Kalk system
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: DIY
Forum Description: Do it Yourself
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5647
Printed Date: July 27 2026 at 9:58am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Kalk system
Posted By: fj40fax
Subject: Kalk system
Date Posted: March 07 2005 at 10:53am
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I would like to try a kalk system in my tank, but space is very limited
in my stand. I have room for a 5" PVC fence post that could be
36" tall. I would like to top this tower off from the RO unit
with a float valve near the top. I can put the gravity drip
system near the top (maybe 8" down from the fresh water coming in) to
get nice clear "effluent" I would make some kind of bracket to
hold a normal powerhead about a foot off the bottom with a straight
tube pointing at the bottom. I would also extend the intake on
the powerhead to take in clearer water from near the top, hopefully
making it easier on the powerhead to use pickling lime rather than the
expensive stuff. The cord would just come out the open top, and
to recharge I could just dump in some more lime. It would buffer
all of my make up water and add Kalk at the same time. See any
pitfalls or problems with this idea? Thanks, Fax ------------- Fax 318-3632 90g 2x250W 14kK MH Sump, Fuge, G3, UV, O3, ACIII Pleasant Grove, UT Across State Street from the Purple Turtle Adjustments and Massages for Frags! |
Replies:
Posted By: reptoreef
Date Posted: March 07 2005 at 11:13am
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Sound generally similar to my system... mine works well. The only diff seems to be that my kalk vessel is a 5 gl bucket. Jason ------------- www.captivereefing.com |
Posted By: fj40fax
Date Posted: March 12 2005 at 6:29pm
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Can I put too much pickling lime in here? I would like to not
have to recharge it very often. The stirring pump and the line to
the sump are both up high (2' above the bottom), so the worst I can
imagine happening is that I have a bunch of Ca carbonate accumulating
on the bottom, but it will get stirred around with the excess lime when
the pump runs. This should get installed on Monday, so any
suggestions made today would be appreciated. Thanks, Fax ------------- Fax 318-3632 90g 2x250W 14kK MH Sump, Fuge, G3, UV, O3, ACIII Pleasant Grove, UT Across State Street from the Purple Turtle Adjustments and Massages for Frags! |
Posted By: reptoreef
Date Posted: March 12 2005 at 7:20pm
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If your PH is stable @ 12-12.5, then you should have enough. It really is gonna depend on the amount of makeup water your tank will require. I use about 1-2 Tablespoons of alk per gallon in the reservoir being mixed. Test and tweak from there. I recharge with about 1/3cup lime as needed. Jason ------------- www.captivereefing.com |
Posted By: fj40fax
Date Posted: March 12 2005 at 7:34pm
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If I put more kalk in the reservoir, will the pH go above 12.5? I
always thought the idea was to have a saturated solution (at 12-12.5
pH), and so if I put more kalk in it would just not dissolve until some
fresh water was added. Fax ------------- Fax 318-3632 90g 2x250W 14kK MH Sump, Fuge, G3, UV, O3, ACIII Pleasant Grove, UT Across State Street from the Purple Turtle Adjustments and Massages for Frags! |
Posted By: jfinch
Date Posted: March 12 2005 at 10:34pm
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If I put more kalk in the reservoir, will the pH go above 12.5? No, that's max. so if I put more kalk in it would just not dissolve until some fresh water was added. Correct. ------------- Jon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6y_EzjI_ljbIwf2n5uNzTw" rel="nofollow - What I've been doing... |
Posted By: fj40fax
Date Posted: March 23 2005 at 6:55pm
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I got it put together tonight and added the Kalk (pickling lime from Macey's for $.99/lb). I put in 3 lbs so it should be good for awhile. I added a total of 4 fans to increase evap.
View looking down from the top. You can see the fence post used as a reservoir, on the top left is an emergency overflow to send float valve mishaps down the drain. The red is a neat little contraption that makes an annoying sound when the water level gets too high (see float valve mishaps above), and the float valve from the RO is on the right. Below the red you can see the exit for the Kalk solution to go down to the sump, just below that (not seen here) is a powerhead on a 2' piece of PVC on the end to stir the solution. The powerhead will be on a timer to mix the solution about 3x/day. Fax ------------- Fax 318-3632 90g 2x250W 14kK MH Sump, Fuge, G3, UV, O3, ACIII Pleasant Grove, UT Across State Street from the Purple Turtle Adjustments and Massages for Frags! |
Posted By: joliverson
Date Posted: March 24 2005 at 8:54am
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How much water will it hold. Will you be around today and can I stop by to see it. Jody |
Posted By: fj40fax
Date Posted: March 24 2005 at 10:07am
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I will be around today, but I won't be in until after 1:00. Let me know what time you want to come by. Cell # below. Fax Edit: It holds about 3 gallons, but all the action takes place in about 2 quarts of fluid. The bottom 2 gallons is just to hold Kalk and Ca Carbonate that will accumulate. ------------- Fax 318-3632 90g 2x250W 14kK MH Sump, Fuge, G3, UV, O3, ACIII Pleasant Grove, UT Across State Street from the Purple Turtle Adjustments and Massages for Frags! |
Posted By: joliverson
Date Posted: March 24 2005 at 10:09am
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It will probably be between 3 and 4. I'll give you a call. |
Posted By: fj40fax
Date Posted: March 31 2005 at 11:56am
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Just thought I would add that just in the short time I have been using this (about a week) that the small amount of hair algae that I had is now dead or dying. I think I read somewhere that the Kalk binds to phos and precipitates it out. Can someone back me up on that one? Fax ------------- Fax 318-3632 90g 2x250W 14kK MH Sump, Fuge, G3, UV, O3, ACIII Pleasant Grove, UT Across State Street from the Purple Turtle Adjustments and Massages for Frags! |
Posted By: reptoreef
Date Posted: April 01 2005 at 12:15am
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Pretty much sums it in a round about way. ------------- www.captivereefing.com |