Kalk vs 2-part | Which do you recommend?

[xilez]

Title says it all.. I'd like to begin either 2 part doing (manually) or Kalkwasser in the ATO. I've calculated that I lose about .2 dkH of Alk a day (hanna checker)

Here are my general concerns/comments with both.

Kalk
In general, I feel like the amount my ATO tops off is very sporadic throughout the day, I couldn't tell you how much it tops off a day because every day is different with a lot of variables (was it colder/hotter inside and outside, was no one home all day, was one of us home all day, etc...) A 5 gallon just last me about 2 weeks give or take.

I use a normal 5gal water jug for ATO, will I have a lot of precipitation? I have a Smart Micro ATO - will kalkwasser potentially harm the life span of the pump? I know I would need to start real small dose and see how it work.

Will water changes mess with the amount of kalk I need? Sometimes I do a 30% water change every week, sometimes I only do 20% every 2 weeks...

2-Part

I would prefer manual dosing, as I dont quite have the space for pumps yet. If I ever automate to an Apex I will figure out dosing pumps. To me, I dont mind doing a dose on my way out the door to work each morning. On the weekends though, if I am late on a dose or miss a dose, would it be a big deal?

Which would you recommend? Thanks!

[burtbollinger]

following.

i was gonna do kalk but the more i read, the more I got to thinking I needed to be monitoring with a ph probe. that was gonna negate savings kalk would have provided vs. 2 part with pumps.

 

I thought initially with kalk I could just add a minimum dose to my ATO bucket, raise the pump a bit, then be done...It sounds like this may be too half-azzed an approach.

[xilez]

I thought initially with kalk I could just add a minimum dose to my ATO bucket, raise the pump a bit, then be done...It sounds like this may be too half-azzed an approach.

 

I thought this as well, but once I factored in all the variables and realized my ATO top off is sporadic in how often it tops off, I worry about a risk of running to much to little each day.

 

With 2 part, what happens if I am a couple hours late on a dose? Or miss a dose? No biggie?

[burtbollinger]

 

I thought this as well, but once I factored in all the variables and realized my ATO top off is sporadic in how often it tops off, I worry about a risk of running to much to little each day.

 

With 2 part, what happens if I am a couple hours late on a dose? Or miss a dose? No biggie?

a day wouldnt be a big deal in my experience last time I used 2 part.

[reefist]

I've been dosing kalkwasser for for close to thirty years and have never felt the need to continually monitor pH. Peristaltic type pumps work best as the kalk is added in multiple small doses which negate any significant pH rise. Currently I use a Litermeter but have used Osmolators and other ATOs to administer kalk with success. You just need to unplug the ATO anytime you do maintenance and the water level drops to avoid an inadvertent kalk dump. Most modern ATOs are pretty precise these days so it will only be adding small amounts similar to my Litermeter. Small fluctuations in evaporation throughout the year really have little impact on my alkalinity.

[thedon986]

Love dosing kalk with my Tunze Osmolator. It kicks on roughly every other hour for about 15 seconds and keeps my parameters rock steady. Stopped manually dosing 2 part and will never look back.

[xilez]

Love dosing kalk with my Tunze Osmolator. It kicks on roughly every other hour for about 15 seconds and keeps my parameters rock steady. Stopped manually dosing 2 part and will never look back.

 

I would love this, but sometimes my ATO can trigger 3 times in 45 minutes, or maybe once every hour and a half... If I had a minimal enough dose of Kalk in the ATO, would this be ok?

[thedon986]

 

I would love this, but sometimes my ATO can trigger 3 times in 45 minutes, or maybe once every hour and a half... If I had a minimal enough dose of Kalk in the ATO, would this be ok?

 

Have you measured how much liquid that translates to? I believe mine adds about 4-5oz every other hour (22L). Your evaporation rate is probably be less than mine. I don't think it would be adding more than that.

[burtbollinger]

I've been dosing kalkwasser for for close to thirty years and have never felt the need to continually monitor pH. Peristaltic type pumps work best as the kalk is added in multiple small doses which negate any significant pH rise. Currently I use a Litermeter but have used Osmolators and other ATOs to administer kalk with success. You just need to unplug the ATO anytime you do maintenance and the water level drops to avoid an inadvertent kalk dump. Most modern ATOs are pretty precise these days so it will only be adding small amounts similar to my Litermeter. Small fluctuations in evaporation throughout the year really have little impact on my alkalinity.

So, lets say I have a Tunze ATO and a 5g bucket of RO/DI. Can I just add the min. reccommended dose of Kalk and begin daily monitoring of Kh to observe? Then in subsequent refills of the ATO bucket just adjust amount of kalk if necessary upward?

 

OR, I do have a BRS doser or 2 laying around...I could just use one of these with a timer? (im reading it doesnt pump enough)

 

Love dosing kalk with my Tunze Osmolator. It kicks on roughly every other hour for about 15 seconds and keeps my parameters rock steady. Stopped manually dosing 2 part and will never look back.

do you raise the pump up a bit...any help and guidance you can provide to an absolute beginner I'd love to hear.

[Nola Bear]

Tagging along

[thedon986]

do you raise the pump up a bit...any help and guidance you can provide to an absolute beginner I'd love to hear.

 

Yep, I raise the pump about an inch and clip the power cord with a binder clip. The pump flow is also dialed back so I'm not worried about picking up any precipitate. I also mix the kalk with heated water (78) and it mixes fairly clear with minimal precipitate anyways.

