Kalkwasser / Big container / Need to stir?

[iTread]

Hi,

I have been using Kalkwasser for a while and like it. I recently purchased a large tank and now keep my Kalkwasser in a 20 gallon bin ( I was getting sick of replacing it as I go through a lot). Still figuring out my actual consumption, but I get at least a week without having to replace it (much longer than before). So...do I need to have it stirred occassionaly? Or will it maintain it's saturation level for a long time?

 

[dieselkeeper]

I read some where mixing the kalk with vinegar leaves no kalk on the bottom to stir. But will the small amount of vinegar in lets say 10 gallons of top off, be consider carbon dosing.

 

[iTread]

Yes, I did that for a while, but then I had a cyanobacteria breakout which I attributed to the vinegar/carbon. I stopped, it went away after a month (1 dose of chemiclean).

 

[DangerDave]

A stirrer made my life with kalk a breeze. I would recommend it, very easy, low maintenance. Good luck!

 

[Roy Arena]

Just put a cover over the container after mixing kalk solution. It doesn't need to be air tight because a crust will form on the surface to provide a barrier for CO2 entering the solution. It will remain saturated without any mixing.

 

[BeejReef]

I second Roy Arena

People sometimes confuse a kalk stirrer and a kalk reservoir. The stirrer intakes pure RODI and gently saturates it with Kalk so the effluent is fully saturated kalkwasser. The stirring needs to happen in that context.

If you're simply using a separate reservoir and a dosing pump (as I also do, and can't understand why more don't.. lol) you don't want to stir it at all, aside from the initial mix. Doing so will just reduce it's potency and cause more of it to precip out to the bottom of your reservoir.

6g blue recycling bucket here. Works like a charm.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I agree. Do not stir a reservoir after initial mixing. Keep it closed and unstirred. I did that from a 120 gallon reservoir formed from 3 brute cans plumbed together.

 

[Apotack]

How much mixing is required? I add the required amount to my top off and mix just by adding ro until full. Am I good?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It can take some decent mixing for a few minutes. Just dribbling in ro won’t do it. Stirring overnight is also ok, but then I’d stop.

 

[Apotack]

The ro is pumped in from a a strong pump (mag 12 I think) takes a few minutes to fill 10 gallon container

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The ro is pumped in from a a strong pump (mag 12 I think) takes a few minutes to fill 10 gallon container

Won’t be enough, I think. I typically watched the conductivity rise as I mixed limewater and it takes minutes of decent stirring.

 

[Apotack]

Ok thanks !

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You’re welcome.

Happy Reefing.