Kalk or CRx?

Mike de Leon · 08/22/2018, 08:09 PM

What do you guys like best?

civics14 · 08/23/2018, 07:59 AM

umm... I guess it all depends on your budget, tank demands/plans, how much time you want to spend on it....

I have a CRx + dose Kalk to help offset PH.

pisanoal · 08/23/2018, 08:20 AM

2 stage CaRX. That way you don't have the pH drop. CaRX is pretty much set and forget, that is until its not...

I used kalk in my top off but didn't like the sludge buildup/cleaning, and I had a hard time "dialing it in".

jda · 08/23/2018, 10:15 AM

I will not ever have another reef tank with a CaRx. Remember that if you use natural media, then you get way more than Carbonate and Calcium, but also magnesium, strontium and a dozen other more elements in correct balance.

The only downside to CaRx is the initial cost if you have to buy new (look for used stuff) and that you have to learn how to work one, but it is not that complicated and way easier than say pseudocoding an apex or tuning a carburetor.

Mike de Leon · 08/23/2018, 04:38 PM

Thanks for the responses. I do have a geo that I am slowly dialing in. The big issue is the feed pump. I have a maxi jet on it. I have to fiddle with it every day.
I will have to invest on a more expensive pump.

ycnibrc · 08/27/2018, 09:57 AM

I do both to keep my ph at 8 to 8.3

tom obrecht · 08/27/2018, 11:38 AM

Many years ago I used kalk...worked fine
Years later used 2 part ...worked fine.
6 months ago started Calcium reactor...works fine.
Any method will work. In my case the cost of 2 part became uneconomical and labor intensive. Once dial in has probably been the best investment I’ve made in the last 15 years! I personally went the geo/ Masterflex route for reliability and stability, which it has been! Picking the right equipment and method will be worth it in the long run if your system demands it.

LobsterOfJustice · 08/30/2018, 09:08 AM

I used a CaRx for years and did not find it as set and forget as everyone says. I was constantly fiddling the drip rate and found it difficult to fine tune. I have really liked having the precise digital control of two part dosing with pumps. The only way I would ever run a CaRx again would be with a continuous duty peristaltic pump feeding it, that way I could precisely tune the flow instead of trying to move a needle valve a hair and wondering if it was too much or too little...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

hbrochs · 09/06/2018, 01:48 PM

I have a Kalkstirrer and dosing pump, the Kalkwasser helps keep the pH up and mostly takes care of my top off needs. I use BRS dry chemicals for Alk and Ca so its not really that expensive for two part.

kevin.st · 09/11/2018, 03:31 PM

With my newest tank, I went back to a doser and I think it's working better for me.

I have used a carx for a few years in the past.

meganeto94 · 09/17/2018, 02:36 AM

I had a really hard time with kalk so i just stopped using kalk

08/22/2018, 08:09 PM	#1
Mike de Leon Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Ont. Canada Posts: 2,308	Kalk or CRx? What do you guys like best? __________________ Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.. Current Tank Info: 180 Gallon, 3 G4 Radions

08/23/2018, 04:38 PM	#5
Mike de Leon Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Ont. Canada Posts: 2,308	Thanks for the responses. I do have a geo that I am slowly dialing in. The big issue is the feed pump. I have a maxi jet on it. I have to fiddle with it every day. I will have to invest on a more expensive pump. __________________ Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.. Current Tank Info: 180 Gallon, 3 G4 Radions

08/27/2018, 09:57 AM	#6
ycnibrc STAG HORN DOMINATE REEF Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Irvine, California Posts: 3,348	I do both to keep my ph at 8 to 8.3 __________________ SDR STAGHORN DOMINATE REEF Feature Reef of November 2019 GHL TOTM FEB 2020 ABC corals Current Tank Info: 360g Peninsula sps

08/27/2018, 11:38 AM	#7
tom obrecht Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: WI Posts: 3,014	Many years ago I used kalk...worked fine Years later used 2 part ...worked fine. 6 months ago started Calcium reactor...works fine. Any method will work. In my case the cost of 2 part became uneconomical and labor intensive. Once dial in has probably been the best investment I’ve made in the last 15 years! I personally went the geo/ Masterflex route for reliability and stability, which it has been! Picking the right equipment and method will be worth it in the long run if your system demands it. __________________ Reef keeping is where Murphy's Law and your bank account collide!! TOTM May 2006

08/30/2018, 09:08 AM	#8
LobsterOfJustice Recovering Detritophobe Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 7,443	Kalk or CRx? I used a CaRx for years and did not find it as set and forget as everyone says. I was constantly fiddling the drip rate and found it difficult to fine tune. I have really liked having the precise digital control of two part dosing with pumps. The only way I would ever run a CaRx again would be with a continuous duty peristaltic pump feeding it, that way I could precisely tune the flow instead of trying to move a needle valve a hair and wondering if it was too much or too little... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I remember when zoanthids were called things like "green" and "orange" and not "reverse gorilla nipple." Current Tank Info: 180g reef with all the bells and whistles

08/23/2018, 07:59 AM	#2
civics14 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Lilburn, GA Posts: 201	umm... I guess it all depends on your budget, tank demands/plans, how much time you want to spend on it.... I have a CRx + dose Kalk to help offset PH.

08/23/2018, 08:20 AM	#3
pisanoal Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 705	2 stage CaRX. That way you don't have the pH drop. CaRX is pretty much set and forget, that is until its not... I used kalk in my top off but didn't like the sludge buildup/cleaning, and I had a hard time "dialing it in".

08/23/2018, 10:15 AM	#4
jda Dogmatic Dinosaur Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 6,256	I will not ever have another reef tank with a CaRx. Remember that if you use natural media, then you get way more than Carbonate and Calcium, but also magnesium, strontium and a dozen other more elements in correct balance. The only downside to CaRx is the initial cost if you have to buy new (look for used stuff) and that you have to learn how to work one, but it is not that complicated and way easier than say pseudocoding an apex or tuning a carburetor.

09/06/2018, 01:48 PM	#9
hbrochs Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Westchester, NY Posts: 439	I have a Kalkstirrer and dosing pump, the Kalkwasser helps keep the pH up and mostly takes care of my top off needs. I use BRS dry chemicals for Alk and Ca so its not really that expensive for two part. __________________ 80 Gallon Innovative Marine long shallow reef 30 Gallon tank for raising baby clownfish Current Tank Info: Innovative Marine SR-80

09/11/2018, 03:31 PM	#10
kevin.st Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: SLC, UT Posts: 151	With my newest tank, I went back to a doser and I think it's working better for me. I have used a carx for a few years in the past.

09/17/2018, 02:36 AM	#11
meganeto94 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2018 Posts: 12	I had a really hard time with kalk so i just stopped using kalk