DIY Kalk Dripper

[FragOutpost]

Step 1:
Drill 2 7/32” holes in the cap of the empty water container.

 

[FragOutpost]

Step 2:
Push one end of the 60” piece of airline tubing about an inch through one of the holes in the top of the cap and connect it to the 9” piece of rigid airline tubing.

 

[FragOutpost]

Step 3:
Push one end of the 10” piece of airline tubing about one inch through the remaining hole in the cap.

 

[FragOutpost]

Step 4:
Attach the airline regulator to the opposite end of the 60” piece of airline tubing.


Step 5:
Add 1 teaspoon of pickling lime to the empty gallon container. Fill the container about a quarter of the way full with RO water and shake to mix. Next continue to fill the water container with RO water making sure to leave about 2 inches of head room at the top.


Step 6:
Screw on the cap to the container and adjust the rigid airline tubing so that extends to about an inch from the bottom of the container. After the kalk is mixed it will take a few minutes to settle. You want to make sure that the end of the rigid tubing is above this level because you do not want to siphon the sediment into the tank.


Step 7:
Open the valve on the airline regulator all the way and blow into the short piece of airline tubing to start the siphon. After the kalk begins to flow, adjust the valve to set the drip rate at about 1 drip every 1-2 seconds. Over time the regulator will become clogged up and will need to be soaked in vinegar to remove the calcium deposits.

 

[FragOutpost]

I built an extra one of these and use it for acclimating new fish and corals to my tank. I empty the contents of the bag(water and fish or coral) into a pitcher and slowly drip water from my tank into the pitcher. As the pitcher fills up I remove water with a turkey baster. After about 1-2 hours of this most of the original water has been removed. At this point it is safe to remove the fish or coral and insert into your tank while withholding all of the water in the pitcher. Using this method slowly acclimates the fish or coral and prevent any of the LFS water from entering my tank.

Hope this helps someone.

 

[LakeEd]

Frag,

Excellent pictures! Thats the exact same setup as mine. I have now moved my airline regulator to the short tube that you blow into to begin the drip as Uwscotch recommended, and that works wonderfully also!

Thanks for your input!
Ed

 

[FragOutpost]

Yeah, in theory and function it is exactly the same set up.
The reversing of the regulator to the air input side is a good idea.
I will have to try that. Thanks for the tip!

 

[jbeltmann]

LakeEd, you wouldn't happen to have the dimensions or the oceanic container, would you? I was thinking of doing a dripper but want to find something big enough gallon wise that will fit in my stand. BTW great job on the dripper!

 

[LakeEd]

JBeltMann,

1st... WELCOME TO REEF FRONTIERS!!!!


Unfortunately, I don't have the dimensions of that Oceanic Container...but in your case I don't think that really matters.

ANY plastic container will work for this type dripper. You simply pick one that will fit in your stand (milk jug, OJ container...it doesn't matter), then you clean it out, do the tubes in the lid...mix your calk, and start your drip. For that matter, if you have a space along side your stand where you can set a jug... and long enough tubing to run from the jug into the stand to your sump... that works also.

Of course, the larger the container, the longer it will drip at a given drip rate... and the more evaporation it will replace.

This DIY is very easy, as long as you have the space to place the drip container above where you want it to drip into...and didn't have the added problem of developing any leaks due to installation of a tube out of the bottom of the jug.

Good luck, and let me know how things work out for you!!!

 

[jbeltmann]

Thanks for the warm welcome. I only have about 4.5" to work with width wise in my stand. From the looks of the container it looks like it may be perfect. My goal was to keep up with evap. and be able to dose kalk all at the same time, which if this container will fit I think it will do a good job at both.

 

[LakeEd]

Keep in mind, with this dripper, it needs to sit above the tank (sump), so gravity does the job of siphoning it from the jug to the tank (sump).

 

[LakeEd]

I used this setup on my old 75 gallon setup, where I evaporated about 1.5 gallons a day. I believe the Oceanic Jug was just under 1.5 gallons of water (about 1.3-1.4 gallons???)... so I was manually adding about 1 gallon of RO/DI a week to keep the system filled fully. The drip rate I set ended up taking about 6-7 hours to empty the container every night. Just ensure you leave about a 1" gap at the bottom of the container for the Kalk paste to settle in, that doesn't go into your tank... so you don't get that pasty white stuff dosed as well.

 

[LakeEd]

Also... mix up your Kalk an hour or more before you do start your drip, to allow that settling to occur.