Topoff and dosing kalkwasser

sixline

Member
Hello all,

I've got a red sea max s400 setup and I love it. However, about 95% of the time I spend doing maintenance is working on my topoff and dosing system.

Currently, I have a 55 gallon rubbermaid with a lid that is filled with RO/DI tipoff water. I have hose running from here to my LiterMiterIII which then pumps the water into a Precision Marine kalkwasser (Nilsen) reactor and into the sump. When it works, it is great, and I kill two birds with one stone: topping off water that is lost due to evaporation, and dosing kalkwasser.

The problem is it hardly ever works. The kalkwasser reactor is leaky and clogs a lot. It is also driven by maxi jet 400s that jam and fail constantly due to the high lime content of the water. I often end up with water coming out of the pump/reactor interface instead of being fed into the tank. I've got about 10 maxi jet 400s that I run in vinegar and swap them out when necessary, but doing so it a large chore since removing the pump requires emptying the kalkwasser reactor and refilling.

So, I guess the tipoff part with the LitermiterIII is working fine, but I need a new way to dose kalkwasser. I know I can do it manually each night, but I wanted something more automated.

What are you all using, and are you happy with it? Thanks in advance for any pointers!
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
From your description, it sounds like you have everything set up properly. The only thing that comes to mind is that perhaps your using too much kalk in the reactor. You want the water going into the maxi jet to be clear. I suspect your already doing this.

It looks like your problem is more with the reactor, rather than the other components. Unless you do find your using too muck kalk, I don't think your going to be happy with any Nilsen reactor that uses a pump for internal circulation. I don't think your going to find a pump that doesn't clog up.

The question then becomes, where do you go from here?

First I'd determine if I really needed the Nilsen reactor. You might be able to maintain your levels by water changes or by using the 2 part calcium and alkalinity additives.

If that's not going to work, then I see two possible options. You could replace the current reactor with one that uses blades to stir the kalk water rather than a pump. Here are two examples (offsite) -
http://www.marinedepot.com/Reef_Oct..._Reactors-Reef_Octopus-CV21070-FICRKR-vi.html
http://www.marinedepot.com/Bubble_M..._Reactors-Bubble_Magus-4W01000-FICRKR-vi.html

Since a blade is used it's unlikely to clog up, although you'll still need to clean the blade assembly from time to time.

The other alternative would be to get a calcium reactor. This would work well, but is going to be a very expensive option, since you'll need the calcium reactor, A CO2 regulator with a solenoid and bubble counter, a CO2 tank, and a pH controller or a general controller that can monitor pH.

Setting up a Calcium reactor is quite a hook up so here are a couple of links on what is involved (offsite) -
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-05/sh/feature/
http://www.melevsreef.com/node/1276

One final note on a CO2 tank. Get that from your local welding supply or industrial gas place. Yes, the tank will not look as nice as a new one, but once you have the tank you can swap it for another full one for a small fee. If you get a new tank, you either need to swap that, and your get an old one, or you need to find a place that will refill your tank.
 
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