cabrego July 13, 2009 Share July 13, 2009 Hey all, I am considering supplementing my top of with limewater to maintain my Ph levels. If I do not leave windows open in the house the Ph will not go above 7.8 or so. i would like to maintain a higher Ph, but I do not want to invest in a calcium reactor at the moment. Dosing with limewater seems like a cost effective way to do this, does anyone do this? any details such as where you buy your limewater, and your dosing technique would be appreciated. I would like to keep my top off water with limewater, but I am alittle worried about having it automated. Anyway, anything you can share would be appreciated! Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaze98 July 13, 2009 Share July 13, 2009 (edited) Repost of what I posted before.... I have been using ReefChoice kalk and carbon for a little over 8 months now, not only are the products great but the price is right as well, I got a gallon of kalk for under $12. Dave is a good guy to sit and talk tank with, if you have any questions about carbon or kalk he will give you very good and detailed advice, his customer service is exceptional. If you get a chance, I would suggest trying some of Dave's products, or simply visit his website to see what he has to offer....ffaquatics By the way, I use a home made kalk dripper. Edited July 13, 2009 by blaze98 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller July 13, 2009 Share July 13, 2009 I have been dosing it for about 20 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami July 13, 2009 Share July 13, 2009 I dose kalk, too, through a Deltec KM500 kalk stirrer as part of my ATO (auto top off). I have several safeguards in place to mitigate the risk of accidents. 1) I only put 1 week's worth of kalk powder in my stirrer when I recharge the system. That's the most that could possibly get into the system if some problem occurred. 2) My ATO reservoir volume is fixed at 10 gallons for a 300+ gallon system. This covers 2 or so days of evaporation. (The reservoir is automatically refilled each night within a small window of time.) This limits how much fresh water could be dumped into the system, thereby limiting kalk overdosing and salinity depression. 3) I dose my ATO water using a peristaltic pump controlled by a timer. I dose a little bit every hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This just keeps any pH impact of kalk dosing spread throughout the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dschflier July 15, 2009 Share July 15, 2009 Thanks for the nice comments elbert. Cabrego, It appears you don't live that far from me. If you would like to come by and take a look at my setup, I would be happy to have you over. I feel Kalk is the easiest and most cost effective way to go. My ATO runs through my GSA Kalk reactor and has run without problems for years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dell2go July 15, 2009 Share July 15, 2009 Well, I dose my using Mrs. wages pickling lime every morning. It is by far the most cost effective I've known. But one problem is you have to mix it with RO water manually. If you need to know in detail then LMK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&Fmgr July 15, 2009 Share July 15, 2009 I prefer the brightwell Kalk +2 as it helps maintain strontium and mag, alk, cal.... Sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefmontalvo July 15, 2009 Share July 15, 2009 I prefer the brightwell Kalk +2 as it helps maintain strontium and mag, alk, cal.... Sean I love that stuff. .I ran out a few months ago and instead purchased the kent kalk. Let me tell you its not the same stuff, I guess the Kent kalk lacks the strontium and magnesium. The corals are not growing the at the same rate as when I had the kalk+2 in the system. Other than that I have my kalk stirrer directly attached to the ATO. I'm not sure how much powder is in the reactor may be about a months worth. But my level of evapration is much higher than most since I do have a 70 pint a day dehumidifier running to keep the house from becomming one huge mold spore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward July 15, 2009 Share July 15, 2009 dan has a closeout/clearance sale on his old kalk stirrers. very reasonably priced. I've been using one for a year or so now, very reliable and nearly impossible to overdose. I'd definitely recommend picking up one of those, getting some bulk kalk from someone (BRS, Dave or whoever) and go at it. Use an aqualifter to run your top off - I think Dan's stirrers still come with one. You can run it manually for a while or put it on a timer - I run mine on a timer w/ the AC3. BTW... a calcium reactor will drag your pH down even farther. If you're running a calcium reactor you almost must dose kalk in order to keep the pH up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefmontalvo July 15, 2009 Share July 15, 2009 dan has a closeout/clearance sale on his old kalk stirrers. very reasonably priced. I've been using one for a year or so now, very reliable and nearly impossible to overdose. I'd definitely recommend picking up one of those, getting some bulk kalk from someone (BRS, Dave or whoever) and go at it. Use an aqualifter to run your top off - I think Dan's stirrers still come with one. You can run it manually for a while or put it on a timer - I run mine on a timer w/ the AC3. BTW... a calcium reactor will drag your pH down even farther. If you're running a calcium reactor you almost must dose kalk in order to keep the pH up. How does the aqua lifter work? and I mean the question as compared to using a maxi-jet to pump water from the freshwater reservoir? