lets Talk Kalkwasser how & why??

[barjam]

Btw, here is Randy's article:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php

[dkle]

How do you guys drip the kalkwasser?

I just set up my reactor a week ago with a IV tubing infusion set through gravity feed (which is suprisingly precise by the way). My problem is that if I submerge the output in the sump water at a high flow area, the efficiency is much better (my pH stays at 8.2-8.4). However, CaCO3 invariably deposited inside the outflow tubing and clogged it off after 24hrs. If I keep the outflow out of the sump water and drip it down (still in a high flow area), there will be a sheet of CaCO2 precipitation on the water surface, and the efficiency is much worse (pH 7.9-8.1).

Thanks for your help.

[RokleM]

Are you sure that's correct? It almost sounds as though a siphon is being created while the tube is underwater. Is the water level staying the same?

[dkle]

Do you mean the water inside the Kalkwasser chamber? Yes, it stayed the same. It is a sealed unit, and the drip is restricted by the device on the IV tubing set. I don't think that a siphon is possible. Plus I monitored the water level in the sump and in the RO water container. They didn't rise/fall any faster when I submerged the outflow

[RokleM]

No, I mean your comment about the pH being higher when the output is under water. I'm wondering if it's high because it's actually pulling more kalkwater via siphon that doesn't happen when the tube is above water. It's possible that the buildup is so heavy that you're loosing that much pH, but it's hard to tell.

[dkle]

My hypothesis is that when the outflow is underneath water, all of the hydroxide ions react with the excess hydrogen ions from my Ca reactor to raise pH. When the outflow is out of the water, the hydrogen ions in the drip react with free CO2 in the ambient air to form CaCO3 first; therefore reduce its effiency and form more CaCO3 precipitations at the water surface.

[JediReefer]

Lets say I have a 60g tank. I evap about a gal a day...not 100% sure. My dKh is 7, pH 8, Ca 440. How would you dose Kalk in the rights proportions? Just mix 5 tsp. into a 5 gal waterjug and top off with that?