Kalk Reactor How much kalk and how often do I fill?

[BobinCovington]

I have now installed my Drs Foster (and his buddy) $199 Kalk reactor inline with my auto top off for my 29 gallon tank with 29 gallon sump. Now I have a question on how much Kalk and how often to add.

The directions that came with it seem like a bad conversion to english so I want to doublecheck (it says add 2 cups of Kalk??!!).
How much Kalk should I really add each time I change out and how often should I refill it? Also, what is the best way to do the recharging of the reactor...do I remove and rinse out the entire reactor each time or do I just add a cup of kalk powder? Simple directions would sure be appreciated.
And one other question...what is the best brand of kalk? I am hearing that Rowakalk or Warner Marine (with Magnesium) is the best brands.

Ok and one more...Should I be adding Calcium or other supplements too? (i.e. Iodine, Magnesium)

Thanks for all advice on this one

 

[shallowreef]

I do not know all of the questions but as for adding calcium it would be a good idea. It deffinately shouldn't hurt anything.

 

[DonW]

2 cups is alot. I'd start of with 1 until you get the hang of it. Go to the deltec usa site. Download the instructions for one of their reactors. They are well written and your is a clone of theirs. You know its time to recharge when the ph falls much below 11. If you use WM you will not have to keep cleaning the reactor each time, it disolves much better than mrs wages and the like. I dont agree with using a ato and dumping kalk with each top off cycle. It works much better if there is a continous drip combined with the ato. If you check the deltec instructions they will tell you how to do this with your ato.

Don

 

[Slickdonkey]

How much Kalk should I really add each time I change out and how often should I refill it? Also, what is the best way to do the recharging of the reactor...do I remove and rinse out the entire reactor each time or do I just add a cup of kalk powder? Simple directions would sure be appreciated.

Just use kalk for your evaporation topoff, that will tell you how much to use. As for reloading, make sure there are at least 2-3" of kalk in the bottom of the reactor. When I reload mine I put 6-7" in it. When the level starts to drop, add more. You don't need to clean out the reactor, just dump it in and let it mix.

And one other question...what is the best brand of kalk? I am hearing that Rowakalk or Warner Marine (with Magnesium) is the best brands.

It's personal preference; they all do the same thing. I use Mrs. Wages pickling lime. I haven't found any locally here in WA but you can order it for about $5 per 16 oz. With 4 gallons of evaporation per day one of these lasts me about three weeks.

You'll find some people who prefer to use aquarium-grade supplements. These are more expensive but some people think they are safer.

Some reading:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

I do not know all of the questions but as for adding calcium it would be a good idea. It deffinately shouldn't hurt anything.

I disagree; adding Ca could throw off your alkalinity. IMO you should always add Ca/Alk in a balanced additive (like kalk). only dose them separately if they are out of whack (i.e. one is high and the other is low). After you start dosing kalk, check your Ca/Alk levels every few days and you'll get a feeling for where the balance is.

Similarly don't add magnesium or iodine, there's no need. If you're doing regular water changes that sould be good enough. I test my Mg once per month just for peace of mind.

 

[DonW]

Similarly don't add magnesium or iodine, there's no need. If you're doing regular water changes that sould be good enough. I test my Mg once per month just for peace of mind.

Since were talking kalk Mg should be watched more carefully especially if your using a low mg salt like IO. Kalk causes precip of mg making it deplete. Also watch the stirrer carefully. There should be no clouding in the water going into the tank. With the rule of thumb 2tsp per gallon there is no way your going to get all 2 tsp into the solution first time around. If your evap is for example 4g per day you should NOT be consuming 8tsp of kalk per day unless your putting solids into the tank.

Don

 

[Scooterman]

You can't keep balance without MG in the proper range, & the salt you use would make that difference on needing to add or not, IO I would bump it some.