DDiver October 16, 2009 Author Share October 16, 2009 And is a kalk stirrer a good idea?or too much work?.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver October 16, 2009 Author Share October 16, 2009 And can I mix the kalk everytime I fill the topoff tub?.. Once a week... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver October 16, 2009 Author Share October 16, 2009 So let me get this straight..isn't adding kalk to topoff essentially just buffeting the ph?..if so then can't I just dose ph buffer via doser?.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami October 16, 2009 Share October 16, 2009 (edited) A stirrer is but one means. It's effective at keeping the solution saturated. It's not the only method of delivery, however. Take a look at this article and the delivery methods that are employed. Specifically, look at the entry on "Still Reservoirs" about 20% into the article. You'll see, by the way, that this is how Randy Holmes-Farley delivers kalkwasser to his setup. http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-05/...ature/index.php Edited October 16, 2009 by Origami2547 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami October 16, 2009 Share October 16, 2009 (edited) So let me get this straight..isn't adding kalk to topoff essentially just buffeting the ph?..if so then can't I just dose ph buffer via doser?.. No. The kalkwasser powder (calcium hydroxide - Ca(OH)2) actually dissolves, creating a solution of calcium ions and hydroxide ions. Calcium hydroxide has limited solubility in water, so the solution is saturated very quickly (less than 2T can dissolve in 1 gallon of water at most any temperature). When the hydroxide ions (OH-) enter your tank, they react with the carbon dioxide (CO2) in your water (which tends to keep pH down) to form a bicarbonate ion (HCO3-). Because two hydroxide ions are delivered for every calcium ion, the end result is two bicarbonates for every calcium - in other words, balance! It can be a little more complicated than that as there's really an equilibrium established between carbonate and bicarbonate ions that shifts with pH, but we won't get into that.... Edited October 16, 2009 by Origami2547 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver October 16, 2009 Author Share October 16, 2009 Ahhh information overload..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefhunter October 16, 2009 Share October 16, 2009 brain hurts, thanks Tom! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami October 16, 2009 Share October 16, 2009 Ahhh information overload..... And the doctor said, "Take two aspirin and call me in the morning." "That'll be $100." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bankyf October 16, 2009 Share October 16, 2009 I found mixing kalk in my topoff tank to be a big mess. GSA has an unbeatable deal on a kalk stirrer right now and it real makes it easy to dose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami October 16, 2009 Share October 16, 2009 I found mixing kalk in my topoff tank to be a big mess. GSA has an unbeatable deal on a kalk stirrer right now and it real makes it easy to dose. Mixing it in directly, I suppose, would be a bit of a mess. It would be cleaner if you mixed a bit of slurry first and then added stirred this into your reservoir. (If RHF does it successfully, it's a pretty strong endorsement. It really doesn't get much simpler than this.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver October 16, 2009 Author Share October 16, 2009 I found mixing kalk in my topoff tank to be a big mess. GSA has an unbeatable deal on a kalk stirrer right now and it real makes it easy to dose. I'm not able to open the link to GreySeas website...how much are they going for?.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bankyf October 16, 2009 Share October 16, 2009 I believe they are on sale for $169. I'm not able to open the link to GreySeas website...how much are they going for?.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller October 17, 2009 Share October 17, 2009 I've been adding kalk for 18+ years and never switched out, just in how I've added it. Yes, you can get 2tsp to dissolve in 1g of water to be a be cloudy mix but once it settles to clear, you'll have about 1.75tsp sitting on the bottom. Not a problem since it will mostly mix back into solution and be useful several more times, but not until it is all "gone". Important things I've learned about kalk is never add more to your mixing vessel than you can add in just over a week versus the amount of top off water expected to flow/mix through your mixing vessel. Re-fresh that mixing vessel weekly with more kalk. The important thing here is, you will always have available enough kalk to add a saturated mix via top off, but will help protect yourself from accidential over dose should it add too much at one time. In the event of an accidential overdose with kalk, DO NOTHING fast. (you could turn off your lights, a( so you can't see and b) so your pH will start to fall) let it settle out and vaccuum up the kalk settling to the bottom of the tank. OR, drain the tank(s), sump(s), fuge(s) fast and replace with premixed seawater. You will not dillute the kalk by changing 20g here and 20g there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandy7200 October 27, 2009 Share October 27, 2009 Updates? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver October 27, 2009 Author Share October 27, 2009 I hooked it up last week to my Profilux and it was elementary.I then set my profilux to do 8 doses between the time my lights go out and comes back on..I did a few test late night and ph sits at 8.5..I'm overall pretty happy with the decision I've made.I'm still trying to adjust the doser to maintain the top off..the day I was gauging my evap was hot and it was about 2 gallons..but now that it's a little cooler it's a little less so I'm trying to adjust my doser to maintain the correct level which is super frickin easy..Also it's pretty failsafe I my opinion because the doser does not back siphon and I'm not using a float switch that could possibly get stuck and cause and overdose.. Thanks Dan.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami October 27, 2009 Share October 27, 2009 I dose kalk the same way (but through a reactor) using a dosing pump. The pump delivers 1 liter per hour (around 6.4 gallons per day), and I have it running on a 35 minute cycle every hour controlled by my AC-III. Ths covers my evaporation, which is around 3.7 gallons per day. I think this approach is a little more controlled than the dual-redundant float switch setup that I ran beforehand, but both work well (though, like you've discovered, you have to tune your doser on occasion to track seasonal variation in evaporation). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver October 27, 2009 Author Share October 27, 2009 I guess I didn't specify that I have my GSA hooked up to the Profilux... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandy7200 October 27, 2009 Share October 27, 2009 I hooked it up last week to my Profilux and it was elementary.I then set my profilux to do 8 doses between the time my lights go out and comes back on..I did a few test late night and ph sits at 8.5..I'm overall pretty happy with the decision I've made.I'm still trying to adjust the doser to maintain the top off..the day I was gauging my evap was hot and it was about 2 gallons..but now that it's a little cooler it's a little less so I'm trying to adjust my doser to maintain the correct level which is super frickin easy..Also it's pretty failsafe I my opinion because the doser does not back siphon and I'm not using a float switch that could possibly get stuck and cause and overdose.. Thanks Dan.. I usually find that I use more top off when the heat is on rather than the ac. Does the profilux have a top off switch that can be connected to it? I like to dose slightly more than what I think the evap is and then let the switch manually cut it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver October 27, 2009 Author Share October 27, 2009 The profilux does not have a top off switch, I'm not sure how you would even incorporate one into it..also it will only allow 12 doses per day with a max of 1000ml per dose... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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