Kalkwasser Dosing

[Europhyllia]

I recently read up on some interesting stuff by Randy HF in regards to kalkwasser dosing.
Initially I was really tempted to buy a kalkwasser reactor in part because I need the high pH to counteract my biopellets and all of the reactor hype states that if it's not in a reactor it quickly loses the initial potency.

Then I read this:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-05/rhf/feature/index.php
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php

and decided to buy a 2 gallon cereal container for $5 at Walmart instead of a $250 kalkwasser reactor and it's working out super well.

Fits perfectly into the small space I had for it under the cabinet. A rigid acrylic tube is easy to adjust and besides being way cheaper than the reactor it keeps the solids and potential pollution out of the display tank.

[allan]

I'm using a five gallon bucket, same concept though.

[CoryDude]

I take a 2.5 gallon drinking water jug from HEB and cut the top 1/3 off. Airline tubing and an airline valve complete the setup. Cost me under $5. Every few months I replace the airline valve since it's clogged w/calcium.

[Europhyllia]

I need the top on and lid on too so that it doesn't soak up the CO2 of the air. I need it to be hungry for CO2 when it hits the tank! :)

[CoryDude]

I only mix up enough for one night's worth. You and your darn co2.

[Europhyllia]

lol
MY 2 gal jug lasts me 3 days so I only have to mix it twice a week. I could use a bigger container like Allan's 5g bucket with a lid but then it won't fit under the stand and husband says everything has to look neat (no ugly buckets standing around beside the nice new stand...)

[allan]

neat (no ugly buckets standing around beside the nice new stand...)

My wife tells me the same thing.

[Texreefer]

thats the good thing about this Hobby,, you can go cheap with do it yourself projects or you can get fancy and spend money... i liked all my stuff automated.. i had my expensive reactor hooked up through my top off and I didn't have to touch it for three months or so, and then all i usually did was unsrew top and add another cup or so and screw the top back on:angel:

[Mrs. z28pwr]

I started using kalk after I saw Allens tank and all the wonderful growth he had. After we tried it for 2 days my zoanthids started to act up so I stopped. I really want to try it again.....maybe it was mixing error since my husband was the one who mixed it:not_talking:

[Submariner]

I use Kalkwasser solution at night for top off and to raise the Ph. I have a small fountain pump and a cheap timer that comes on around 4 in the morning for 3 minutes. I mix 1 tsp of Mrs. Wages pickling lime that I buy at Walmart for every 1 gal of RO water. I have to fill the 5 gal bucket it sits in every 3-4 days.

I believe that somewhere in Randy's article that it explains that exposing it to air really isn't that big of a deal and give evidence to that fact. Hope this helps someone.

[BIGBIRD123]

I really wished that JimD was still posting here. He was the Kalkwasser Guru. He was in constant contact with Randy Holmes Farley and developed and built Kalk reactors. His knowledge is sorely missed. He has been running a kalk reactor thru his auto top-off for about 8 years. He was the experience behind my top-off design and kalkwasser regiment.

[Europhyllia]

call him up :)

[allan]

Mizeny, my zoas act up when I dose too much. I've scaled back a bit. My top off is fifty pct kalk and two days a week after lights out I use a single teaspoon.

[BSJF]

Mizeny, it may have been dosed too quickly or was too strong. You might try easing into dosing using a half strength AND with a slower dosing rate.

[kkiel02]

Yeah and make sure you only use the clear effluent(spelling?). I used to have my reactor hooked to my ato and almost crashed the tank as it stirred while it was topping off. This dumped the slurry into the tank.

[Europhyllia]

Yeah and make sure you only use the clear effluent(spelling?). I used to have my reactor hooked to my ato and almost crashed the tank as it stirred while it was topping off. This dumped the slurry into the tank.

Kevin that was actually totally the point of my post!!! :) (rather than the virtues of kalk dosing period) ;)
That initially I thought the reactors were the best thing and then when I read RHF's articles I decided that my cereal box with the rigid tube adjusted just right would be even more perfect AND cheaper.

[kkiel02]

Yep sold it soon after that. lol I think there would be a fairly easy way to get around it but I never really had problems with Kh or calcium being low because of the weekly water changes so I sold it. I also dont keep tons of sps so that also helps the calcium numbers.

[los.tejanos83]

I'm using a 1 gl container with some cheap valve from my tropical fish set up. I can never get the flow right without having the valve opened way up, which empties the container (normally) after several hrs. I wish i could get more than 1 days worth of kalk from it.

Additinoallly, it gravity feeds into sump because it sits on top of several items outside my tank. i'd like to buy a bigger container and have it neatly tucked under the tank.

Can i get a picture of the "airline valve"? And how do i install in the stand and yet feed into sump?

I'm still a novice at this stuff...thanks

Angelo