Apex looks cool but I like my mix of a Samsung Smarthings Hub ($120), a Konnected Module, about a dozen $5 relays, a half dozen $12 dosing pumps, about fifteen $10 smart plugs and so on. Super reliable and I believe it can do everything the Apex can at a fraction of the cost, including txt alerts on events such as power out, skimmer cup full and so on. Easy to wire up and program on the SmartThings app. For example, my Kalk stir pump from my ATO tank only runs at a trickle if the following 4 conditions are met: 1) Sump water level is below Kalk float, which is slightly higher then ATO float 2) Kalk stir has not run in the last 30 min 3) ATO pump is not running 4) Milwaukee PH Controller is under 8.4. (Also opens a bypass ball valve to my skimmer's closed loop CO2 scrubber)
@BRS. I use the Avast Kalk stirr and a Kamor dosing pump. I add about 1 tea spook Kalk weekly and monitor the pH. with frest Kalk, the ph top out at 11.4. I add more kalk when the ph drops below 9. (about 1x/week as i dose 2000 mls/day). Whats wrong with this approach?
1 teaspoon of kalkwasser is very little for an Avast stirrer. You may want to consider adding more kalk to the stirrer, which will keep the solution at max potency. This will give you more consistency over time as the solution won't immediately start to get weaker as you dose it.
There are pens out there for testing salinity, but the one we were using is EC/TDS www.bulkreefsupply.com/com-100-waterproof-ec-tds-meter-hm-digital.html
@@BRStv I thought the EC of saturated kalk is 10.3 ms/cm but this pen only goes to 9.9 ms/cm. Is the only other “cheap” option the pinpoint salinity? It would be nice to also measure tds, check salinity and monitor kalk concentration in the same pen.
BRS / Randy: "If time 20:00 to 8:00 Then On" with respect to the ATO for option 1, wouldn't this lead to all sorts of freshwater top-off problems? In other words, don't you need your ATO running 24x7? I'm probably just missing something... thx
Great stuff Randy thinking of dosing Kalk to increase ph of a night using calcium reactor at the moment , would splitting the ato line and using a solenoid to switch Kalk stirrer off if ph over 8.4 but still allow ato to top up fresh rodi to sump
I've given this one some thought and decided it could be done, but probably with extra precaution and here's why. Let's say you setup your solenoid outlet using the lines below. Fallback OFF Set OFF If pH < 8.0 Then ON If pH > 8.4 Then OFF When ON > 030:00 Then OFF If Time 09:00 to 21:00 Then OFF Basically what this says is that the solenoid defaults to OFF at all times, including during the day. However from 9PM to 9AM it is allowed to turn ON so long as the pH is below 8.0 and along with that it cannot run for more than 30minutes (When ON statement). Also as a failsafe should the pH ever rise above 8.4 it will also shut OFF. Here's my main concern, how much water can your RODI unit pump in a 30min time span? Is it enough to overfill the tank beyond your ATO sensors? What if the Kalk can't raise the pH above 8.0 during that run time? ... Obviously you can shorten the "When On" line to something safer to prevent overfilling, but the problem is once that max run time is reached your Apex will physically turn the solenoid outlet OFF meaning you would physically have to go into your dashboard and toggle the solenoid outlet back to auto to start it back up again. So, there are some points to consider if you were attempting this. It can be done, but be mindful of these potential hurdles. When in doubt...start with a fairly short max runtime and see what happens (monitoring closely).
Is the kalk stirrer really supposed to run 24/7? I have been looking at getting one and am considering the Avast Marine or the Reef Octopus. The Reef Octopus clearly states the motor lasts about 1500 hours and should not be run continuously. Most people say they run their stirrer about 15 minutes every few hours from what I gather. The reason I haven’t pulled the trigger is there just doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of info out there on these devices.
