who makes kalkwasser reactors

[fungia]

im looking to buy one and want to see the options out there i can pick from. thanks.

 

[Ben1]

Myreefcreations.com has one, as does geosreef, and there are some others. IME the kind that use the magnetic stir bar on the bottom work well if you dont add to much kalk at once. The kind that use a powerhead to mix dont clog but the kalk wears down the impeller and softens the impeller plastic as well over time. Seems the best style IMO are the top mount motor driven ones like the one made by deltec.

HTH

 

[Len]

I like Barr Aquatic's design. Any reactor which can be refilled through a quarter twist lid is a winner http://www.barraquatic.com/

 

[Anonymous]

How do you guys supply your KRs with water? Do you have a reservoir?

 

[Len]

I have a reservoir for FW. Mine is fed via a litermeterIII.

 

[Anonymous]

I have a reservoir for FW. Mine is fed via a litermeterIII.

Why don't you fill your reservoir with kalk and save the money and space? What benefits does the reactor provide?

 

[Anonymous]

it keeps the kalk in suspension (low in the reactor) to keep the effluent mixed up. Kalk settles out and the top of the top-off container would have less kalk actually mixed in.

I'm building a top-motor reactor next week sometime. I'll post pics.

B

 

[Ben1]

The kalkreactor prevents the kalk from mixing with gas since it is air tight, preventing it from mixing with c02 untill it is dispensed. A good reactor can hold a decent supply of kalk and not need constant refilling.

My understanding was if you mix it into an open bucket it will react with the available c02 in the water and not be effective for long.

 

[Ben1]

Kalk settles out and the top of the top-off container would have less kalk actually mixed in.

IIRC once kalk is saturated, it is saturated, and you wouldnt want any actual powder in the mix. The mixing of the reactor prevents and clumping and mantains the saturation of the fresh water entering the reactor.

 

[Anonymous]

According to what RHF has reported:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003- ... /index.php

(and using the same measurement methods, I agree with him), a typical container of kalkwasser left open does not become any less effective if it is exposed to CO2 IF it is overstaurated with CaOH, i.e. there is undissolved CaOH powder left at the bottom.

FWIW, I use a large mixing tub with an excess of CaOH powder at the bottom. It's stirred several times nightly, and a continuous duty dosing pump on a timer delivers it to the tank. The tub is filled with DI water via a float valve. The only maintenance I have to do is dump in the powder every few weeks. The conductivity (actual measure of the effectiveness of the kalk) of the effluent is the same as newly prepared kalk.

Just my 2 cents, but I think there are more effective ways to spend the money if your budget is tight.

 

[Len]

I used to fill my reservoir with kalkwasser and used a powerhead to constantly mix, but it got messy and hard to clean. A 6"x18" tube is easy to remove and clean out (precipitates will accumulates over time). A 20 gallon reservoir is not. And with the reservoir, you pretty much had to add kalkwasser is a slurry form, whereas in a reactor, you can choose to calibrate it so only the clearish liquid on top is used.

 

[Anonymous]

Matt, how is yours stirred nightly?

Mine should cost me around $120 when I'm done. Motor, acrylic tube and sheet stock, wiring, ect.

Right now I have an old DI filter housing acting as my kalk resivor. Water pumps into the bottom and comes out the top. It's okay, but not that great. even with a litermeter filling it, it settles and clumps.

 

[Ben1]

Limewater can lose potency by reacting with carbon dioxide in the air, forming insoluble calcium carbonate. Since calcium carbonate is not an effective supplement of calcium and alkalinity in reef aquaria, the limewater can become less useful through this process. The rate at which this happens in large containers, such as plastic trashcans with loose fitting lids, is much less than many aquarists expect.

This was always my belief, that you would want it sealed away from c02. In anycase I do perfer the small size of kalkreactors. I am not using one atm though. If I had a basement sump this method of just using a large trashcan would work well.

What benefits does the reactor provide?

When you asked this I figured you already knew the answer you would get. :twisted: :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

Matt, how is yours stirred nightly?

Eh, with a powerhead on 15 minute intervals, 4 times a night. :lol: It's a big container, 300 g, so a stir bar wouldn't do anything. I've been meaning to go with your better method, top mounted motor and a prop, but just haven't had enough time. Plus, everything here is very temporary as you know...

 

[saltysupply]

geo makes a pretty nice one that isn't to expensive.

 

[Ben1]

I still find ones like the one made by geo go through impellers fast. I want to see pics of Bingos after he builds it!

 

[Anonymous]

I DIYed mine. I have a seald food container and a MJ that I use to stir about twice a week. I had the pump and the parts cost about $30. In operation over a year and so far so good.

http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.p ... light=kalk

[/img]

 

[Ben1]

Wow mark looks like a nice little reactor there!

 

[Anonymous]

It works great. I had to change the DI water inlet. It is was on the pressure side of the pump. So if the pump was running when I was trying to fill the tank it would pump kalk back to my top off container. I drilled a third hole and put in another O-ring bulkhead fitting and that took care of that. Super simple and cheap.

 

[ChrisRD]

I DIYed one too. It was pretty easy to build and worked well. I used it for a few years, but I didn't bother setting it back up after the last move. I believe it's sitting in my basement right now in the reef equipment graveyard... :wink:

Now I just dose with a litermeter that draws right from a still reservoir (32 gallon Brute) in the basement. I just refill it with RO/DI + kalk every couple of weeks. Seems to work very well and simplifies my setup a bit IMO.