Yet another Kalk thread
- Thread starter ronj
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Ugla
Well-known member
Kalk
It does replenish both. I have had a DIY reactor for five years hooked up to a dosing pump. My water level stays perfect as well as ph. Ca is 450. Pumps a gallon over 5 hours every morning. Best thing I ever did, makes reefing easy. Using with a ca reactor would be best for sps. That is my next project.
It does replenish both. I have had a DIY reactor for five years hooked up to a dosing pump. My water level stays perfect as well as ph. Ca is 450. Pumps a gallon over 5 hours every morning. Best thing I ever did, makes reefing easy. Using with a ca reactor would be best for sps. That is my next project.
chris&barb
Reef-Geeks
it add both Ca and Alk and will raise PH temporally. if your Ca or Alk is low its best to adjust them to where you want with something other then Kalk, then use the Kalk to maintain those levels.
Katchupoy
Well-known member
Also this will all depend on how much calcium you want... which relates to what kind of corals you are keeping..... if you intend to go SPS then invest on a CA reaktor than kalk...
thekingfish
Well-known member
You could use one or both.
Each has + & -
Kalk will raise ph while calcium reactor will lower it. Using both balances out that ph swing.
Kalk alone can keep up your alk/calcium but if you use it with your topoff,
you're limited by the amount of water you're adding daily.
Ca reactor is good especially if you plan to keep a lot of sps/lps, as it can keep up with the demand. You can also add dolomite to your reactor to maintain your magnesium.
A calcium reactor can add phosphates to your system though.
Each has + & -
Kalk will raise ph while calcium reactor will lower it. Using both balances out that ph swing.
Kalk alone can keep up your alk/calcium but if you use it with your topoff,
you're limited by the amount of water you're adding daily.
Ca reactor is good especially if you plan to keep a lot of sps/lps, as it can keep up with the demand. You can also add dolomite to your reactor to maintain your magnesium.
A calcium reactor can add phosphates to your system though.
Katchupoy
Well-known member
What is you CA reading right now? and what are you using to replenish it? Are you planning to purchase a lot of SPS in the next 6-12 months? if not then Kalk reactor.... then when your tank needs more CA then go to CA reactor.
Remember that when you but a CA reactor in the future it doesnt mean that you are going to stop using your KALK reactor... They go side by side.
So yes... Kalk reactor for now....
Remember that when you but a CA reactor in the future it doesnt mean that you are going to stop using your KALK reactor... They go side by side.
So yes... Kalk reactor for now....
class clown
Well-known member
Ronj - you are not alone. I also don't understand these. I've seen systems where people will have both a CA and Kalc reactor hooked up to the same system, but I don't get it if they both do essentially the same thing. Maybe someone can chime in.
I've heard a Kalc reactor is a "Poor man's Calcium reactor."
I've also heard that if you can use the Kalc reactor to raise your PH if it gets too low.
Me personally, I have a super heavy SPS load and have always just run a calcium reactor. I don't have problems with PH drops because I use a degasser chamber to raise the PH of the effluent water before it goes back into the sump and I have a controller that shuts off the C02 if the PH drops to low. No need to use Kalk to raise PH for me. I have problems with my calcium and alkalinty levels being both being very high compared to natural sea water, so I couldn't imagine adding more of this through Kalc drip..
so, I'll tag along to the thread too. I'm sure we are not alone and a I'm sure someone on here has an answer.
I've heard a Kalc reactor is a "Poor man's Calcium reactor."
I've also heard that if you can use the Kalc reactor to raise your PH if it gets too low.
Me personally, I have a super heavy SPS load and have always just run a calcium reactor. I don't have problems with PH drops because I use a degasser chamber to raise the PH of the effluent water before it goes back into the sump and I have a controller that shuts off the C02 if the PH drops to low. No need to use Kalk to raise PH for me. I have problems with my calcium and alkalinty levels being both being very high compared to natural sea water, so I couldn't imagine adding more of this through Kalc drip..
so, I'll tag along to the thread too. I'm sure we are not alone and a I'm sure someone on here has an answer.
mmkeeper
Well-known member
Ron wait on a ca reator till you she how much ca you use. When you add a ca reactor you run the risk of dropping your ph, then you drip kalk to up the ph. If you are at 420 for your ca today and you test it in a day or two then a week and you see very little change don't waste your money. As you add sps your ca demand will increase then look to adding the ca reactor.
Katchupoy
Well-known member
Here is a simple explanation.
CA reactor needs calcium carbonate as media inside reactor.
You need to melt the media in order for you to use it.
You need to lower the PH inside reactor to melt the media
I think you need 7.0 or lower to melt it inside reactor.
You need C02 gas/tank to make it lower ph inside reactor.
when everything inside comes out out the reactor... then the water has low ph on it....
people adds air diffuser at the outlet to facilitate the co2/air exposure... to pump it up a little bit....
so there you go.... thats calcium reactor...
Kalkwasser....
hmmm you feed the reactor with fresh water supply....
goes inside of reactor mix with kalkwasser...
make the water inside the reactor ph very very high... like 12.0 or something
the the outlet goes to your tank as drip drip drip....
