Another DIY Kalk reactor

[jaustin]

You guys and gals have inspired me to make one of the RO canister Kalk reactors. I went ahead and stepped it up and got the 20" RO canister from BRS. I use an aqualifter pump that's controlled by an auto top off from autotopoff.com. This setup has proved itself in the month i've had it set up. I no longer dose calcium and my alk is stable at 8.8. Before i was just adding Kalk to a 30g top off container. That method worked but wasn't saturating the top off water enough and alot of product was being wasted. Now with this setup nothing is wasted and the top off water is saturaded!

Here are some pics,

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[schwaggs]

Sweet setup! Nice and neat! How much did the canister cost, do you have a link to were you got it?

 

[jaustin]

Look up bulk reef supply, they have a bunch of RO stuff. The canister was $35 i thing. I bought 2 3/4" - 1/4" reducers and the 1/4" 90deg. fittings. Total was a little over $42, oh and the inside piece i got from my LFS, it was a couple bucks and is 3/4" rigit tubing cut to fit all the way to the bottom of the canister. I drilled 8 1/8" holes for the RO water to com out and push through the kalk powder.

HTH
Jason

 

[weaglereefer]

Do you have any way to stir up the kalk? Or does it just get saturated by being forced through the kalk at the bottom?

 

[jaustin]

It gets saturated by being pushed through the kalk powder. I do pick it up and shake it up once a week though. The kalk turns into a sludg after a day or so....so it's easy for the RO water to saturate.

 

[weaglereefer]

Cool. Looks good. Can't wait to get my reactor going.

How are you controlling it? Worried about PH spikes?

 

[jaustin]

I evap a gallon a day. So a gallon of kalk is added every day. My ph is 8.2-8.4 in the day and 8.0 at night. The kalk is controlled by an auto top off that is SENSATIVE and it seems to turn on every 15 min to dose top off water.