Adding a Kalk Stirrer to my system

[jeffmuse]

I am really pumped about my newest hardware addition, the Kalk Stirrer! Despite weekly water changes (I use Sea Chem Salinity), I have been having to buffer my tank to keep the proper parameters over the past few weeks (especially alkalinity). I am hoping that adding a Kalk mix to the system will keep things more stable and prevent swings in my Ph and Alk.

I decided to go with a Kalk Stirrer, as this seems to be a fairly fool proof way to add Kalk mix to the system. I currently use a Tunze ATO, and will simply be hooking the Kalk stirrer up to the top off. Basically, as the water level in the tank evaporates the Tune will pump RO/DI water from a 5 gallon reservoir into the Kalk chamber. The stirrer ensures that the kalk stays mixed and does not all settle at the bottom. As the Tunze pumps water into the Kalk chamber, the water level rises to the top of the reactor and then drains into the sump.

Seems pretty simple... here is my setup. I will document with some pics and give some baselines on parameters. I appreciate any feedback that you guys have to offer!

Aquamedic 1000 Stirrer

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Out of the box

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Here is the stirring device outside of the reactor

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Here is the kalk mix that came with the Stirrer... I will go ahead and use this for the first try, but may switch over to something like Brightwell Aquatic +2 in the future. I will see who this works first through:

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The kalk has been mixed with RO water and added to the reactor. The instructions on the stirrer called for 2 cups of kalk mix to be added to the stirrer... that seems like it would last forever :confused2:

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Here is a pic of my Tunze Osmolator controller... I love this top off system

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My 5 gallon RO reservoir

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I am going to let the kalk mix settle, then I will hook the stirrer up to the ATO, and I will have everything up and running.

 

[weaglereefer]

Nice, I'm running the same reactor.

I just use Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime, don't need that fancy stuff.

Something I did with mine was remove the check valve from where they have it and put it further back along the feed line. Just looked cleaner to me that way. Also, some of them apparently come installed reversed, so make sure it's the right way.

 

[jeffmuse]

au01st;501374 wrote: Nice, I'm running the same reactor.

I just use Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime, don't need that fancy stuff.

Something I did with mine was remove the check valve from where they have it and put it further back along the feed line. Just looked cleaner to me that way. Also, some of them apparently come installed reversed, so make sure it's the right way.

Good call on the check valve... I don't particularly like where they have it either.

How often do you empty your reactor? From the amount of Kalk that it is asking for me to dissolve, it seems like it should be good to go for a month or two? How ofter are you adding lime to yours?

 

[acroholic]

I add 2 cups to my kalk stirrer every 2 weeks or so. MRC brand.

 

[weaglereefer]

Well it will cease to be potent before it all fully dissolves. I get about 3 weeks out of mine before I notice the pH of the tank runs a bit lower.

 

[jeffmuse]

Acroholic;501388 wrote: I add 2 cups to my kalk stirrer every 2 weeks or so. MRC brand.

Cool, I appreciate the feedback! I felt like two cups was a TON of Kalk, however given the amount of evaporation that the ATO makes up for, I am sure that it goes quick

 

[jeffmuse]

Ok, everything is up and running! I am anxious to see the impact that the kalk dosing has on my numbers. More than anything, I am looking for stability... less drops in Ph, and especially Alk.

Here the kalk has been mixing for a couple of hous:

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Connecting the RO/DI line to the reactor:

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Here is a pic connecting the input line (for the reactor) to the dosing pump for the Tunze:

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Here are a couple of pics of the sump... everything is up and running

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[jeffmuse]

au01st;501374 wrote: Nice, I'm running the same reactor.

I just use Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime, don't need that fancy stuff.

Something I did with mine was remove the check valve from where they have it and put it further back along the feed line. Just looked cleaner to me that way. Also, some of them apparently come installed reversed, so make sure it's the right way.

I set everything up, and SURE ENOUGH, the check valve was installed reverse! I reconnected everything, and I am in good shape now

 

[weaglereefer]

My consulting fee is 1 frag of sun coral.

 

[jcusmarine]

Taggin along....I have been considering. Thanks for the thread!

 

[acroholic]

A Nilsen is good for maintaining pH. I have a Calcium reactor and the effluent that goes back into the tank is about 6.3, but I also have a Sulfur Denitrator and the effluent from that is like 6.0, even lower than the calcium reactor, so it helps stabilize the tank PH bacause of the double whammy the two reactor's effluent do to the system pH.

