having it mix every so often?

That's preferred, IMO. Mixing is neither useful nor desirable in a reservoir.

 

[nereefpat]

Mixing up limewater and delivering with a doser is a great way to do it. It seems like many people that want to get into kalk think a stirrer is necessary...It isn't.

 

[dwest]

I would also 100% recommend wearing a mask so you don’t breath the dust.