Avast K1 Kalk Stirrer: effective & affordable

We explore Avast Marine Works K1 Kalk Stirrer, from unboxing to 6 weeks review. This is a relatively straight forward unit without a lot of bells and whistles and it gets things done at solid price point. There is a DIY option for this Stirrer that further brings the unit's price point down if you have a few hours to spare and enjoy DIY projects. I have been dosing Kalkwasser (Lime Water) for the past year and need a system that could sustain itself for about 2 weeks in anticipation of a trip, so I started looking into the different Kalk Stirrer & Reactor offerings and ultimately landed on the Avast.
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Products in this video:
Avast K1 Kalk Stirrer: www.avastmarine.com/products/...
Kamoer X1 Pro-T Doser (Amazon): amzn.to/3H6VD0U
5g Jug water container (Amazon): amzn.to/3GXOJLH
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Chapters:
00:00 Unboxing Avast K1 Kalk Stirrer
05:45 Looking at the Stirrer installed
08:56 Concern
10:33 Kalkwasser that I use
12:45 1.5 Months Review
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Instagram: @inappropriatereefer
Email: [e-mail]

[@Richs_reef]

My son is going to be 3 in March and he always shouts ‘Dory!’ When we are at our LFS and he sees a blue hippo tang 😂 funnily enough he loves Yellow tangs and does call them Yellow tangs!

[@bayarea_reef]

Thanks for making this video, I will be installing my Kalk Stirrer that has been sitting in my garage for half a year this month.

[@Kactoily]

OMG that cover photo!!

[@TopShelfAquatics]

TSA frags are looking great! Looking forward to seeing where you end up placing them in the system! Great video, and Kalk is something we are actively using at our farm! -Blaine

[@downeyscove1381]

Great video! I just bought the same from Avast for Black Friday.

[@swizy8.8.8]

I just made a DIY version of this with a magnetic liquid stir eco-tech marine dosing container, and whatever doser you want to use same thing as what you just bought but for only $60

[@InappropriateReefer]

That is excellent, pays to be handy ;-)

[@jonathanesoto25]

So I can’t find a video someone explaining this question. So kalk comes down via gravity. So how can you set up a drip with a pump to where how much you set up to put in before it overflow or gravity just become a lot more than a simple drip. Hope you guys can understand my question. Basically the more water you put in the more is coming down via gravity so how can you control a steady drip. Ty

[@filipinoreefer]

5 gallon bucket with jebao would be another option for heavy milk dosing and it works great!!!!

[@cantusaurus8530]

I personally rinse the carbon and I make sure it travels through some sort of filter pad after/near the outlet before going back into the tank. Hopefully the tang is ok though. Also id maybe consider buying a replacement head for the kamoer doser just in case it’s wearing down over time. Coralvue sells them (and it’s super easy to swap out) and you can get a new color such as pink or green 😂)

[@InappropriateReefer]

Thanks for both ideas!

[@CelloyCello]

What par do you run on your 17g? Curious because of different needs for CSB vs leathers

[@iammoldos]

joyous canada man

[@seanupton3170]

Still watching the video so maybe you come up with an idea to keep it from falling but maybe you could 3D print a ring to fit around the reactor that then also fits into the side of the sump so it keeps the reactor stable from the top and attached to the sump? I’m sure there are other things that could be printed to help. It would make sense for it to have come with thumb screws to lock down the lid though 🤔

[@InappropriateReefer]

That's fancy! I was going to just loosely zip-tie it or removable strap it down, lol. But if I have the 3D design skills, that'd be a nice niche gadget.

[@MyIOnU]

You may also should program to turn off the kalkwasser if the pH is too high as well.

[@InappropriateReefer]

Definitely plan to, though I'm still trying to figure out the ATO part. Maybe just turn on the ATO during the day and keep it off at night for the water level fluctuation?

[@MyIOnU]

@@InappropriateReefer I have my hydros controller to monitor the ATO. In case if kalkwasser still does not keep up with the evaporation, the ATO still can fill it up.

[@raysreef790]

I purchased the K2 unit a few weeks ago and it didn’t have the probe accessory either. I contacted them about it and they said they don’t include a probe option anymore because they found that the potency of the Kalk ruins any probe you use and wasn’t worth it

[@InappropriateReefer]

Thank you for the additional info 👍

[@joshbroadbent2341]

Man, I was wondering the same thing, ig having 12 ph on a Probe wouldn't be all to good anyway, idt you can even calibrate that high

[@bedamo91]

I had the same issue with my tomini tang, seems like the issue for me was the PO levels too high. Once i got them down his face healed

[@InappropriateReefer]

May not be PO related in my system since PO has been dropping... .07-ish at the moment, Tang has been in 1.x land for a long time

[@edgarlista335]

How often do you add the kalkwasser? What’s the process in adding that? Thanks for the info!

[@InappropriateReefer]

At the moment every week and a half I add a cup in, at the moment I emptied out the stirrer after week 5 once.

