Dosing equipment

[ronj]

my topoff system won't allow it to mix for 24hrs..i have the sensors setup up so that i have a minimum level and a max level in my sump..i put the sensors very close to each other so that it will only come on for a minute or two each time, but very frequently throughout the day..this is why i was wondering if i should mix it ahead of time...if i just dump it in, it will end up in my sump within a few minutes...i am wondering if i will need to vacuum the kalk that settles and stays in the bottom of the resevoir tank??????

 

[DonW]

my topoff system won't allow it to mix for 24hrs..i have the sensors setup up so that i have a minimum level and a max level in my sump..i put the sensors very close to each other so that it will only come on for a minute or two each time, but very frequently throughout the day..this is why i was wondering if i should mix it ahead of time...if i just dump it in, it will end up in my sump within a few minutes...i am wondering if i will need to vacuum the kalk that settles and stays in the bottom of the resevoir tank??????

Put the mixing pump on a seperate timer to mix only once or twice a day. Leave the stuff on the bottom.

Don

 

[ronj]

i don't have a mixing pump in the Rubbermaid tub...should i get a small Mini-jet or something that will move the water gently?????

 

[DonW]

i don't have a mixing pump in the Rubbermaid tub...should i get a small Mini-jet or something that will move the water gently?????

You just want any old pump like a maxijet on a timer stir the tube twice a day. It can be any old beater pump. It wont last long in kalk anyways so dont use something nice but MJ's are reliable.

Don

 

[ronj]

i don't want it to blow the kalk sediment around on the bottom, do i ????if not, i will just use my maxi-jet 400..it doesn't blow too much around

 

[DonW]

i don't want it to blow the kalk sediment around on the bottom, do i ????if not, i will just use my maxi-jet 400..it doesn't blow too much around

Yes you do. You want to mix it twice a day for about 5 minutes. It will settle between mixing. If you tub is small once a day is fine also. Keep a lid on the container to help with precip.

Don

 

[ronj]

so when i put in my initial kalk dose, will it be ok if it doesn't mix for a while???? my ATO doses every few minutes...

 

[DonW]

so when i put in my initial kalk dose, will it be ok if it doesn't mix for a while???? my ATO doses every few minutes...

Just give it a quick stir.

Don

 

[ronj]

cool..thanks for all the help Don!!!!!!!!!

 

[Scooterman]

Don you have pictures of your kalk dosing system, I'd like to see how it is layed out?

 

[ronj]

it is a very simple setup, nothing elaborate by any means..i have to add one or two things to it today..i will get some pics after i put them on....

 

[DonW]

Don you have pictures of your kalk dosing system, I'd like to see how it is layed out?

I tore all my kalk stuff out on thursday. I give up. The only reason it was there was to help with ph. It wasnt doing that so its all in a box. CARX is so much less hastle.
Every year I make some crazy high tech kalk dosing set-up to patch my ph and every year its the same. I end up junking it because it doesnt keep the ph up. I decided to just give up and not care about ph.
It really has no effect on my ca and alk. The clams consume so much the kalk didnt do anything any ways.

Don

 

[ronj]

Don you have pictures of your kalk dosing system, I'd like to see how it is layed out?

oops!! i just saw that you were talking to Don.. i was wondering why someone would want to see a pic of my Rubbermaid container and a top-off controller!! LOL

 

[Scooterman]

CARX is so much less hastle.
Don

What is CARX?

So what or how do you maintain CA & alk if you don't dose with calk?

 

[DonW]

What is CARX?

So what or how do you maintail CA & alk if you don't dose with calk?

carx = calcium reactor

Don

 

[Scooterman]

Dooh! LOL

I thought you prefered Calk over a CARX?

 

[DonW]

Dooh! LOL

I thought you prefered Calk over a CARX?

I do for people that dont understand calcium reactors and folks just starting out with very little ca demand. Kalk has almost no effect on my tank so there is no way it comes even close to keeping up.
There are alot of calcium reactor misconceptions that have given them a bad rap, but I would not run a tank without one.

Don

 

[Salty D-O-G]

Another option is, and this is the one I use, is the Kent Marine concentrated calcium. I used a I.V. bag for a long time and got sick of filling it all the time and the Kalk sediment would clog it. Just follow the direction and test once a week. My Ca has been holding steady at 420 PPM since. I just couldn't bring myself to drop up to $500 for a reactor, then the CO2 bottle, PH monitor etc. The levels drop down to about 390 PPM between doses. I am in the future, for my new 175 some day when it cycles LOL, going to get a Aqua Medic triple dosing pump to handle even that.

Jerry

 

[ronj]

i was talking to Don about those dosing pumps..the grit of the kalk will erode the tubing in those pumps..it will have to be replaced very often..that is why i went with a topoff controller..it is not exactly what i wanted because it doesn't drip, but i have mine setup where it kicks on every few minutes throughout the entire day..this will help keep everything stable

 

[scytale]

I'm working on my own kalk doser for cheap = >$20.

I made the D-I-Y Kalk/airline tubing dripper out of a 1 gallon jug, then I hooked the primer tube up to an old air pump.

I plugged the air pump into an $8 digital timer (set to come on @ 10:00pm for 60 seconds) the air pump primes the siphon, the bottle drips Kalk all night....
in the morning, I refill the jug with more kalkwasser, and then repeat...

It took a few trial runs in the kitchen sink to get the airline valve adjusted to the right drip rate...
but it's been running for a few days now, my AM pH is now 8.2 (up from 7.7-7.8) so far so good!