Will A Tunze ATO add too much Kalk at one time?

[trivan]

Another Kalk question.

I am ready to put my reactor online and would like to use my Tunze Os ATO. I'll have the Kalk from the reactor filling the ATO to prevent an overdose as others has mentioned the ATO set up would be the safest.

The issue with the Tunze is that when the ATO kicks on, it goes on for a minimum of 10 secs. I only have a total water volume of approx. 55 gallons. My concern is that I'll be putting into much Kalk during the 10 secs of ATO and change the ALK to much at one time. Should I just use a smaller amount of Kalk in the reactor to dilute the concentration?

Thanks!

 

[fatoldsun]

Not sure I did it right but I've been using mine for about 3-4 weeks now. My Kalk reactor is a bit unusual - I posted here and elsewhere and never found anyone using it - it's an AquaMedic and it uses a small circulation pump to stir and you can stir 24/7 because the top off pumps through the unit and passes through a filter sock (I think 10 micron, burt don’t quote me, I’d have to check) so undisolved Kalk doesn't enter the system. Anyway I didn't trust that so I have my set up on my reefkeeper to stir from 2AM to 6AM and then it settles for 19 hours and the Oz comes on at 1AM - it runs for about 10 minutes and I'm still monitoring to see what the average volume id bit it appears to be about 1.5-2 gallons daily. Obviously using the Tunze as it's designed would be a slower transition because it tops off through the day instead of in one daily short burst but I wanted to keep my pH stable and add the kalk at night - that was the thought process. hope this helps. I know I felt a little like it was a crap-shoot when I did it because I found so little info especially with the specific reactor I had and for the first few nights I stayed up to make sure everything was ok. And for maybe a week the first thing I did every morning was check the tank to make sure everything looked good. So far so good....

 

[trivan]

Makes sense and I'm glad to hear it's working for you. I think you have a larger tank then I have so you can absorb the difference better. I'm looking to keep the Tunze running during the day and just fill the Top Off tank with the Kalk. I have a dosing pump which will be used but I don't want to dose directly into the sump as if there is a failure I'll likely have a crash. The Tunze is been field tested enough were I can trust it will not run for more then 10 seconds in my set up.

I guess I can start with a minimum amount of Kalk in the reactor and then increase the amount till it keeps the levels steady.

 

[fatoldsun]

My setup is a bit larger (90=40 sump but with rock, sand, equipment, etc I guess I'm at 110 total so 2x yours) but i would guess I have more evaporation with the larger volume and relative to really large systems I don't think ours are that different. makes sense though that you're being cautious to start. I would be cautious but I guess I wouldn't expect it to move too much - I did a ton of reading before I started and everything came back to the same point - that kalk will keep levels stable but it will not "raise" levels the way dosing might.
anyway, true about the tunze - they are expesive but reliable as all get-up so one of those things that I think are worth while

 

[Fish Brain]

I also want to get away from two part and do Kalk in my ATO.

You have a controller on your tank right? Good tip I learned from BRS. If your ATO pump is plugged into your controller, you can use your PH probe and set an alarm to shut off the ATO if the PH goes higher than a set point. This way you won't overdose the tank until you see how the tunze works.

It would be a good idea to keep the alarm set to prevent an overdose if the ATO should get stuck in the on position.

 

[trivan]

I do use the Neptune Apex, the problem I see is that the Tunze goes on for a minimum of 10 sec, which is perfect for the ATO function. If 10 sec of Kalk water is too much then the issue is the over dose. I doubt the PH probe will be that fast to catch it running within the 10 secs. I've been playing with the programming with RO water, and the process works, just not sure about the 10 secs of kalk water at once. If what Fatoldsun, said is true. then there probably isn't too much which can go wrong if the levels cannot get wildly high with 1 dose of the 10 sec.

 

[Fish Brain]

I had a JBJ ATO and it also has a similar minimum time that the pump turns on. Now I'm using a 1.1 ml / min dosing pump on my ATO. I'm also using the controller as the ATO so I can set the on/off intervals.

They say 1tbs Kalk per gallon of water or something like that, maybe start with 1/2 or even 1/4 of the recommended amount and work your way up?

The alarm on the PH might still be a good idea anyway.

 

[trivan]

I
The alarm on the PH might still be a good idea anyway.

Agree

 

[Hawkeye]

so the kalk reactor will feed the tunze ATO container? I'm not following how the length the tunze is on impacts kalk dosage.

As evap occurs, the water level will drop triggering the tunze ato. the tunze pumps whatever water is in that container.

If your set up is some kind of float valve/timer -then the kalk doses into the ato container prior to introduction to the tank right?

The concern I have is that kalk naturally precipitates out and settles eventually. If enough of it settles it will gum up that tunze ato pump.

 

[fatoldsun]

One point I was trying to clarify with how my setup was different. Normally the setup is Kalk reactor --> top off container --> sump/tank. The AquaMedic is designed to go the other way. Mine is top off container --> Kalk reactor --> sump/tank. This is why I said upfront that I wasn't sure how useful my experience would be. Not sure the same stuff would apply if you run a more traditional setup.

 

[Hawkeye]

Mine is top off container --> Kalk reactor --> sump/tank.

Same here!

 

[trivan]

Unfortunately that set up doesn't work for me as I don't have the reactor near the tank/sump. Yes, I will be filling the ato with kalk water. What I'm concerned with is the concentration of kalk, as 10 sec of very strong kalk (if the is such a thing) will swing alk faster then a weaker solution.

I'm ok with the precep as I can raise the pump off the bottom and if I have to buy a new pump in a year I'm ok with that.

 

[Nickjr000]

Mt tunze is 5 yrs old and ive used it for the last 2- 2 1/2 yrs in my ato with kalk. I dont do nothin fancy. Fresh ro in container, cup og kalk, and the pump is suspended about foot off bottom. I try to never let the water level get to 3" from the pump. And i add some kalk every couple times i top off. This isnt the most accurate way to does, but it works for most. Would prob work fine for u just use less kalk. Start with just a little and monitor your tank.

 

[grink]

Quick question.... If adding kalk to my top off container what is the general rule of thumb to add, one teaspoon or one tablespoon per gallon, or more???

 

[downbeach]

Quick question.... If adding kalk to my top off container what is the general rule of thumb to add, one teaspoon or one tablespoon per gallon, or more???

I use one heaping teaspoon per gallon. I've used more, but had to add some vinegar to keep the pH at the proper levels. When I use my ATO I mix the kalk in a separate container and just add the clear water to the ATO container. I'm using Mrs. Wages and find there is very little settlement in the mixing container.

 

[Hawkeye]

The amt depends on the method of dosage (reactor or not) and also how much your tank is consuming the stuff. A reactor dedicated to kalk will require slightly less since it will help prevent gas/exchange with the environment while mixing. If you are dropping kalk direct into the ATO then some of it will normally mix with the air as it sits in the container. This lowers the potency due to the combustible nature of kalk.

per wetwebmedia:
Open to air, the solution will lose its usefulness very quickly as the chemicals in the water react with the air, particularly atmospheric carbon dioxide. The amount of hydroxide in the kalkwasser goes down, and consequently its usefulness as a pH buffer diminishes

 

[trivan]

Interesting. I've had it in line for the past 3 weeks and my pH has been stable around 8.3. Coral growth has increased a lot. I might move to dose directly to the sump, but still unsure. The ato way seems to be working well. I set up met controller to only dose kalk into the ato when my ph drops below 8.2. So I'm not using kalk as a full evap replacement.