yauger October 5, 2007 Share October 5, 2007 would running the kalk reactor through you auto top off the best solution? what if you have a small nano? say around 35 gallons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC October 5, 2007 Share October 5, 2007 OK, you've beaten me down, back to where I was when I was posting If your only response to my postings containing articles and threads with contrary opinions is 'because I said so', then there really is nothing left to discuss. I"ll suggest you try a reactor, then comment on your findings. Should only take about 30 days. Not a delivery method issue, it's a potency issue. reactors rock. Plus if your on top of things and routinely exchanging enough water, your info is skewed as most if not all "low demand" tanks can "get by" with just that and a simple kalk vat. No way for high demand. You might not even really need kalk. I don't want or need a reactor, I'd have one if I did. This isn't about my tank or me even. It's about your statement that kalk degrades, and again, I'm not going to keep posting links to contrary data and opinions if you keep coming back to how you've done it for ten years and experienced reefrers know better. Maybe you want to read "what your "mother" never told you about limewater" since some info is considered out dated by many experienced, true tested, hobbiests. What you really mean is people that agree with you. Here's a goody for fumming, you'll be hard pressed to get much more than an 1/8 tsp kalk to dissolve and REMAIN in solution after 24hrs. The rest falls out of solution, until remixed. Why do we add more? because in a reactor enviornment, we are consistantly stiring, blending it, therefore keeping a much more potent supply available for addition. This is not nearly as possible with a simple kalk vat as it will create calcium carbonate which is useless for our intentions here. Nah - the articles you say are outdated that I posted use science to disprove the calcium carbonate thing quite clearly. Of course agitated and oversaturated kalk water will put more kalk in the tank. jp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yauger October 5, 2007 Share October 5, 2007 JP & CHIP hit the pause button on your debate.... TIME OUT! please help me out before going head to head about kalk.... please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC October 5, 2007 Share October 5, 2007 you know I love ya Yauger. Is it too late to say that a stirrer on a 35gal is probably overkill, or are you asking about how to set up a stirrer you already bought for your 35? You plumb it inline with your ATO, either tripped by float switch or timer - I've seen both. Fresh TO water goes into the sealed stirrer and forces out kalk-saturated water into your sump. Dan has good directions on his site. Be careful to not bomb your tank with too much of the kalk water. http://greyseasaquatics.com/files/Setup_in...er_Reactor3.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yauger October 5, 2007 Share October 5, 2007 you know I love ya Yauger. Is it too late to say that a stirrer on a 35gal is probably overkill, or are you asking about how to set up a stirrer you already bought for your 35? You plumb it inline with your ATO, either tripped by float switch or timer - I've seen both. Fresh TO water goes into the sealed stirrer and forces out kalk-saturated water into your sump. Dan has good directions on his site. Be careful to not bomb your tank with too much of the kalk water. http://greyseasaquatics.com/files/Setup_in...er_Reactor3.pdf I have a kalk reactor on my system but I have it connected to a aqua lifter with a timer pushing kalk 4 times a day for only one minute each time... my question is would it be better for me to run my reactor through my auto top off or should I leave it as is....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC October 5, 2007 Share October 5, 2007 gotcha - well, I guess you would start by pumping into a container so you could measure how much you were adding daily, and then compare that to how much you evaporate. Do you see your alk\calcium stay steady where you want it or decline over time? Plenty of folks do the aqualifter\timer thing. By running inline with your ATO you are dosing kalk with all of your TO, which may be too much, or may be just right. All of my TO is kalk water but for me it is all about automation and convenience - I only have to mix and load buffer and TO once every 10 days or so. keep it comin' jp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yauger October 5, 2007 Share October 5, 2007 gotcha - well, I guess you would start by pumping into a container so you could measure how much you were adding daily, and then compare that to how much you evaporate. Do you see your alk\calcium stay steady where you want it or decline over time? Plenty of folks do the aqualifter\timer thing. By running inline with your ATO you are dosing kalk with all of your TO, which may be too much, or may