Adding pickling lime

[Jimsreef]

Can you add pickling lime to your top off water. I have a tunze osmulater top off hooked up to a 5 gal ro/di bucket. If so how much pickling lime do you add. Thanks jim

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Many people do, myself included. But it must be added slowly. I don't know how fast the osmolator adds the water.

Depending on the tank, you might dissolve something like 1 teaspoon per gallon of top of water. More than 2 teaspoons per gallon won 't dissolve, and if you add too much, the pH in the tank can rise too high.

[Jimsreef]

How do you add your top off water and how fast? Jim

[Jimsreef]

I am adding about 3 gal a day top off water. Where it goes in the sump it is 13 x 6 when it gets 1/4 low the top off water is added. Thanks Jim

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I add it from a 44 gallon trash can full of limewater with a 3 gallon per day Reef Filler pump from Champion, and a float switch controlling it from Omega Engineering.

[Jimsreef]

How do you know exactly how much evaporation you have due to fluctuations in heat. Isnt that how you set up the reef filler. Jim

[radiata]

Originally posted by Jimsreef
<SNIP><SNIP> I have a tunze osmulater top off hooked up to a 5 gal ro/di bucket. <SNIP><SNIP>Jim,

The pump that comes with the Osmolator will eventually fail when used with kalkwasser - check the Tunze forum here on RC. Suggest you buy a backup Tunze Osmolator pump (they're cheap) or consider replacing it with a powerhead or peristaltic pump.

Regards,
Bob

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

How do you know exactly how much evaporation you have due to fluctuations in heat. Isnt that how you set up the reef filler

My Reef Filler is set to its max of 3 gallons per day. My float switch calls for it when necessary. So it exactly matches evaporation that way.

Others don't use the float switch, and adjust it manually as often as necessary.

[Jimsreef]

Do you also use a calcium reactor? Thanks Jim

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

No, just the limewater. In fact, I use less than saturated limewater as my tank doesn't need it. However, my tank is also not SPS heavy, but a mixed reef:

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3491Tank_Picture_2_Oct_2003.jpg