Dosing Kalk, and Carbon/Calcium Reactors

Vapour1ze · 11/13/2008, 10:17 PM

Getting to the stage of my tank where its cycled, and I'm moving fairly slow but wondering, I still have heard no good answers, If I am going to be running SPS I need to keep my Ca and Alk up^ which means I should use a reactor correct? But is this running water through it constantly? Won't that overdose it and send my levels through the roof or no? Also, I hear dose Limewater, is that just the basic way of saying Kalkwasser powder mixed with water? And then pouring in your tank, I've seen no good answer to this and would love a good one,

Vapour1ze · 11/14/2008, 02:06 AM

bump.. no one?

maroun.c · 11/14/2008, 03:01 AM

Tagging along,
Have not used a Ca reactor, but for this I believe setting the fflow rate as well as CO2 rate (PH) in the reactor to specific values should allow you to run the system without daily monitoring. I'm sure others who are more familiar with this issue would chime in with more detailed info.

burris · 11/14/2008, 02:03 PM

Every reef tank needs constant additions of calcium and carbonate to keep those levels up. You'd be surprised at how much is sucked up by coralline algae, featherdusters, and tons of other stuff in addition to stony corals. You should use a balanced system such as a CO2/CaCO3 reactor but you could also use "two part" and/or limewater. Kalkwasser is German for limewater. This article by Randy Holmes-Farley has links that will tell you everything you need to know about calcium and alkalinity maintenance. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php With light and current, Ca/KH/Mg maintenance is truly the third leg that supports your reef.

Yes, water from the tank is continually cycled through a calcium reactor but the total output is limited by the amount of CO2 that is injected. If the CO2 stays constant but the flow is reduced, the concentration of the effluent will increase but the total amount of calcium and alkalinity output over time will stay the same. Likewise, turning up the flow will make the effluent more dilute in the same proportion as the increase in flow. Within pH limits.

Bringing a reactor online is simple. Each day you test the alkalinity in your tank, use both parts of 2-part solution to bring alkalinity back to wherever you want it, and turn up the CO2 a little tiny bit. You should see the alkalinity drop get smaller each day until it stops dropping. At that point the output of the reactor is matched to the demand of your tank. If CO2 isn't going into solution and starts building up in the reactor then increase the flow. Most tanks have slowly increasing demands so you still have to test every week or two, increase the CO2 slightly if necessary, and use some 2-part to bring your levels back up. It's much better to be a little bit low and have to add some 2-part a couple times per month than be a little high and have to shut off CO2. Some people use as pH controller to turn CO2 on and off then adjust the reactor output by adjusting the flow but I don't recommend it.

Here is a calculator that will tell you how much 2 part to add to bring your alkalinity back up. http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chemcalc.html

Yes limewater is the English term for kalkwasser. No, you do not want to pour it into your tank. It has a very high pH over 12 and can shock your system if it is added too quickly. Ideally, limewater should be added to your tank at the same rate that water evaporates. I use a dosing pump (Spectrapure Litermeter, highly recommended) to push ro/di water through a Nilsen (a.k.a. kalk reactor) which mixes the lime on the fly and lets it drip into the sump. If I had more space I would just have a separate limewater reservoir and not use the Nilsen. Topping up the tank is a huge chore so you should seriously look into "ATO" with limewater. However, you're probably going to need to also use two part solution or a calcium reactor because limewater isn't very concentrated. Limewater, added slowly, is good for your tank and has a long long history among very successful reef keepers. Obligatory Randy Holmes-Farley article here: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php

Finally, keep a log. Even if it's just a two column spreadsheet with the date and whatever you added or the test result. Notepad would work too. Just write down the results of any tests and log whatever additions you make to the tank. It really helps and costs very little!

