Dosing kalk?

[Mussin]

I dose brightwell two part right now but I have been thinking about switching to kalk. It seems to be a lot cheaper. Anyone on here do this? If so how do you go about doing so and what do you use?



Jeremy

[wrassel]

I dose kalk in my top off water. I mix pickling lime in the top off and use a cheap aqua lifter pump set on a timer to run about 3 minutes at a time. I have it set about every other hour at night and just a couple times during the day.  I use about a gallon a day. I'm still playing with amounts but right now I've been mixing 1.5 tsp per gallon but I still have to add 2 part a couple times a week to keep levels up. I'm sure someone else has more experience than me I'm still trying to figure it all out myself. The lime is cheap though and you can add some vinegar to the water to carry more lime but again I haven't gotten that far.

[budman]

I run kalk in my ato all top off is kalk. I use  a five gallon as my topoff . This has kept my levels stable. And I use ms wages pickling lime for kalk as it is cheaper.

[Mussin]

Here is my plan. I want to add kalk to my ATO and dose that way. I have a 90g display and a 30 g sump. I use a 5 g bucket for my ATO. I loose right at a gallon a day for evaporation. I use a toms aqualifter pump for my ATO so it adds it in slowly. Do you guys add anything else like straight vinegar with the kalk?

[Keith92]

I was thinking of going with Kalk as well. I was talking to someone this week and they warned against using Kalk in ATO because it would be rough on the pump. I am using a Tunze ATO and would hate to burn up the pump. Anyone else have experience with this?

[wrassel]

I use a cheap aqua lifter pump. They don't cost much and mine has ran kalk over a year with no issues. I heard stories about being hard on pumps also so I went with the aqua lifter on a timer. It also pumps pretty slow which is a bonus. Just run some vinegar through it semi annual to clean it out a little.

[kellyj]

I've been using kalk in my ATO for over a year with no problems.  I have an Eheim 300 pump (less than $20) on my 90 gallon.
Kelly

[Mussin]

Getting ready to start this..  How do I know how much kalk to mix in to start with?  I have a 5 gallon ato bucket.

[kellyj]

It probably depends on how many and what types of coral you have.  I would start with 1 teaspoon per gallon and monitor your calcium and alkalinity.  I use Mrs. Wages pickling lime, 1-1/2 teaspoons per gallon.
Kelly

[Mussin]

Thanks. LPS dominated, Zoas, softies. No sps..

[kellyj]

Same here.  No SPS's yet.
Kelly

[wrassel]

The max you can keep in suspension without adding vinegar is 2 tsp. I think 1 to 1.5 to start. I haven't tried adding vinegar but I still drop alk daily with 2 teaspoon per gallon. I have a decent amount of SPS but no huge colonies. But it keeps things stable enough I don't have to add 2.part daily. I use ms. Wages also its super cheap. Also you will notice a white sediment on the bottom of you dosing container. Don't add this to the tank. I clean mine every couple of months. Good luck