Dripping Kalk, Nano Style

[cbianco]

To My Nano-keeping Compadres

Recently, MattK and I had a discussion about kalk and our nanos, so I decided to do a write up --> Nano Style!

Matt and I wanted what would be the easiest way for us to drip kalk and what mixture to use. Matt and I understand the risk we would take by dripping such a strong chemical into such a small tank. If you are unsure of calcium and its effects, I suggest you read this article.

A Simplified Guide to the Relationship Between
Calcium, Alkalinity, Magnesium and pH By Randy Holmes-Farley (http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-06/rhf/index.php)

I personally use the "cola bottle" dripper to drip kalk. This dripper is easy to construct and cheap! There is an excellent write up on ReefKeeping about this method and construction of the bottle.

A Simple DIY Kalk Dripper By Agu Lukk (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/nftt/index.php)

I have used both pickling lime and Red Sea Reef Success Calk (!) to drip. They are basically the same thing to my knowledge. The Reef Success claims to not raise pH abruptly but I am not sure about this since I drip slowly. Pickling lime is cheap but it is hard to find. If you wanted to go the pickling lime route, try and find a can from a fellow member.

I mix a half (1/2) teaspoon of lime per two (2) liters of water. This mixture is watered down a bit but I feel safer this way. [Typically, about one to two (~1-2) teaspoons of lime is added per four (4) liters.] If you want to learn more about lime mixtures check out the following article.

What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime By Randy Holmes-Farley (http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php)

I started dripping kalk into my nano about two weeks ago. I can easily replentish calcium in a slow manner using the "cola bottle" dripper. I urge others to be cautionate about dripping lime into their nanos as it can be dangerous.

I would like to ask MattK to jump on in and add to the article (the stuff I forgot). :)

If anyone has any question feel free to ask! I will do my best to answer them.

Christopher

[matt]

Even though there's expense involved, I would strongly suggest anyone dripping KW into a sumpless nano to use a medical dosing pump, which seems to be my standard response to everything these days. My pump is currently dosing 100ml (about 3 oz) per day of 2 part additive, and it is really accurate. You can dose the exact amount you want in the exact time you want; you could easily adjust the pump so that it drips a drop every second all the way to a drop every 15 minutes; that's pretty slow and there's no chance you're going to flood your nano because a dripper valve breaks.

[cbianco]

Even though there's expense involved, I would strongly suggest anyone dripping KW into a sumpless nano to use a medical dosing pump...

A dosing pump is a great asset. It is very precise and less room for failure. Unfortunately, dosing pumps run upwards of $100. This cost may be too much for many to bear.


...there's no chance you're going to flood your nano because a dripper valve breaks.

In an attempt to fool failure, I tie a knot in the airline tubing before the air valve. The knotted airline tubing only allows about a drip per second, nothing my tank cannot handle. If the valve were to fall off or fail for some reason, I have a make shift backup.

Again the dosing pump is a great asset for those who can afford it. The "cola bottle" dripper is not foolproof by any means but if you construct it correctly with foresite for failure then you can help to prevent a nasty accident.

Christopher :)

[hobogato]

great thread christopher ;) this could be usefull for larger tanks as well.

[matt]

I used to use a gallon jug, a two holed stopper, some pyrex pipe, and some "tygon" tubing which is like surgical tubing, to make a KW siphon-feed. Basically, you construct the set up so that air is only let into the jug when the sump level drops a little, then KW flows in to fill it and seal off the air. It's not appropriate for a sumpless tank, as a pretty good glug of KW is released at once, but it worked great on my 10 gallon w/sump. It's cheap too, but now havng the dosing pump I'd never go back.

[cbianco]

I've seen one of these on the market. It was made nicely, lots of attention to detail with the acrylic.

I was wondering why they never caught on. I assume it is due to the fact that the system "dumps" the mix into your tank (as you mentioned matt). I think that this idea would be alright for a freshwater top-off!

Christopher