11/13/2008, 10:17 PM	#1
Vapour1ze I'm an Addict. Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Yorkville, IL Posts: 3,036	Dosing Kalk, and Carbon/Calcium Reactors Getting to the stage of my tank where its cycled, and I'm moving fairly slow but wondering, I still have heard no good answers, If I am going to be running SPS I need to keep my Ca and Alk up^ which means I should use a reactor correct? But is this running water through it constantly? Won't that overdose it and send my levels through the roof or no? Also, I hear dose Limewater, is that just the basic way of saying Kalkwasser powder mixed with water? And then pouring in your tank, I've seen no good answer to this and would love a good one, __________________ 93 Reef \| 220 Reef \| Basement Fish Life Support Room \| Empty Savings Account

11/14/2008, 02:06 AM	#2
Vapour1ze I'm an Addict. Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Yorkville, IL Posts: 3,036	bump.. no one? __________________ 93 Reef \| 220 Reef \| Basement Fish Life Support Room \| Empty Savings Account

11/14/2008, 03:01 AM	#3
maroun.c Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Lebanon Posts: 6,111	Tagging along, Have not used a Ca reactor, but for this I believe setting the fflow rate as well as CO2 rate (PH) in the reactor to specific values should allow you to run the system without daily monitoring. I'm sure others who are more familiar with this issue would chime in with more detailed info. __________________ 390 G mixed reef build Current Tank Info: 390G mixed reef

11/14/2008, 02:03 PM	#4
burris Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 257	Every reef tank needs constant additions of calcium and carbonate to keep those levels up. You'd be surprised at how much is sucked up by coralline algae, featherdusters, and tons of other stuff in addition to stony corals. You should use a balanced system such as a CO2/CaCO3 reactor but you could also use "two part" and/or limewater. Kalkwasser is German for limewater. This article by Randy Holmes-Farley has links that will tell you everything you need to know about calcium and alkalinity maintenance. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php With light and current, Ca/KH/Mg maintenance is truly the third leg that supports your reef. Yes, water from the tank is continually cycled through a calcium reactor but the total output is limited by the amount of CO2 that is injected. If the CO2 stays constant but the flow is reduced, the concentration of the effluent will increase but the total amount of calcium and alkalinity output over time will stay the same. Likewise, turning up the flow will make the effluent more dilute in the same proportion as the increase in flow. Within pH limits. Bringing a reactor online is simple. Each day you test the alkalinity in your tank, use both parts of 2-part solution to bring alkalinity back to wherever you want it, and turn up the CO2 a little tiny bit. You should see the alkalinity drop get smaller each day until it stops dropping. At that point the output of the reactor is matched to the demand of your tank. If CO2 isn't going into solution and starts building up in the reactor then increase the flow. Most tanks have slowly increasing demands so you still have to test every week or two, increase the CO2 slightly if necessary, and use some 2-part to bring your levels back up. It's much better to be a little bit low and have to add some 2-part a couple times per month than be a little high and have to shut off CO2. Some people use as pH controller to turn CO2 on and off then adjust the reactor output by adjusting the flow but I don't recommend it. Here is a calculator that will tell you how much 2 part to add to bring your alkalinity back up. http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chemcalc.html Yes limewater is the English term for kalkwasser. No, you do not want to pour it into your tank. It has a very high pH over 12 and can shock your system if it is added too quickly. Ideally, limewater should be added to your tank at the same rate that water evaporates. I use a dosing pump (Spectrapure Litermeter, highly recommended) to push ro/di water through a Nilsen (a.k.a. kalk reactor) which mixes the lime on the fly and lets it drip into the sump. If I had more space I would just have a separate limewater reservoir and not use the Nilsen. Topping up the tank is a huge chore so you should seriously look into "ATO" with limewater. However, you're probably going to need to also use two part solution or a calcium reactor because limewater isn't very concentrated. Limewater, added slowly, is good for your tank and has a long long history among very successful reef keepers. Obligatory Randy Holmes-Farley article here: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php Finally, keep a log. Even if it's just a two column spreadsheet with the date and whatever you added or the test result. Notepad would work too. Just write down the results of any tests and log whatever additions you make to the tank. It really helps and costs very little!