be just right. All of my TO is kalk water but for me it is all about automation and convenience - I only have to mix and load buffer and TO once every 10 days or so. keep it comin' jp I guess I can dose into a container starting tonight and measure how much is added daily. I will test my water for ALK and calc tonight also and see how much drops in a 24 hour period... I believe on any given day I evap around a gallon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandy7200 October 5, 2007 Share October 5, 2007 IME, Chip is dead on. You just gotta see it to believe it. A bucket is good and works for many people. It is a great "intro to kalk" a reactor however provides the most potent mix. When we say potent we are not just talking about what a meter can read. Kalk has magical powers, not even Chip or Randy can explain all of it's benefits, these powers cannot be fully realized without mixing in a reactor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yauger October 5, 2007 Share October 5, 2007 IME, Chip is dead on. You just gotta see it to believe it. A bucket is good and works for many people. It is a great "intro to kalk" a reactor however provides the most potent mix. When we say potent we are not just talking about what a meter can read. Kalk has magical powers, not even Chip or Randy can explain all of it's benefits, these powers cannot be fully realized without mixing in a reactor. DAN! would you help me in figuring out how to connect my reactor to my tank via auto top off? I don't mean helping with the physical connections more on whether I should connect it to a ATO or would it be way too much? Remember the first time I did this I bombed my tank, I think I added way too much and on top of that I was mixing the reactor once an hour enabling some actual kalk to flow into my system. That wont happen again as I only mix the reactor once a day 5 hours before I does it... but I'm wondering if I should give it a second try.. what do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC October 5, 2007 Share October 5, 2007 IME, Chip is dead on. You just gotta see it to believe it. A bucket is good and works for many people. It is a great "intro to kalk" a reactor however provides the most potent mix. When we say potent we are not just talking about what a meter can read. Kalk has magical powers, not even Chip or Randy can explain all of it's benefits, these powers cannot be fully realized without mixing in a reactor. See, now magic I can believe in! Thanks Dandy. When I put my 240 together do you think I can get a custom GSA stirrer with some LED's mounted to the stir stick, so my fish room looks like a disco? Now that would rock! jp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandy7200 October 5, 2007 Share October 5, 2007 DAN! would you help me in figuring out how to connect my reactor to my tank via auto top off? I don't mean helping with the physical connections more on whether I should connect it to a ATO or would it be way too much? Remember the first time I did this I bombed my tank, I think I added way too much and on top of that I was mixing the reactor once an hour enabling some actual kalk to flow into my system. That wont happen again as I only mix the reactor once a day 5 hours before I does it... but I'm wondering if I should give it a second try.. what do you think? My guess is you need to slow down the flow. RO tube fits aqualifter pumps. Put a RO valve between the outlet of the pump and the reactor. If you use a siphon break, put the valve before that. See, now magic I can believe in! Thanks Dandy. When I put my 240 together do you think I can get a custom GSA stirrer with some LED's mounted to the stir stick, so my fish room looks like a disco? Now that would rock! jp Magic is kinda hard to dispute huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller October 5, 2007 Share October 5, 2007 Consider stabilizing your additions over the course of the whole 24 day. Please don't bring up a bunch of articles saying you should only add it at night. Since you use a float switch (I do too) and an aqualifter ( I use a different stronger pump) you have the ability to add steady, even amounts of a saturated mix throught the 24 day. Don't be afraid of a temporary tank pH of 8.6 or of one of 7.8 for that matter. At least 5 hours or more with no addition to make up for evap is not what I consider steady, even additions. Smaller tanks that only add kalk at night tend to have the most spontaneous fall out symptoms so 24/7 on demand is clearly better for them. This prevents the tank from recieving the 1 gallon of evap all at the same time (over the course of say an hour or two-three) which is the way a tank "bombs". Large, well stocked tanks running a Ca reactor hard with a stream, as opposed to a drip, often have a hard time reaching 8.2 or higher. Definately when the A/C is on. Read all you want, but you gotta actually understand what you read, and that often only takes place with experience