So, lets say I have a Tunze ATO and a 5g bucket of RO/DI. Can I just add the min. reccommended dose of Kalk and begin daily monitoring of Kh to observe? Then in subsequent refills of the ATO bucket just adjust amount of kalk if necessary upward?

 

OR, I do have a BRS doser or 2 laying around...I could just use one of these with a timer? (im reading it doesnt pump enough)

 

I would use it with the Tunze. BRS' video on kalk even recommends the Tunze method. I started at 1tsp per gallon and yes monitored alk before and a few days after. Spot on so I am keeping that dosage.

[burtbollinger]

 

Yep, I raise the pump about an inch and clip the power cord with a binder clip. The pump flow is also dialed back so I'm not worried about picking up any precipitate. I also mix the kalk with heated water (78) and it mixes fairly clear with minimal precipitate anyways.

 

I would use it with the Tunze. BRS' video on kalk even recommends the Tunze method. I started at 1tsp per gallon and yes monitored alk before and a few days after. Spot on so I am keeping that dosage.

So, if you disolve the 1 tsp in 5g or so....it will mix pretty clear then....does the kalk ever come out of suspension or is it good to go once it dissolves?

[thedon986]

I don't think 1tsp per 5 gallons is really even worth it. At the dosage I am using, it will mix and will remain slightly cloudy with a small amount settling out on the bottom. I have a clear acrylic ATO container so it's easier for me to see how it is mixing. I found if I mix warm that I don't need to wait very long at all before turning the ATO back on. It's recommended that you top off a bit extra with RODI before mixing your kalk so the ATO doesn't pump for a couple hours when you're positive everything has settled out.

 

I would do exactly that for your first time. Add extra RODI and then mix up the kalk at 1tsp per gallon and let it settle for a couple hours. Turn ATO on and prime Tunze pump. Monitor before and a few days later levels.

So, if you disolve the 1 tsp in 5g or so....it will mix pretty clear then....does the kalk ever come out of suspension or is it good to go once it dissolves?

[Nano sapiens]

Many benefits to Kalkwasser dosing (helps keep pH optimal when dosed correctly and no chlorine ionic imbalances with long term use).

 

Back in the day when Kalk usage became the norm, we made a saturated solution (around 2 tsp/gal of RO), capped it and then let it settle for a few days. After that, simply siphon off the relatively clear supersaturate and discard any undissolved calcium hydroxide/calcium carbonate on the bottom.

 

The supersaturated liquid can be 'cut' with RO water to create the potency needed to keep the alkalinity stable. For my system, ~ 60% Kalkwasser/RO ratio in the winter and ~80% in the summer keeps alk relatively stable, the difference being due to evaporation and metabolism increase in warmer weather (each system will vary, of course).

 

The only caveat is just make sure your setup can't accidentally dump a lot of KW at one time which could cause a damaging pH spike.

[Clown79]

I like esv bionic liquid 2 part.

 

I dose manually. Takes 5 mins.

[xilez]

Decided to go with manual dosing of BRS 2 part for the time being...I was planning on dosing both before I leave for work each morning... is this ok?

 

Should I do calc or alk first? I was thinking waiting 5 minutes between each dose... I could do alk in the AM and Calc in the PM, but my PM schedule would fluctuate a lot more than the AM

[Water Dog]

Love dosing kalk with my Tunze Osmolator. It kicks on roughly every other hour for about 15 seconds and keeps my parameters rock steady. Stopped manually dosing 2 part and will never look back.

A question on dosing Kalk with the Tunze... a concern with using the Tunze for me with Kalk is when I turn things off for maintenance or feeding. When the Tunze 3155 is powered back on it automatically runs for 15 seconds. Does this pose any issues?

[RayWhisperer]

Don't know much about the tunze pumps. Can't help ya.

One thing I'm seeing here with you folks thinking about using kalk. (Especially you, Burt.) you can't leave it in an open container.

 

As for how I did my kalk. I never cut it. I mixed half strength, then mixed full when that didn't cut it. So, for the first few months, half was fine. Once consumption went above, I just went straight to full strength. Last time I used a liter meter. Every time before that, I just dripped it overnight. The thing you want to avoid is adding it too quick. The slower the better. If I could have figured out a way to add a few drops a minute for 24 hours straight, I would have.

 

You will see some buildup on heaters and pumps, though. I used to clean my pumps and heaters once every 6 months. I soaked them in 5:1 water/ muriatic acid. Makes cleanup much quicker than it was with vinegar.

[burtbollinger]

I'm going with 2 part...got a pair of BRS dosers for 50 bucks.

[thedon986]

A question on dosing Kalk with the Tunze... a concern with using the Tunze for me with Kalk is when I turn things off for maintenance or feeding. When the Tunze 3155 is powered back on it automatically runs for 15 seconds. Does this pose any issues?

You turn it off every time you feed? Why is that? The only time I turn it off is to change the ATO water and when I siphon the return chamber for cleaning.

 

However, I don't think it would pose a real issue as far as pH spikes. Do you have your pump speed dialed back? That would definitely eliminate a possible issue with the frequent on/off. I have mine dialed back pretty far so it tops off slowly. It's a powerful little pump.

[Water Dog]

Yeah, I turn off the return pump and skimmer when I feed, thus the ATO has to get shut off too. My ATO pump is in fact, turned all the way down as well.

[thedon986]

Yeah, I turn off the return pump and skimmer when I feed, thus the ATO has to get shut off too. My ATO pump is in fact, turned all the way down as well.

 

When I turn off the return or the skimmer I don't turn off my ATO. I just realized you probably have the alarm active. I disabled that for that reason. I trust the optical eye and the float switch enough.