kalk

[clowninround]

I am going to purchase one of kent marines aquadosers. It does by a iv drip I think, here's the question. Can I mix up kalk and dose it with this?

 

[JohnNLuc]

Yes You can but before dosing with kalk you should know some things. Mix the kalk 24 hours before you actually use it thus allowing it to disolve to its full concentration, Only drip the liquid not the residue on the bottom of the bottle where the kalk was mixed, Clean the IV drip out from time to time due to the fact that it will get clogged from the kalk solution and will slow your drip down, and lastly good luck

 

[clowninround]

So I should mix it in a seperate container and take out just the liquid?

 

[JohnNLuc]

Thats correct. You just want to drip that liquid

 

[JohnNLuc]

Thats correct. You just want to drip that liquid

 

[steve-s]

Plastic milk jugs (cleaned with very hot water) work great as a mixing container.

Cheers
Steve

 

[SquishyFish]

You cannot use a kent doser to drip Kalk for one simple reason. It drips from the bottom and not the side. That means that any precipitation that occurs in the doser, after you pour it up, will end up in your tank. I can show you how to make a very effective doser out of a 2 liter bottle, and it will cost you under 10.00 to make....if you want.

 

[clowninround]

Yeah that will be great actually.The guys at LR.com made there doser out of a 2 liter as well. I have a friend who works at the hospital who can get me some IV tubing, will this work also?

 

[skennelly]

I made a doser out of a gallon milk container. drilled a hole in the cap and inserted a rigid piece of tubing, like from a UG filter uplift tube. Keep the rigid tubing above the precipitate on the bottom of the container. I then connect flexible tubing and run it to my sump and at the end is an air regulation valve....little blue plastic think with a control valve on it. I can control the drips any way I want 1 drip every second or 2. Yes after a while I have to clean out all the pieces, but it works and its cheap. Just remember you have to keep the gallon jug above the sump, but that goes for any gravity fed doser.

my .02

 

[clowninround]

Yeah, I am going to throw an idea at Alex (my hubby) about that. I thought of finding a stud on the wall and putting up a small shelf to sopport it...only thing is it would really have to have a hole in the middle of the shelf right? I am just trying to think of a way to support that weight.

 

[mattmku]

here is how i plan to dose calcium...go buy b-ionic and add it directly to the tank daily...wow thats simple!

 

[SquishyFish]

Actually, I can do better that show you..I can provide you with the original like I got it from!

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/nftt/index.htm

by the way...that online magazine is a great source of information.

 

[clowninround]

SquishyFish, thanks, kudos to you!

Mattmku- I do not like 2 parts and I will not use them. I do not like the effects it has on my PH, every tank is different.

 

[SquishyFish]

Kalk has several advantages over just "dump" dosing. (thats where you pour it up and dump it in the tank..my phrase )

One...it is dosed over a 6-8 hour time frame, so its a much more subtle change.

Two...it is dosed at night to help stabalize the ph.

 

[mattmku]

clowninround- I've heard good things and I will use them. From what i've heard 2 parts provides control over pH, life can be simple.

This portion of your post has been edited, it is in violation of the User Agreement. Further violations of the User Agreement could result in removal from our community.

 

[clowninround]

I wasn't trying to be smart, actually thats kind of how I took your first post. I know from my own expeirence and I do not dare play with the ph changes I had the first time, using it as instructed. That is just my opinion. I have heard a lot of good things about dosing kalk too and I would much rather go that route.

 

[SquishyFish]

This portion of your post has been edited, it is in violation of the User Agreement. Further violations of the User Agreement could result in removal from our community.

What a mature responce. I hope everyone is as kind to you when you have a question.

 

[steve-s]

The Kent doser works just fine as long as it's not used to mix the solution as well as being the dosing container. The "kit" actually comes with a bulkhead attachment than pierces the container for the drip line.

http://kentmarine.com/maintenance/aquadosehosekit.html

Cheers
Steve

 

[SquishyFish]

Then kent doser that I am familure with is a plastic jug with a lid that screws on the bottom. The line is tapped into the lid, which means any precip will be sucked up.

 

[steve-s]

If you buy the kit with the dosing tube, they include a threaded bulkhead so it can be inserted from the side, not the bottom or top.

FWIW, it shouldn't matter either way. The kalk should be syphoned into a new container before dripping to avoid lime solids from ever entering the system even accidently. That's why I suggested the milk container as a mixing vessel in the first place. The Doser can then be used for it's intended purpose.

Cheers
Steve