kalk or calcium reactorr

[Ben1]

I think matt had told me in a previous thread that kalk stirrers were no better then a trash can with a powerhead sitting in it and some kalk.

Actually here was his post on it,

According to what RHF has reported:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003- ... /index.php

(and using the same measurement methods, I agree with him), a typical container of kalkwasser left open does not become any less effective if it is exposed to CO2 IF it is overstaurated with CaOH, i.e. there is undissolved CaOH powder left at the bottom.

FWIW, I use a large mixing tub with an excess of CaOH powder at the bottom. It's stirred several times nightly, and a continuous duty dosing pump on a timer delivers it to the tank. The tub is filled with DI water via a float valve. The only maintenance I have to do is dump in the powder every few weeks. The conductivity (actual measure of the effectiveness of the kalk) of the effluent is the same as newly prepared kalk.

Just my 2 cents, but I think there are more effective ways to spend the money if your budget is tight.

 

[Anonymous]

Hmm. That still seems to indicate that the kalk does need to be stirred (which the Tunze solution doesn't achieve) and, if you're risk averse when it comes to DIY solutions like me, that leaves you with the kalk stirrer option... :?

 

[Anonymous]

Hmm. That still seems to indicate that the kalk does need to be stirred (which the Tunze solution doesn't achieve) and, if you're risk averse when it comes to DIY solutions like me, that leaves you with the kalk stirrer option... :?

IIRC in that thread we were discussing whether an open container exposed to CO2 (vs. a closed chamber kalk stirrer) would make the kalkwasser less effective.

I used a pump to stir up the container but that was because the "container" was a 300 gallon tub. It was just much simpler than getting a paddle in there and stirring it. For the small scale stuff on our tanks we do not need to stir kalkwasser any more than the initial mixing.

I recommend adding a bit more than 2 tsps per gallon of DI water for a couple reasons: 1) Dry CaOH powder will always have some percentage of it that is not dissolvable or has reacted with CO2, and 2) The excess CaOH that sits at the bottom of the jug will keep the solution at full saturation. Randy discusses this in the linked article.

Incidentally, for those of us that don't enjoy clean jerking a 5 gallon tub of kalkwasser to chest level to shake it up, there is an easier solution:

While in some cases it is a good idea to aerate seawater before use, using an airstone to mix it is probably the most inefficient way other than throwing it in a container of water and allowing it to diffuse. Adding the dry salt mix slowly and dispersing it with a powerhead can give good results, but it takes a lot of time. So what is a better way?

When industrial chemists need to dissolve large quantities of chemicals in a vat, they often specify electrical mixing motors, which drive a shaft tipped with one propeller or more. You can do much the same thing, on a smaller scale, with a special polypropylene-clad shaft and propeller that is driven with a household drill. Using such a propeller and drill, I can mix 15-gallon batches of synthetic seawater in about a minute. With the appropriate amount of water and such rapid mixing, the synthetic seawater has virtually no opportunity to form insoluble materials.

The specific propeller I am recommending for this purpose is Nalgene part number 6160-0010. It is shown in Figure 2, and consists of three polypropylene blades, 1¾ inches in diameter, fused to an 18 by ¼-inch outside diameter rod (457 by 19 millimeters). The rod is polypropylene clad, with a metal insert for strength. For the purpose of mixing synthetic seawater, I leave it at full length, but it could be cut to other lengths with a hacksaw. This propeller can be obtained from essentially any scientific supply house, and also from U.S. Plastics (1390 Neubrecht Road, Lima, OH; 800-537-9724).

The ¼-inch shaft will fit into the chuck of virtually any high-speed drill. Tighten it firmly and you are ready to go. It is important to use a high-speed drill. I had borrowed a high torque, low rpm drill from Terry Siegel that was mainly for heavy work, and it was considerably less effective at mixing the salt than a little multipurpose drill (up to 2500 rpm) that I’ve used in the past.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Matt! Useful info to reflect in my budgeting process.

 

[Anonymous]

Tom, from what I recall those propellers are like $2 a piece if you can get local reefers to buy the other 11 (they come in a 12 pack)...

 

[Anonymous]

Sure, but I meant in terms of me buying an osmolator and calcium dispenser from Tunze.

 

[Anonymous]

So ummm.. the Tunze "osmolator" seems like a fancy (and overly expensive) float switch.

 

[Anonymous]

So ummm.. the Tunze "osmolator" seems like a fancy (and overly expensive) float switch.

Yep. But it does say Tunze on it!

 

[Anonymous]

Well there ya go, you're paying for the support and reliance of a Tunze product... or something like that

 

[Anonymous]

For those of us that are too nervous about their own DIY skills to make something themselves and want a reliable, plug in and play option, it makes for a good option.

 

[ChrisRD]

I read about people using timers why is this, do you only dose at night?

Some hobbyists use timers to turn simple peristaltic pumps on/off to control dose volumes. More "on" time = more dosing.

They can also be useful for limiting kalkwasser dosing to just night time hours. Since the addition of kalkwasser raises pH, and pH tends to fall naturally overnight, limiting dosing to night hours can help minimize pH swings.

I already have a top off system, what is the advantage of the lm3 over just a regular hospital dosing pump

IME hospital feeding pumps have several limitations when compared to something like a Litermeter. Some cannot be used with timers because when they lose power (i.e. timer shuts off) they lose their settings. Others have a built-in backup battery in which case they just ignore the timer (i.e. keep working even when the timer cuts power).

Another limitation is head pressure. A Litermeter can easily pump from a basement or distant remote locations in the house. Hospital feeding pumps generally have light tubing and limited capacity to handle head pressure.

Also, the thin, light tubing used in medical feeding pumps can wear quickly requiring replacement every few months (sometimes sooner) whereas a Litermeter or heavy duty peristaltic pumps (check eBay for "MasterFlex" pumps) will go for years before requiring a tubing change.

JME