Today on BRStv we are going to do a quick demo on how to build a do-it-yourself kalkwasser
dripper. Many people are familiar with these cheap and easy to build drippers. More or
less they are just a jug with a couple holes drilled in the top and two tubes. Today, we
are going to step it up a bit and try to build something that is a bit more attractive but
works off the same principles.
One tube is located an inch or so off the bottom of the container and uses a siphon
to draw the saturated kalkwasser solution without also sucking up the material that
has settled out at the bottom. The second tube is used to blow into and create pressure
within the container to start the siphon which is much better than the alternative of sucking
on the dosing end.
Drippers like these are probably the easiest way for the average person to safely and affordably
use kalk with their aquarium. This dripper will limit the amount dosed in a day, insure
the dose is added slowly as well as dose only the saturated kalkwasser solution.
These can be made from basically any type of container, such as an empty two part container.
These cheap and easy versions generally have two holes drilled in the top and the easiest
version just has some soft airline tubing for both tubes. The slightly better version
uses rigid airline for the down tube so you can have a bit more accuracy with the height.
The only problem with these is they can be fairly ugly and my wife just isn't going to
let this fly in our home.
So let's try and make something a bit nicer. There is really no end to the list of containers
that could be used for this but we found these flip-lock glass containers from Oxo® to be
one of the more attractive options.
For this project we are going to need one container of your choice, a couple of push
connect bulkheads, preferably the Mur-lock version that has dual O-rings which hold the
tubing in straight which is important here because the tubing will likely have some side
pressure which could cause leaks. We will also need two stem elbows, an optional additional
elbow, a valve, some ¼" acrylic tubing and something to cut the tubing.
These bulkheads require a ¾" hole so the first step is to locate a good spot for each
and mark them. Next drill your hole. I am using a stepper bit here which seems to work
well on this material. Make sure to select the right bit for the material you are using.
It is fairly easy to crack plastics or jam the bit which can send the piece you are working
on flying and the reason I am wearing glasses. After you have drilled both holes go ahead
and secure both of the bulkheads with the supplied nuts and insert the stem elbows.
These elbows make it easy for us to rotate the tubing and make the dripper low profile
and attractive.
Next we're going to cut our ¼" acrylic tube. We are going to cut it to a couple inches
shorter than the size of your container so that it draws from about an inch off the bottom.
One of the easiest ways to do that is just to go ahead and score the plastic tubing and
then it will snap right off. Once you have it cut to the proper length, go ahead and
insert it into the bottom of one of your bulkheads and it should be an inch or so off the bottom
like it is.
Next I am going to cut a couple of pieces of short tubing to attach the elbow onto the
output as well as the adjustable valve. And lastly add some additional tubing after the
valve as well as on the inlet. All we need to do now is add some fresh water and the
kalk.
To get the siphon going all we need to do is blow on the short end and use the valve
to reduce the flow to a slow drip. Maybe in the neighborhood of one drop a second.
Just a couple of additional tips here. When mixing the kalk with purified fresh water
we don't want to dose it immediately. The cloudy solution you are looking at is frequently
referred to as a kalk slurry. We want to let it settle out so the solution is basically
clear and most of the powder settles out at the bottom. By putting the rigid tubing an
inch off the bottom we are making sure that we are only dosing the saturated kalk.
You can control the amount dosed every day by either adjusting the amount of kalk or
the size of the container - keeping in mind that the maximum amount of kalk that will
dissolve in a gallon of water is two teaspoons. It's fairly typical for someone to try and
select a jug slightly less than the amount that typically evaporates in a day as an auto
top off solution as well.
The ongoing maintenance is just rinsing out the jug every few days and cleaning the valve
every now and then when it gets clogged. This can be done by soaking it in some vinegar
to dissolve the calcium build up.
That wraps up today's episode, today's reefer question is what is your favorite do it yourself
project. Share your answers and see what others are saying in the comments down below and
don't forget to subscribe to see more how to videos. Thank you for watching BRStv.