The Avast Marine stirrers are designed for 24/7 operation which makes them a top choice for me personally. No timers or OSC functions to figure out. Just plug in and go. -Randy
@@BRStv how long do their motors last Randy? And when they go belly up can they be replaced? I actually have quite a few more questions about these units. Where can I get the answers I need? I’m dripping kalk currently and that is a real PITA. The drip starts at one speed then slows or stops altogether Was wanting to do a reactor and a versa pump but only God knows when those will reappear
I'm not certain if Avast Marine or others have done performance testing to get an average lifespan of their 24/7 motors, however there are numerous positive reviews (both on BRS and on Avast Marine websites) that speak to how well these stirrers have worked. Some of which I've seen reported upwards of 4+ years of continuous use. You can contact them directly here if there's more questions you need answered. Avast Marine - (951) 282-7869 support@avastmarine.com
I have an Avast Kalk Reactor myself, and one of their selling points for me was that Avast sells replacement parts for literally everything they make. You can effectively build yourself a whole reactor from parts. No problems ordering a spare motor from them, should it become necessary. That said, I do the 15min per hour thing myself as I've seen no need to run it continually. It's been working extremely well so far.
@@jackkain7141 thank you Jack! I ordered my unit today and now I have discovered that my old BRS doser will not move enough water through the unit. 🙄 so now I will need to come up with the money to buy a suitable pump to do the job. May I ask what you are using? No wonder I never get to buy livestock. I’m constantly putting money into equipment and supplies to keep things rolling.
The degradation of potency is from interaction with CO2 which forms calcium carbonate. In a room with high CO2 you might see a slight decrease in potency, but not likely detrimental. I would use 10-20mins as a Maximum mixing time, however the best approach would be to monitor the potency with an EC Pen as you mix and when it caps out to a stable level, pull the mixing pump; cover with a lid and let the slurry settle. :)
Served with randy in the army. Cool to see him doing him doing this!
i realize Im pretty randomly asking but do anybody know of a good website to stream newly released series online?
He looks like every ex army dude I’ve ever seen, especially the indoor cap😆
OH’sHIT ALARM! 😂😂😂 Classy Randy! 😂😂😂
Apex looks cool but I like my mix of a Samsung Smarthings Hub ($120), a Konnected Module, about a dozen $5 relays, a half dozen $12 dosing pumps, about fifteen $10 smart plugs and so on. Super reliable and I believe it can do everything the Apex can at a fraction of the cost, including txt alerts on events such as power out, skimmer cup full and so on. Easy to wire up and program on the SmartThings app. For example, my Kalk stir pump from my ATO tank only runs at a trickle if the following 4 conditions are met:
1) Sump water level is below Kalk float, which is slightly higher then ATO float
2) Kalk stir has not run in the last 30 min
3) ATO pump is not running
4) Milwaukee PH Controller is under 8.4. (Also opens a bypass ball valve to my skimmer's closed loop CO2 scrubber)
This is so funny. I was just talking to my uncle about starting to dose kalk then you upload this. Perfect !!!
Thanks guys for the video
OH'sHIT 😁😂 I needed that
Great stuff Randy, Can I see your apex stirrer schedule and apex dosing schedule?
Whats considered a low value when using an EC pen?
@BRS. I use the Avast Kalk stirr and a Kamor dosing pump. I add about 1 tea spook Kalk weekly and monitor the pH. with frest Kalk, the ph top out at 11.4. I add more kalk when the ph drops below 9. (about 1x/week as i dose 2000 mls/day). Whats wrong with this approach?
1 teaspoon of kalkwasser is very little for an Avast stirrer. You may want to consider adding more kalk to the stirrer, which will keep the solution at max potency. This will give you more consistency over time as the solution won't immediately start to get weaker as you dose it.
@@BRStv How often should i be cleaning out the old Kalk from the reactor?
What ec pen were you using? Thought these were used to test salinity
There are pens out there for testing salinity, but the one we were using is EC/TDS
www.bulkreefsupply.com/com-100-waterproof-ec-tds-meter-hm-digital.html
@@BRStv I thought the EC of saturated kalk is 10.3 ms/cm but this pen only goes to 9.9 ms/cm. Is the only other “cheap” option the pinpoint salinity? It would be nice to also measure tds, check salinity and monitor kalk concentration in the same pen.
BRS / Randy: "If time 20:00 to 8:00 Then On" with respect to the ATO for option 1, wouldn't this lead to all sorts of freshwater top-off problems? In other words, don't you need your ATO running 24x7? I'm probably just missing something... thx
Great stuff Randy thinking of dosing Kalk to increase ph of a night using calcium reactor at the moment , would splitting the ato line and using a solenoid to switch Kalk stirrer off if ph over 8.4 but still allow ato to top up fresh rodi to sump
I've given this one some thought and decided it could be done, but probably with extra precaution and here's why. Let's say you setup your solenoid outlet using the lines below.
Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If pH < 8.0 Then ON
If pH > 8.4 Then OFF
When ON > 030:00 Then OFF
If Time 09:00 to 21:00 Then OFF
Basically what this says is that the solenoid defaults to OFF at all times, including during the day. However from 9PM to 9AM it is allowed to turn ON so long as the pH is below 8.0 and along with that it cannot run for more than 30minutes (When ON statement). Also as a failsafe should the pH ever rise above 8.4 it will also shut OFF.
Here's my main concern, how much water can your RODI unit pump in a 30min time span? Is it enough to overfill the tank beyond your ATO sensors? What if the Kalk can't raise the pH above 8.0 during that run time? ... Obviously you can shorten the "When On" line to something safer to prevent overfilling, but the problem is once that max run time is reached your Apex will physically turn the solenoid outlet OFF meaning you would physically have to go into your dashboard and toggle the solenoid outlet back to auto to start it back up again.
So, there are some points to consider if you were attempting this. It can be done, but be mindful of these potential hurdles. When in doubt...start with a fairly short max runtime and see what happens (monitoring closely).
@@BRStv thanks Randy great info will get the Neptune solenoid valve and give it a go 👍👍👍
Maxspect Jump L165 LED? You test it? 🙏👍
We've not tested that one
Is the kalk stirrer really supposed to run 24/7? I have been looking at getting one and am considering the Avast Marine or the Reef Octopus. The Reef Octopus clearly states the motor lasts about 1500 hours and should not be run continuously.
Most people say they run their stirrer about 15 minutes every few hours from what I gather. The reason I haven’t pulled the trigger is there just doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of info out there on these devices.
The Avast Marine stirrers are designed for 24/7 operation which makes them a top choice for me personally. No timers or OSC functions to figure out. Just plug in and go. -Randy
@@BRStv how long do their motors last Randy? And when they go belly up can they be replaced?
I actually have quite a few more questions about these units. Where can I get the answers I need? I’m dripping kalk currently and that is a real PITA. The drip starts at one speed then slows or stops altogether
Was wanting to do a reactor and a versa pump but only God knows when those will reappear
I'm not certain if Avast Marine or others have done performance testing to get an average lifespan of their 24/7 motors, however there are numerous positive reviews (both on BRS and on Avast Marine websites) that speak to how well these stirrers have worked. Some of which I've seen reported upwards of 4+ years of continuous use. You can contact them directly here if there's more questions you need answered. Avast Marine - (951) 282-7869 support@avastmarine.com
I have an Avast Kalk Reactor myself, and one of their selling points for me was that Avast sells replacement parts for literally everything they make. You can effectively build yourself a whole reactor from parts. No problems ordering a spare motor from them, should it become necessary.
That said, I do the 15min per hour thing myself as I've seen no need to run it continually. It's been working extremely well so far.
@@jackkain7141 thank you Jack! I ordered my unit today and now I have discovered that my old BRS doser will not move enough water through the unit. 🙄 so now I will need to come up with the money to buy a suitable pump to do the job. May I ask what you are using? No wonder I never get to buy livestock. I’m constantly putting money into equipment and supplies to keep things rolling.
At 8.57 mark, mix for 10 to 20 min?! Won’t stirring for so long cause a lot of oxygen into the solution decreasing the benefit of the Kalk?
The degradation of potency is from interaction with CO2 which forms calcium carbonate. In a room with high CO2 you might see a slight decrease in potency, but not likely detrimental. I would use 10-20mins as a Maximum mixing time, however the best approach would be to monitor the potency with an EC Pen as you mix and when it caps out to a stable level, pull the mixing pump; cover with a lid and let the slurry settle. :)
1st there is no competition
This almost was just 90% of trying to sell the Neptune and Apex system and almost nothing about setting up kalkwasser
My kid decided to toss in a handful into my 30g tank. Lost most everything.
Highly recommend you keep caustic chemicals out of the reach of children. This stuff is bad news if it gets in your eyes.
😢
I have three kids. But only one reef tank.
“This is why we can’t have nice things”
First