Basic DIY Kalk Dripper and ATO Kalk Dosing Questions

[ErikH]

I found this (http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/nftt/index.php) while prodding around this morning on the internet. This would be great for smaller tanks!

-Does anyone else drip kalk only via an Auto Top Off?
1.) What brand of pickling lime/kalk powder do you use?
2.) How much kalk do you put in per gallon?
3.) [b]Heaping teaspoons or not?

-Using an ATO, shouldn't their be concern of too much kalk water being added at once?
-What times are best for dosing?


The reason I ask all of this is because I tried this with very little help and got confused. I ended up dosing too much and the hardness of my water was through the roof. After several water changes I got it back to normal and never messed with it again. I have a simple ATO setup. My halides stay on until 11:00 (from 5:00) and shortly after that, the night lights all come on. The ATO is plugged into the same power strip as the night lights, so it kicks on almost immediately after the halides go off. I assume this is not proper practice, and would like to know more. :)

[ErikH]

Note to self:
"The saturation point of calcium hydroxide in 1 gal of water is 2 teaspoons. Above this point It will precipitate out of solution leaving a residue at the bottom or at the top of the water, this must NOT be added to your tank as it will wrick your PH."

[Bill S]

I use a Kalk stirrer Ace made. Not really all that expensive. Using an ATO and my RO/DI container, all of my makeup water goes thru the Kalk stirrer. It runs 24 hours a day - probably kicking on a few times per hour.

I use Kent Kalkwasser - because I got half a 5 gallon bucket of it when I bought the tank. As it's in a stirrer, I just fill the stirrer 1/2 way up.

[Bill S]

Erik,

Also remember that at that rate, it WILL precipitate out of seawater. Seawater is about 1 teaspoon per gallon, as I recollect.

[ErikH]

See, this is where I start to get lost.... :( I understand a kalk stirrer stirs kalk water, but why is that better than just putting 5 tsp of kalk in my ATO when I fill the bucket? I imagine the kalk stirrer just allows for more kalk to be stirred, thus automating that process further, but is there any other advantage? I am wanting to keep this as simple as I can. I do not want to add any more equipment to the 75 right now since the maintainence is so doggone easy.

[Bill S]

Actually, Erik, that would work just fine. However, I'd go with 1 level teaspoon of kalk per gallon. If you drip too much and it starts to precipitate, it will do this on your return pump.

[ErikH]

1 level tsp, perfect! Is it ok that my ATO comes on RIGHT after the halides? Does that even matter if I keep the ATO plugged in all the time?

[Fish4life]

I've got a stirrer but i use to add kalk at a rate of 2 tsp kalk into 2L Ro/DI water and 20 mls of vinegar. the vinegar, from my understanding and use allows a higher saturation of kalk in solution.

hope this helps,

kurt