 

[jeffmuse]

au01st;501889 wrote: My consulting fee is 1 frag of sun coral.

Lol, I think that is fair! :thumbs:

 

[brynbyers]

Where did you purchase your stirrer? I'd like to add one and hate mixing separately to add to my top off.

 

[jeffmuse]

The reactor has been running for a few days now, and everything seems to be doing fine. I have been checking the water parameters, and everything has been stable (which is what I was hoping for). Here are the numbers:

Ph 8.4
Alk 8.0 kh
Calcium 380

I have not buffered anything since I started using the stirrer, and the numbers have not dropped at all during that time. The only number that has changed is the Ph... it is slightly up. My Ph usually hovered around 8.2 before adding the kalkwasser.

Let me know what you guys think :thumbs:

 

[weaglereefer]

Buffer your CA up some more to like 420 and see if the reactor maintains it.

 

[brynbyers]

AndyMan;502489 wrote: on sale till end of month $181 shipped

http://www.greyseasaquatics.com/ssc/do/product/kalkreactors/K1">http://www.greyseasaquatics.com/ssc/do/product/kalkreactors/K1</a>[/QUOTE]

Is this one you use? Or are they all about the same?

 

[jeffmuse]

I have been running the Kalk reactor for a few weeks now, and I must say that I have been pleased with the results. Before, I found myself constantly buffering in order to keep Ph, Alk, and Calc in line... now, the reactor seems to keep the parameters much more stable (especially Ph and Calcium)
Here are my numbers, as of this morning:

Ph 8.4
Alk 7 kh
Calcium 425
Amonia Na
Nitirte Na
Nitrate 2 ppm
Avg Temp 80
SG 1.23

 

[jeffmuse]

Adisport;509673 wrote: What pump do you use to feed your Stirrer? What is its foot print? How does the stirrer effect your Mag lvl? Does it not hold an 8 Dkh or higher?

These are some good questions!

1) Pump - I use the Tunze Osmolator 3155 as my ATO. Having an ATO in place made installing the Kalk Reactor really simple... basically when the water level is low, the Tunze sensor kicks on the pump, which feeds RO/DI water from a reservoir directly into the kalk reactor chamber. As the chamber fills up, it empties out of the top of the reactor into the sump. I think that you could pretty easily incorporate any ATO or dosing pump to a kalk stirrer, and you would be up and running fairly quickly.

2) Foot print - It is pretty small, (18.25" H x 6.5" W x 6.5" L)

3) Mag - I am not REALLY sure what impact this has on magnesium. I do not have a Mag test kit, so I do not know what adding kalk does to that parameter. I use bright well aquatics Kalk powder, and it claims to add both magnesium and stromium in its Kalk mix.

4) Holding Alk - I am pretty sure that it will hold a pretty high alk and calcium level. My alk was low before I started to use the reactor (around 5 kh), so I used Sea Chem Reef Buffer for a couple of days before activating the reactor. I am in the process of pushing the Alk levels higher to see if the Kalk addition will hold it those levels. As for calcium, it has held above 425 for 3 weeks will not additions.

 

[acroholic]

Jeff,
I'm glad you like your Kalk Stirrer. Now here are two things to be wary of, because I have been thru both myself, and this situation can overdose your tank with kalk and nuke the inhabitants. I run my Osmolator thru an MRC Kalk Stirrer.

Your Nilsen functions with a continuous slow turn of the plastic stirrer on the bottom of the reservoir, mine has a Pan World pump that comes on every 3 hours for two minutes, but this can happen with both models.

1. Always turn your Osmolator off when you drip acclimate a new fish or coral. If your Osmolator is allowed to run for an extened period of time thru the Kalk slurry even if the Nilsen is not stirring, it will blow the pure kalk sludge up and out of the reactor and into your tank. This can nuke the tank.

2. A leak somewhere in the tank can do the same thing as forgetting to turn the Osmolator off. Your Osmolator can run until it starts nuking the tank with pure kalk sludge.

How to deal with it. I have my Osmolator and Nilsen's power supply controlled by an RKL unit tied to the RKL pH probe. The probe 99% of the time is just an in tank pH monitor, but if the tank pH spikes past 8.5, the RKL cuts power to the Osmolator and Nilsen, which stops any further kalk/water additions until I can deal with the problem or the pH goes back below 8.3. Doing something like this can save your tank in the event of a kalk overdose.
Dave

 

[corigan]

Great Advice, also get a Mag kit stat! Kalk seems to increase the uptake of mag.