Kalkwasser Dosing w/ Reactor?

[Hiker4twenty]

I'm looking for more simple ways to dose my tank. I currently dose my tank every morning with B-Ionic Alk and Calc. It's been working just fine, but its a PITA and I sometimes forget to do it. I think I may have actually dosed twice yesterday in fear of not dosing at all. Anyway, I've ruled out the Calcium Reactor, but have been thiking about Kalk Reactor. A friend of mine just made one for his store, but I just don't know anything about them. Does Kalkwasser take the place of both Alk and Calc dosing or just Alk? Input and adivse please!

 

[ccCapt]

Does Kalkwasser take the place of both Alk and Calc dosing or just Alk?

It supplements both.
For your reading pleasure.
What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

How to Select a Calcium and Alkalinity Supplementation Scheme by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com​

 

[Hiker4twenty]

It supplements both.
For your reading pleasure.
What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

How to Select a Calcium and Alkalinity Supplementation Scheme by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com​

Thanks for the links Larry! I know you've been in the hobby for many years. What's your personal take on the Kalk reactor vs manual daily dosing? Do you think its any easier, or less beneficial?

 

[ccCapt]

IMO, it's too much of a hassle. I only tried dripping it so I don't know how much better, if any, a reactor would be. The thing with kalk is, to make a saturated solution you only add 2 teaspoons/gal. You have to figure out how much you need to add to make up for evaporation since you are adding fresh water to the tank. For 100 gal water volume, it takes about 2.5 gal of saturated kalk to raise calcium 20 ppm. Since you can't dump alot in at once, it has to be dripped or dosed slowly throughout the day. If you got lucky, your tank would evaporate 1.25 gal/day (or 2.5) and your corals would use 10 ppm ca/day (or 20). ;)

 

[Hiker4twenty]

Thanks Larry. I'm going to have to do some more research into them. Kelvin just built one for his store so I'll have to pick his brain as well.

 

[Brian_G]

I use a Kalk reactor i made with scrylic and a maxi jet and a aqualifter pump. It works pretty well.
One things Ive learned from it is that you cant raise levels witrh kalk, that would take too much and shoot your Ph right out of sight.
I only maintain my tank levels with kalk. I test once a week and maybe dose cal and alk once every 2 months give or take.
One downside is that kalk doesnt dose mag, the other essential element, so that will still needed to be done every now and then.