How do you introduce calcium into smaller systems?

[ErikS]

Garretts got more info stored in his man purse than ErikS and I have forgotten.

IF I'm not mistaken the correct term is murse

[flowerseller]

Chip bought me my first purse!

 

My hero.

 

G.

Did I tell you I bought it, it was a hand me down

[tranceFusion]

Sorry to get off topic but how do you like the Solana? I have Current's 12g w/ sunpod and I was looking to upgrade to something larger..

[onux20]

Sorry to get off topic but how do you like the Solana? I have Current's 12g w/ sunpod and I was looking to upgrade to something larger..

 

No worries about getting off topic. The info provided before the slight tangent was very useful.

 

As for the Solana

Edited April 8, 2008 by onux20

[flowerseller]

It's not off topic.

What you don't realize is all man purses are water tight.

Get it?

[tranceFusion]

As for the Solana

[gastone]

Ron,

 

IMO, evaporating more means you get to add more kalk via top off (that's a good thing - more alk/calcium/elevated ph - all good things)

 

G.

[onux20]

Woah it comes with a top off and everything? I am using a float switch auto-topoff (the JBJ one) w/ an aqualifter coming from a 5 gal bucket. It looks hideous but gets the job done I was topping off 1/3 of a gallon a day in a 12g, so I was worried about the salinity changing.. not to mention I couldn't leave it for a long weekend or anything.

 

 

The top off is very crude. Just two plastic bottles and a piece of plexi with holes cut in it. There is a ledge in the return pump section the plexi sits on. You fill the bottles with your desired liquid and turn them upside down. The tops of the bottles are just below the water line. As evap occurs, the liquid from the bottles enters the system.

 

Today is the first time I used them, not sure why I waited so long. I will let you know how it works out later tonight.

[onux20]

The top off is very crude. Just two plastic bottles and a piece of plexi with holes cut in it. There is a ledge in the return pump section the plexi sits on. You fill the bottles with your desired liquid and turn them upside down. The tops of the bottles are just below the water line. As evap occurs, the liquid from the bottles enters the system.

 

Today is the first time I used them, not sure why I waited so long. I will let you know how it works out later tonight.

Alright, the first test of the top off went okay. I put both bottles in and the tank used about half of one bottle. I will continue to monitor over the next few days. If this stays consistent then I think I will feel better about using them to dose Kalk.

Ron

[dtfleming]

Sorry to hijack, but this helps me alot I have a ACjr running on my 26 with sps and now I will start to use Kalk in my ATO. I have it set to run at night only and have a ph probe to monitor. Tks for the info guys.

 

So i should try 1-2 tsps in 2gal and see how it goes?

[ErikS]

So i should try 1-2 tsps in 2gal and see how it goes?

It's self limiting, you can only dissolve so much in a gallon of water - the rest will fall out of solution.

 

All Reef Chem Articles

 

In particular Grammy & the lime juice (Kalkwasser)

 

And the always good Self Purification

[gastone]

Sorry to hijack, but this helps me alot I have a ACjr running on my 26 with sps and now I will start to use Kalk in my ATO. I have it set to run at night only and have a ph probe to monitor. Tks for the info guys.

 

So i should try 1-2 tsps in 2gal and see how it goes?

 

The nice thing is that once the RO/DI is saturated with kalk, it's done... can't take anymore. Meaning if you mix up 1g of water with 5 cups of kalk powder it isn't an issue (in theory). You can supersaturate with vinegar if you choose, though I'm not a proponent of that for my own reasons.

G.

[dtfleming]

Gotcha

[onux20]

Okay, I was going to start the kalk with my top off water tonight but I chickened out. I made a previous tank snow and I dont want a repeat.

 

I tested the water with the following results

 

Temp 77.8

Salinity 1.025

ph 8.3

dkh 10

Calcium ~450

 

Since my Ca, ph and dkh seem to be in the generally accepted range, should I bother with kalk? I have done 5-7 gal water changes every weekend for the past three weeks. I have not tested before the change to see if there is marked decline in the numbers but maybe I should.

 

Thoughts????

Ron

[flowerseller]

I'd keep up with the w/c schedule you are now on until that no longer works, then I'd start (back) up with kalk.

Many smaller tanks can do just fantastic with a good w/c schedule alone, kalk only makes it better.

[st9z]

Do you need to mix the kalk and RO water with a power head? Or is it okay to let the kalk sit in the RO water without mixing it?

[treesprite]

I'd like to hear more on the tangent topic of this upside-down-bottle top-off system.

 

To dose kalk using that kind of topoff, wouldn't you have to mix the kalk in something separate so the "extra" can settle out first? Doing it in an upsidedown bottle would otherwise result in the stuff that settles ot going into the tank.

[ErikS]

I'd like to hear more on the tangent topic of this upside-down-bottle top-off system.

 

To dose kalk using that kind of topoff, wouldn't you have to mix the kalk in something separate so the "extra" can settle out first? Doing it in an upsidedown bottle would otherwise result in the stuff that settles ot going into the tank.

Either will work. Trick is to draw the water from above the settle level. If you have a fixed volume of water (bottle, say 2 liter) it shouldn't take more than 1 or 2 times before you know how much to add to minimize settling.

 

Upside down bottle, drip line extends say 1" (could be more) into the bottle = 1" of settle area that doesn't go into tank.

[onux20]

I'd like to hear more on the tangent topic of this upside-down-bottle top-off system.

 

To dose kalk using that kind of topoff, wouldn't you have to mix the kalk in something separate so the "extra" can settle out first? Doing it in an upsidedown bottle would otherwise result in the stuff that settles ot going into the tank.

This was my plan. I have an empty milk carton that I almost filled with RO/DI. I added the prescribed amount, 1 tsp, of Kalk. Cover and gave it a good shake, then filled the carton the rest of the way. Next comes the funnel to get the water in to the top off bottle. Next place the bottle upside in the sump area and viola!

 

One flaw I noticed. Unless you make sure you are topped off to start, you could dump the entire bottle of Kalk in short order. I did not do my normal top off after work and when I did it at 10, the entire bottle of RO went into the tank in about 3 min! By topping off prior to dosing, you ensure a more gradual introduction of kalk.

Ron

[flowerseller]

Either will work. Trick is to draw the water from above the settle level. If you have a fixed volume of water (bottle, say 2 liter) it shouldn't take more than 1 or 2 times before you know how much to add to minimize settling.

 

Upside down bottle, drip line extends say 1" (could be more) into the bottle = 1" of settle area that doesn't go into tank.

Exactly.

 

As far as the intial mix, it does not need to be remixed and in smaller systems it might be more beneficial to not be remixed until recharged.

In a high demand system, it really needs to be remixed.

Erik and I differ on whether air tight is neccessary because Randy says it's not. I think it's better long term if it is. It mostly comes down to intended or needed delivery method. We both agree either way using kalk is beneficial.

[ErikS]

Erik and I differ on whether air tight is neccessary because Randy says it's not.

Yep, and yet I use a closed system..................so factor that in on where I am on the "DUH" scale

[flowerseller]

Yep, and yet I use a closed system..................so factor that in on where I am on the "DUH" scale

I'm the duh scale then.

I thought I remembered you felt open to air had little to do with mixing/creating calcium carbonate.

ooppps wrong one.