Kalkwasser in the ATO reservoir

Chlorinated · Nov 10, 2020

92Miata said:
Oh, it's definitely handleable. I just find it easier to dose a flat amount and leave the TopOff out of the equation.

100% agree. Ive debated using AFR on a doser and calling it a day. I probably will eventually for my low demand tank (only using about 1/2 teaspoon/gallon) but for now this works.

chicago · Dec 1, 2020

I have a similar situation.. i have. Rectangular container with its own float valve that fills up and stops after it is full to the point that the float valve kicks in. I have the container sit on a magnetic stirrer and thus it stirs a few times a day.. my tank evaporates about 3 gallons a day. I dos with apex 2.5 gallons through out the day...

supernanoguy · Jan 3, 2021

Hey guys I have a similar question for this. I want to keep my alk and cal up without using a doser but by using my ato (5gal jug) I was unsure on the mixing ratio seeing as the directions are for dosing. Can I add 4grams to a 1 gallon top off jug, mix for 4 hours using power head then add that to the 5gal jug? Any help on mixing ratio in this situation would be great. #reefgang #reefhelp my system is mixed reef 8gal volume with a loss of alk at 10ppm / 2 days in the system. And my evaporation rate is around ~2 gals every week.

Daddy-o · Jan 3, 2021

Why would you mix with a powerhead for 4 hours??

cryptodendrum · Jan 3, 2021

hannernanner said:
Hi all,
I've been so excited about my upcoming build that Ive been binge watching BRS's "52 weeks of reefing" series. So much helpful info! One of the strategies suggested in that series is incorporating Kalkwasser into the ATO reservoir, instead of daily dosing of 2-part. This seems like a more hands off, great alternative. My question is, how do you keep the concentration of Kalkwasser in that reservoir consistent. Assuming you refill the reservoir before it's completely empty, if you add the same dose of Kalkwasser you did the time before, the concentration would be higher, no? Better to wait until the reservoir is drained completely? Or empty it between fillings? Just trying to figure out how this looks in practice.
Cheers!

I just wrote up another reply to a similar post, based on my 15 years of experience with a continuous feed Kalkwasser reactor. Summary take away: Kalk can be dosed as part of your ATO, but the amount of Kalk dosed should be consistent daily. To solve this, I have my aquarium controller (another DIY project) setup to dose a programmed and consistant amount of Kalk spread across 12 hours at night as a component of ATO, but during daytime (lights on) R.O. is dosed and makes up the final variable amount of evaporation water. You can see the screenshots of this and photos of my construction in this link to my 2 comments on a different post.

Large DIY Kalkwasser Reactor

Hello All, I am looking to switch to kalkwasser from 2 part. I have over 300g of water in the tank and found that I would currently need 1g of kalkwasser per day to maintain alk. I am monitoring alk and ph with a trident and apex to verify all is well. I plan to dose throughout the day to...

www.reef2reef.com

supernanoguy · Jan 3, 2021

Daddy-o said:
Why would you mix with a powerhead for 4 hours??

I assumed it was to ensure the powder was completely dissolved. Over kill I’m sure.

supernanoguy · Jan 3, 2021

cryptodendrum said:
I just wrote up another reply to a similar post, based on my 15 years of experience with a continuous feed Kalkwasser reactor. Summary take away: Kalk can be dosed as part of your ATO, but the amount of Kalk dosed should be consistent daily. To solve this, I have my aquarium controller (another DIY project) setup to dose a programmed and consistant amount of Kalk spread across 12 hours at night as a component of ATO, but during daytime (lights on) R.O. is dosed and makes up the final variable amount of evaporation water. You can see the screenshots of this and photos of my construction in this link to my 2 comments on a different post.

Large DIY Kalkwasser Reactor

Hello All, I am looking to switch to kalkwasser from 2 part. I have over 300g of water in the tank and found that I would currently need 1g of kalkwasser per day to maintain alk. I am monitoring alk and ph with a trident and apex to verify all is well. I plan to dose throughout the day to...

www.reef2reef.com

Thanks for the info, I like the idea. Just not the added equipment. I will end up buying a dosing system at some point but will continue to play around with my kalk ato ratios and keep consistent testing to find what works. I’ll update my build thread with findings.

Daddy-o · Jan 3, 2021

supernanoguy said:
I assumed it was to ensure the powder was completely dissolved. Over kill I’m sure.

Give it a quick mix and be done

cryptodendrum · Jan 4, 2021

Daddy-o said:
Give it a quick mix and be done

Yeah, I can't imagine why it would be desirable to mix with a powerhead for 4 hours. Even if you were using a saturated reactor like mine, all you have to accomplish is break up the slurry / sludge of undissolved Kalk so that it can dissolve into the water and saturate the water.

In my setup, immediately after recharging the reactor, I only run my pump for 2 minutes as an initial mix & it achieves pH 12.5+ almost immediately. For the first month of 3 months the recharge is good for, I don't even initiate daily mixing of the reactor. Instead, I opt for a 30second mix every 3 days for that first month. By month 2, daily 30 second mixes happen, and by 3 months, daily mixing happens for between 1-2 minutes - and that is it. I toyed with the idea of even super-saturating by adding vinegar but haven't found it's necessary.

nereefpat · Jan 4, 2021

supernanoguy said:
Hey guys I have a similar question for this. I want to keep my alk and cal up without using a doser but by using my ato (5gal jug) I was unsure on the mixing ratio seeing as the directions are for dosing. Can I add 4grams to a 1 gallon top off jug, mix for 4 hours using power head then add that to the 5gal jug? Any help on mixing ratio in this situation would be great. #reefgang #reefhelp my system is mixed reef 8gal volume with a loss of alk at 10ppm / 2 days in the system. And my evaporation rate is around ~2 gals every week.

I want to say that a teaspoon of dry CaOH is about 11 grams, if that helps.
You can dissolve as much as 2 teaspoons (20+ grams?) in a gallon of water.

So 4 grams in your 5 gallon jug will be pretty weak, but that's okay. Just try it and track your alk daily over a week and see how you need to adjust.

I agree that you just need to add the kalk to water and stir it / shake it up briefly. It dissolves fast. By over-stirring and over-aerating, you actually introduce CO2, and the solution becomes weaker.

supernanoguy · Jan 4, 2021

Than

nereefpat said:
I want to say that a teaspoon of dry CaOH is about 11 grams, if that helps.
You can dissolve as much as 2 teaspoons (20+ grams?) in a gallon of water.

So 4 grams in your 5 gallon jug will be pretty weak, but that's okay. Just try it and track your alk daily over a week and see how you need to adjust.

I agree that you just need to add the kalk to water and stir it / shake it up briefly. It dissolves fast. By over-stirring and over-aerating, you actually introduce CO2, and the solution becomes weaker.

Thanks for the replies. My corals are looking much happier since I introduced the kalk ato. Will update on my build thread as the ato gets used.

shred5 · Jan 4, 2021

kev.2013 said:
My 2 cents.

Evaporation will not always be the same, so the amount of kalk can change depending on how much your ATO is triggered.

Additionally, having kalk in the ATO can mess up with the pump - so I’ve read.

I’d recommend just shelling out $50 for a doser.

I agree.. Add kalk to a reactor and use a dosing pump or a timer. This way it is consistent.
Kalk in the ATO container reduces the life of the pumps and makes a mess and more work.

Also Kalk is not for everyone. It has extremely high PH and can push some systems over the edge. It is great on systems with low PH and needs to get the PH up.