Adding a Kalk Stirrer to my system

[jeffmuse]

That is some GREAT advice! While I feel that the Kalk Stirrer is safer than most other methods of dosing kalk, disasters are still possible... I think that using a controller will help minimize the risk.

In addition to the Kalk Stirrer, the other major upgrade that I am planning on making this year to to pick up a controller. I had no idea that you could use a Reef Keeper to actually shut off the ATO in the event that the PH hits a certain level, but that is a genius way of preventing disaster. Over the past week, my Ph has been hovering around 8.4 (which is fine), but I certainly don't want that number to creep up any more. I was planning on using a controller to help with temperature control and monitor parameters... I will certainly use it as a fail safe for stopping a kalk disaster :thumbs: I was considering a Reef Keeper Lite before, however, your suggestion pretty much sealed the deal that this is what I am going to get!

Thank you again for the feedback!



Jeff

Acroholic;509884 wrote: 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