REMEMBER.... two tubes inside reactor....
the one that goes to the bottom of the reactor is the suppy from fresh water
the one at the top is the output that goes to your sump....
and remember....
DRIP DRIP DRIP.... ABOUT 1 per sec... or 2 per sec.....
and thats that
CA reactor needs calcium carbonate as media inside reactor.
You need to melt the media in order for you to use it.
You need to lower the PH inside reactor to melt the media
I think you need 7.0 or lower to melt it inside reactor.
You need C02 gas/tank to make it lower ph inside reactor.
when everything inside comes out out the reactor... then the water has low ph on it....
people adds air diffuser at the outlet to facilitate the co2/air exposure... to pump it up a little bit....
so there you go.... thats calcium reactor...
Kalkwasser....
hmmm you feed the reactor with fresh water supply....
goes inside of reactor mix with kalkwasser...
make the water inside the reactor ph very very high... like 12.0 or something
the the outlet goes to your tank as drip drip drip....
REMEMBER.... two tubes inside reactor....
the one that goes to the bottom of the reactor is the suppy from fresh water
the one at the top is the output that goes to your sump....
and remember....
DRIP DRIP DRIP.... ABOUT 1 per sec... or 2 per sec.....
and thats that
If you are having problems with your levels being too high you should either lower your bubble count or increase the effluent drip rate on your Ca. reactor.
ronj wrote:
i don't really plan on buying a Ca reactor..if i get that many corals, i will just frag away .
I have a 120 with nearly 40 SPS ranging from frag size to small colonies. My kalk reactor drippinig 2 gallons a day couldnt quite keep up with CA demands. Rather than dosing a two part supplement I put MY Ca. reactor on line. You cant frag a frag.
A kalk reactor can raise PH. Some drip at night to help offset swings. Ive never had swing so I drip all day. Kalk also helps to precipitate (remove ) phosphates from water. This is much less expensive than Ca. reactor so most people start with this method. You dont have to have a reactor to drip kalk. There are other very inexpensive ways of dosing it that require daily or weekly maintanance.
Eventually depending on your colonies, demand will likely get higher than dripping kalk can keep up with and then you can put the Ca. reactor on line. The Ca reactor ADDS phosphates to the system and lowers PH depending on the demands. The two in conjunction with each other offset each others side effects and can keep up with Ca. needs of High demand SPS tanks. Quite often it isnt necessary to have both.
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cool, thanks for the info..i need as much as possible..
Don , i looked for a rubbermaid container today at Walmart..i couldn't find one with the number "2" in the triangle..i looked on all of them..i saw "4" and alot of "5"'s....did you mean "5"?????
Don , i looked for a rubbermaid container today at Walmart..i couldn't find one with the number "2" in the triangle..i looked on all of them..i saw "4" and alot of "5"'s....did you mean "5"?????
DonW
R.I.P.
No its 2. They are a bit tough to find and usually grey. Look in the commercial grabage cans.
http://www.americanplasticscouncil.org/s_apc/sec.asp?TRACKID=&CID=313&DID=931
Ron kalk stirrers do make dosing kalk much easier. Take a look at the aquamedic stirrer or the deltecs. You can get a much better understanding of how they work just by reading the pdf instruction manuals on the deltec usa site. The AM works as well as the deltec and is only $200 at the two doctors.
Don
DonW
R.I.P.
The lower grade containers leach chemicals. They also degrade over time and become brittle due to the acidic nature of what we use them for.
Don
SueT
Well-known member
I agree with waiting to see what kind of demand your tank will need to keep levels stable. Right now I have easily over 50 spp. of acropora and plating montipora and dripping kalk at night keeps my levels right on at 420ppm and alk at 9.2dKh. You do need to raise these to the level you want and then drip kalk. to keep it there. It's easy once you know how much calcium is being used daily.
Sherman
Has Met Willis
I didn't read an answer to your question, Ron. Does kalk add or simply replenish?
Both.
Kalkwasser adds calcium and alkalinity. But only so much. If your corals are soaking up more calcium per day than the kalkwasser can keep up with, that's when you go for the big guns, and use a calcium reactor.
They both add calcium and alkalinity. They just do it in different ways, and at much different levels. I run both. I use the kalkwasser because I like the pH bump the kalkwasser adds, in addition to it precipitating phosphates and promoting coralline growth. I use the calcium reactor because the kalkwasser alone can't keep up with all the calcium usage in my tank, so the levels fall.
Both.
Kalkwasser adds calcium and alkalinity. But only so much. If your corals are soaking up more calcium per day than the kalkwasser can keep up with, that's when you go for the big guns, and use a calcium reactor.
They both add calcium and alkalinity. They just do it in different ways, and at much different levels. I run both. I use the kalkwasser because I like the pH bump the kalkwasser adds, in addition to it precipitating phosphates and promoting coralline growth. I use the calcium reactor because the kalkwasser alone can't keep up with all the calcium usage in my tank, so the levels fall.
