Need Kalk Top Up System Suggestions

[ron101]

I am at the point where I want to automate my evaporation top up (and maybe even additive dosing). I have done some basic research and it seems that there are a couple ways to do it. First is to get a 'controller' like the one from JBJ or a Tunze Osmolator and use some third party pump or powerhead:
http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/s...t_ID=JBJ-AUTOT
http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/s...D=tz-osmolator

Could these systems be used with a kalk reservoir? Won't the pump burn out? In what increments do these systems work - would they add too much kalk at once?

The other alternative is to use a dosing system with a periastaltic pump like those from aqua-medic or liter meter
http://oceanaquatics.com/store/produ...-Dosing-Pumps/
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_Aquari...itermeter.html

Obviously these are more expensive but would they be better?

Alternatively I could look into a kalk reactor but atm I need to use vinegar to maximize calcium addition and I am not sure if it is viable. Could I just spike the make up reservoir with some vinegar so that it runs through the stirrer? Lastly how reliable are kalk reactors/stirrers?

Thanks in advance.

[mark]

I know there's people fearful of the humidifier style floats for ATO but if one could get over them (and how many people have had their house flooded by their furnace humidifier anyways), could a simple float valve be placed in the sump and connected to a kalk reservoir?

[mr_alberta]

You can use a float valve with Kalk, but be prepared to clean the float valve, at minimum, weekly. The kalk dries and forms a crust which doesn't allow the valve to seal properly (if at all at times).

[Samw]

I have my osmolator feed my top-off water to my kalk reactor and then into the tank. I put a check valve between the reactor and the pump so that when the pump is off, the water from the kalk reactor does not back up into my water reservoir.

If you don't want to use a kalk reactor, you could use a kalk container like the one that Tunze sells in place of the reactor.

[fkshiu]

I use a phosban reactor placed after the tunze osmolator much like how tunze recommends using its calcium dispenser. Works great for what it is.

[untamed]

If you are thinking about adding vinegar to the Kalk in order to get MORE out of Kalk, I suggest it is time to be looking at a Ca Reactor. If you are already max'd out on saturated Kalk, it won't be too long before you are max'd out on super-saturated-vinegar Kalk too.

IMO, Kalk reactors/stirrers are most useful in that they allow you to pump FW in, and get Kalk out. In this way, your osmolator pump doesn't have to pump Kalk so it doesn't get that wear you were concerned about. Any Kalk container will do the same thing, provided that you can get a pressure seal. I don't think the actual mixing aspect of the Kalk reactors is as important.

Remember that evaporation changes day to day. If Kalk is your only Ca/Alk replacement and it goes in based on evaporation, then the amount of kalk you add changes every day...then you will have more trouble keeping Ca/Alk really steady.

[Jason McK]

Originally Posted by Samw

I have my osmolator feed my top-off water to my kalk reactor and then into the tank. I put a check valve between the reactor and the pump so that when the pump is off, the water from the kalk reactor does not back up into my water reservoir.

If you don't want to use a kalk reactor, you could use a kalk container like the one that Tunze sells in place of the reactor.

I use the exact same system and love it

J

[ron101]

Tank is 90 gallon soft and lps coral tank and will stay that way. Compared to what other reefers dose, my tank seems to have high Ca and Alk demands. Magnesium might be low and I have been meaning to measure it but Mg kits have been backordered at J&L for some time (time for a visit to a different store or mail order).

I do use DIY 2-part additives to make up shortfalls. As cost effective as they are I find that for my demands that they skew salinity levels more than I would like.

Given my livestock I shouldn't need to go to a Ca reactor but it is another option but probably the one with the biggest ticket.

[ron101]

Originally Posted by Samw

I have my osmolator feed my top-off water to my kalk reactor and then into the tank. I put a check valve between the reactor and the pump so that when the pump is off, the water from the kalk reactor does not back up into my water reservoir.

If you don't want to use a kalk reactor, you could use a kalk container like the one that Tunze sells in place of the reactor.

Hey Sam, some questions for you:

- So is all your top up water then kalkwasser?
- Do you have to dose anything else to make up Ca/Alk shortfalls?
- What type of reactor do you have - satisfied?
- Does the osmolator make frequent small top ups or infrequent larger ones?

[Samw]

Originally Posted by ron101

Hey Sam, some questions for you:

- So is all your top up water then kalkwasser?
- Do you have to dose anything else to make up Ca/Alk shortfalls?
- What type of reactor do you have - satisfied?
- Does the osmolator make frequent small top ups or infrequent larger ones?

Hi Ron.

Yes, almost all of my top-off water goes through the kalk reactor. I've tee'd the line from the pump such that a small amount of water bypasses the reactor and goes straight into the tank (This is in case the line from the reactor gets clogged some day from the kalk, then I would still be able to get the tank topped up).

In the last 6 months, I also added Aragamight and Seachem Reef Builder to the tank. I've noticed improvements in my Acros since then.

I have the Ocean Aquatics kalk reactor. Its quite good.

The osmolator kicks in a few times a day for a couple of minutes. I have a small tank. If the tank was larger, the evap would be more and I guess it would kick in more often.