calcium dosing via kalk stirrer and ca reactor

[fatjusto]

Hey all,

Have finally got my tank (180g sps tank) up and running, the live rock has cycled and am ready to start stocking.

I have purchased myself both an aquamedic calcium reactor and a aquamedic kalk stirrer.

My questions are...

1. should I start using them both now with only the rock in the tank

2. Is it best to run kalk at night and then cal reactor during the day

3. How much kalk powder do I put in the stirrer and how often should i replace this? Is the idea that it should all disolve eventually????

4. i am using a automatic top up with the stirrer is there a risk of over dosing doing it this way????? if so how do i prevent it

Thanks again for all your help everyone

 

[mmkeeper]

If it where me , I would wait and see what my demand was before starting the ca reactor.

 

[DonW]

Hey all,

Have finally got my tank (180g sps tank) up and running, the live rock has cycled and am ready to start stocking.

I have purchased myself both an aquamedic calcium reactor and a aquamedic kalk stirrer.

My questions are...

1. should I start using them both now with only the rock in the tank

2. Is it best to run kalk at night and then cal reactor during the day

3. How much kalk powder do I put in the stirrer and how often should i replace this? Is the idea that it should all disolve eventually????

4. i am using a automatic top up with the stirrer is there a risk of over dosing doing it this way????? if so how do i prevent it

Thanks again for all your help everyone

Question 1: No I'd install the kalk reactor but dont put any kalk in it yet. You have a long way to go before you have the need for a calcium reactor. Trying to use one before you need it will cause you grief.
Question 2: When you start using the kalk I'd start using it at night first.
Question 3: How much, put in whatever aquamedic says it will hold. No you dont need to replace it. Most will disolve just clean it out and start over every few months.
Question 4: Right now even kalk is going to overdose ca and alk. When you do start seeing consumption start adding kalk to the reactor but only like a tsp. Youll have to add it daily and keep going up until youve reached full saturation and can use the manufactures recomended quantity.

Don

 

[bc_slc]

I agree with Don. You really don't have any demands for calcium at this point. Kalk reactor first, then when you really get stocked up, add the calcium reactor.

 

[fatjusto]

Thanks soo much for your help guys very much appreciated. My local fish shop told me to start pumping it in but I was a bit sceptical of this. He said that the life on my live rock(which is pretty damn good stuff - got it straight from the barrier reef was in my tank within 2 days) would need it???

I guess I will just start monitoring ca and alk levels and dose accordingly. What I have done is connected my kalk stirrer to auto top off just havent got kalk in it, so its ready to rock when neeeded

 

[DonW]

Thanks soo much for your help guys very much appreciated. My local fish shop told me to start pumping it in but I was a bit sceptical of this. He said that the life on my live rock(which is pretty damn good stuff - got it straight from the barrier reef was in my tank within 2 days) would need it???

I guess I will just start monitoring ca and alk levels and dose accordingly. What I have done is connected my kalk stirrer to auto top off just havent got kalk in it, so its ready to rock when neeeded

Straight from the barrier reef hu.:lol: Your on the right track never dose anything unless you verify that you need it with a good test kit.

Don

 

[fatjusto]

Yeah Im pretty stoked with my rock Don! I got heaps of corals on it that are still living. My friend is a collector in cairns so he hooked me up 120kg. It has cylcled now so Im thinking of getting a tang in there to graze the algae.

 

[supafly]

I guess I will just start monitoring ca and alk levels and dose accordingly. What I have done is connected my kalk stirrer to auto top off just havent got kalk in it, so its ready to rock when neeeded

Don't mean to hj, but I am thinking of getting this kalk stirrer and just have a few questions. Do you know if it will work with the Tunze osmolator? Is it a pressurize chamber? What are the dimensions of the in/output? Can you briefly explain the water passage of this design, it seem to be different than the deltec design in this respect. Thx.

 

[fatjusto]

Im using the aqua medic kalk stirrer which I have hooked up to float valve and dosing pump. Im not quite familiar with the tunze product but Im pretty sure it will work with it. Basically water is delivered into the stirrer at the base of it via small hose(like the hose on r/o systems??) which then drips out the top into the sump. There are no pumps on the actual stirrer it just relies on the dosing pump to deliver water through it. Mine is working just fine.

Just one thing, Ive been measuring my ca and alk levels and my ca is at 500 and alk 7. I havent actually dosed any ca at all just wondering why it is elevated? Im using sea water which is usually around 400 right?