from doing it. Almost everyone changes their approach and opinions of KALK once they gain "use" knowledge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wreck October 5, 2007 Share October 5, 2007 Probably a stupid question in the middle of this Kalkwasser debate, but is a Kalk Reactor the same thing as a Kalkwasser Stirrer? Just wondering because I'm thinking of adding a Kalk Stirrer to my system, tired of mixing and pouring nightly. Rick "Wreck" I"ll suggest you try a reactor, then comment on your findings. Should only take about 30 days. Not a delivery method issue, it's a potency issue. reactors rock. Plus if your on top of things and routinely exchanging enough water, your info is skewed as most if not all "low demand" tanks can "get by" with just that and a simple kalk vat. No way for high demand. You might not even really need kalk. Maybe you want to read "what your "mother" never told you about limewater" since some info is considered out dated by many experienced, true tested, hobbiests. Here's a goody for fumming, you'll be hard pressed to get much more than an 1/8 tsp kalk to dissolve and REMAIN in solution after 24hrs. The rest falls out of solution, until remixed. Why do we add more? because in a reactor enviornment, we are consistantly stiring, blending it, therefore keeping a much more potent supply available for addition. This is not nearly as possible with a simple kalk vat as it will create calcium carbonate which is useless for our intentions here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman October 5, 2007 Share October 5, 2007 Probably a stupid question in the middle of this Kalkwasser debate, but is a Kalk Reactor the same thing as a Kalkwasser Stirrer? Just wondering because I'm thinking of adding a Kalk Stirrer to my system, tired of mixing and pouring nightly. Rick "Wreck" Hmmm... yeah - when most people refer to a 'kalk reactor' on this bulletin board they are referring to a Kalkwasser Stirrer. Basically anything that keeps the lime in suspension, and allows you to regularly feed the limewater to the tank. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBR October 5, 2007 Author Share October 5, 2007 From what I understand, the thing pictured in the first post here is a "kalk reactor", where it is a sealed, air-tight system with a power head to mix it all up every so often. A "kalk stirrer", I believe, is an open-top vessel (with a loose-fitting lid, really) that holds the water+kalk, but it's got a paddle in the bottom that rotates all the time to keep the kalk mixed up. True, the kalk at the surface gets all crusty, but like aluminum oxide, it forms a protective layer for the rest of the liquid -- since it turns so slowly, the crusty/protective layer is not disturbed. BTW, I had no idea this thread would generate such a wealth of information -- thanks! Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandy7200 October 6, 2007 Share October 6, 2007 Kalk reactor is pictured on page 1, this is a kalk stirrer: http://greyseasaquatics.com/kalkwasserstirrers.html I believe when decided to call it a "stiractor" though if Chip was involved in the discussion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller October 6, 2007 Share October 6, 2007 I don't care what you call them or the type you use. (they're all reactors) I just want you to use one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wreck October 6, 2007 Share October 6, 2007 I was just checking out your site and that Barebones stirrer looks like just the ticket for my 55. I'll have to get one from you soon...but Kalk reactor is pictured on page 1, this is a kalk stirrer: http://greyseasaquatics.com/kalkwasserstirrers.html I believe when decided to call it a "stiractor" though if Chip was involved in the discussion ...until I get one, should I be mixing the Kalk powder with white vinegar before adding water for a more potent mix? If I'm mixing a teaspoon of mix per gallon now with straight water would I use less Kalk if I mixed it with vinegar first? Thanks, Rick "Wreck" I don't care what you call them or the type you use. (they're all reactors) I just want you to use one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandy7200 October 6, 2007 Share October 6, 2007 2 teaspoons/gallon is saturated. I never tried vinegar. Chip probably has. He's probably even tried muriatic acid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman October 6, 2007 Share October 6, 2007 Chip - if you have some left-over muriatic acid... I'm still trying to get my darkroom set up. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller October 6, 2007 Share October 6, 2007 Chip - if you have some left-over muriatic acid... I'm still trying to get my darkroom set up. bob Sorry Bob, I saving it to flick in peoples eyes that don't agree with me. This way I bring them over to the dark side. - get it? - the dark side, because they can't see. tee hee Now that's magic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now