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabrego July 15, 2009 Author Share July 15, 2009 Thanks for the input everyone. at this point I am not prepared to spend 200+ on a kalk mixer, though it sounds like it is a nice product. I can live with mixing limewater in my RODI water tub if need be. Dell2go, where do you buy the pickling lime? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward July 15, 2009 Share July 15, 2009 How does the aqua lifter work? and I mean the question as compared to using a maxi-jet to pump water from the freshwater reservoir? The aqualifter can sit outside of the water - on top of your topoff bucket and suck the water up out of the bucket. No need to have gravity feed the intake to the pump. It will lift water up to 30" and runs at a steady (I believe) 2.5 gal/hr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryL July 15, 2009 Share July 15, 2009 Thanks for the input everyone. at this point I am not prepared to spend 200+ on a kalk mixer, though it sounds like it is a nice product. I can live with mixing limewater in my RODI water tub if need be. Dell2go, where do you buy the pickling lime? just find a gallon water container that has a spout you can set to a slow drip and you can mix it up in there and set it to drip.... i have used a gallon jug before and used IV pump line with the thumb valve to control the drip. or you can get a kent aqua doser for fairly cheap..its low tech and simple to use. my one gallon jug was based on that design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dell2go July 15, 2009 Share July 15, 2009 Thanks for the input everyone. at this point I am not prepared to spend 200+ on a kalk mixer, though it sounds like it is a nice product. I can live with mixing limewater in my RODI water tub if need be. Dell2go, where do you buy the pickling lime? Here's the link http://terradisiac.com/products.php?pid=77...openparent=2255 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryL July 15, 2009 Share July 15, 2009 sometimes walmart or bloom has it. it would be where you find the canning jars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugar Magnolia July 15, 2009 Share July 15, 2009 I found it at Walmart. When mixing up a gallon, what is the correct measurement of pickling lime per gallon? I'd link you to Agu Lukk's DIY kalk dripper, but RC is down right now so I can't access the article from Reefkeeping magazine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami July 15, 2009 Share July 15, 2009 at this point I am not prepared to spend 200+ on a kalk mixer, though it sounds like it is a nice product. I can live with mixing limewater in my RODI water tub if need be. That's the way a lot of very respected reefers do it, too, so you'll be in good company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dell2go July 15, 2009 Share July 15, 2009 (edited) I found it at Walmart. When mixing up a gallon, what is the correct measurement of pickling lime per gallon? I'd link you to Agu Lukk's DIY kalk dripper, but RC is down right now so I can't access the article from Reefkeeping magazine. I do 1/3 of the plastic (to go) spoon & 2/3 gallon of RO water. Cabrego, I don't mix it in a bucket or trash can of water. I mix it in a 2/3 gallon bottle by shaking it every time I have a chance. I then let it settle for over night, then dose it in the morning using an air line tube. Make sure don't the residue (undesolved pickling lime) in the bottom get into the tank. Although, I don't know what wiil happen but I just don't like it get in the tank. Edited July 15, 2009 by Dell2go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dschflier July 15, 2009 Share July 15, 2009 (edited) I think comparing prices is very important but not the only consideration. If price is the issue Buying 1 lb Pickling lime from terradesiac Mrs. Wages Edited July 15, 2009 by dschflier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami July 15, 2009 Share July 15, 2009 I found it at Walmart. When mixing up a gallon, what is the correct measurement of pickling lime per gallon? 1-2 teaspoons per gallon well stirred will get you a saturated solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckDiver July 16, 2009 Share July 16, 2009 (edited) I do 1/3 of the plastic (to go) spoon & 2/3 gallon of RO water. Cabrego, I don't mix it in a bucket or trash can of water. I mix it in a 2/3 gallon bottle by shaking it every time I have a chance. I then let it settle for over night, then dose it in the morning using an air line tube. Make sure don't the residue (undesolved pickling lime) in the bottom get into the tank. Although, I don't know what wiil happen but I just don't like it get in the tank. I use a Deltec KM500 Stirrer and High Purity Kalkwasser from BRS (Bulk Reef Supply). While ther is not much difference between Mrs Wages and other Calcium Hydroxide products, I just do not like the yellow sludge left from Mrs Wages. With a good pure form of Calcium Hydroxide, there is no problem at all with getting the solids in the sump. They can actually be beneficial as they will raise the amount of calcium that is added. You do not want it to go straight into the display, but if it goes in the sump then it will mix before hitting the display. I have been dosing a milky kalk solution (flow from top off mixes up the kalk in the stirrer before ir drips instead of just the clear liquid) for over a year now with impressive growth and coral health. Also the saturation level for Kalk in RODI is 2 tsp/gal. Edited July 16, 2009 by WreckDiver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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