[@erich8756]

Because of the 'passive' drain into the tank won't you get calc build-up in the output hose?

[@MyIOnU]

You will, but much slower pace.

[@andrewsdrmike]

Yes, I clean mine every few months

[@InappropriateReefer]

Nice observation & thinking, I read recommendations of having to clean out the output.

[@joshbroadbent2341]

I just built mine on Christmas, works great; I had the DIY version. I think the stirrer is suppose to mix the kalk, not sot on top

[@InappropriateReefer]

I have moved the stirrer a bit lower since, thanks for the heads up!

[@codyspencer3491]

Why don't you just fill the brute with kalkwasser and dose directly from it like Keith does? Eliminate the stirrer? I use the K2 and I'm going to a reservoir because the stirrer doesn't hold saturation long enough for me due to constantly being diluted with freshwater and requires too much maintenance to maintain saturation.

[@InappropriateReefer]

I'm hoping to avoid rinsing out my 45g Brute, it'd be an undertaking each time.. I think (have not done it, just trying to imagine), hoping to find a easier solution first, but not oppose to it if that ends up being the best way in my situation! Although I'm surprised to hear your K2 does not hold saturation long enough since this is supposed to provide max saturation... was the drip rate too fast for the unit? I'll keep an eye on mine, thanks for the heads up.

[@BrandonPepper-iz6rh]

lol 😂 that pic is pretty fire

[@jerrybeute8884]

Is it one of there cups or one whole measuring cup?

[@InappropriateReefer]

Measuring cup

[@jamiequernsify]

Lid not screwing in or at the very least secured with o rings is a deal breaker

[@josephfriedrich9792]

1:34 are you in VA?

[@InappropriateReefer]

I'm in Maryland bordering VA ;-)

[@FranciscoRodriguez-iw5id]

So you dose 40ml a min ?

[@InappropriateReefer]

That was just to quickly push the water up, normally I do 7ml a min

[@Sammy31Dee]

The tang needs more nori ....

[@hpcam1]

I'm a cheap ass, I have just been using a 20g garbage can for 20 years..

[@InappropriateReefer]

Totally works!

[@6jdhd]

To me, kalk stirrer are a big waste of money. I use a 20g food grade bin. And top off alk at night that replaces the total evaporation. And it just saturated kalk no stirrer. PH in container is alway 15.1 and air free.

[@InappropriateReefer]

Can't argue with results! I'm thinking a stirrer would make maintenance easier and last longer while I am away. We will see long term if it does save me time.

[@iammrhappy12]

@@InappropriateReefer you can mix up a 50 gallon barrel and dose from that for a very long time with out touching anything. It just needs to be air tight, which is easy to do. How long are you away for? I barely touch my kalk barrel, maybe once every 2 months. The combination of a BRS 1.1 ml doser and my air tight barrel with fully saturated limewater keeps my parameters stable the entire time.

[@iammrhappy12]

Why would anyone want to do this ? You can’t dose kalk while it’s being mixed or even immediately after it’s mixed. No one should be doing this. Just put your kalk in a bucket or a barrel, mix it up, let it clear up, and put it on a doser that only doses the saturated kalk water. No one should be putting a kalk mixer at all nor should anyone be putting kalk in their ATO. Evaporation rates are different in the summer and winter. This is just common sense

[@quadlawnmowerman]

Meh, just a paid advert pretending to be a review. Yes you disclosed after a minute into the video but the rest of the video is delivered like it wasn't and advert... The design of this unit is very poor and I will waiti to see the video about the unit overflowing in the near future....

[@gomisreef]

Exactly and he told us their Kalk is cheap but he got his for 6 times less than Avast charge. This was really cheap

[@InappropriateReefer]

I marked it with the Sponsored Video tag that should show up in the beginning of the video, and thought I disclosed it pretty quickly and clearly in the video. Sorry if you feel that it's not enough, I will see what else I could do. I did pick this unit based on all the experiences I read online, so I am hopeful that it'd have been a good choice, or end up making a video of the unit overflowing... or not, if I am paid off by the company. ;-) (jk!)

[@uncledave9704]

You kind of answered this question but how stable is the salinity using the kalkwasser compared to your regular auto?

[@quadlawnmowerman]

@@InappropriateReefer The problem is you delivered it like a review and used language that reflected a review and not an advert. Either deliver an advert and use language of an advert, or deliver a review and don't take the cash/free stuff. If you did not catch the 10sec paid promotion banner or catch the 5sec disclosure at the very start of the video you might not have known it was just a straight up advert. Hopefully this was just an error on your part and you fell back into your normal video style forgetting you are making and advert and not a standard video, otherwise you are being deliberately misleading yeah (which unfortunately is what most companies are looking for you to be).... This is the reason why you should not be taking advertising like this, and why the trusted tubers will seek sponsorship and then not "review" products from their sponsors but happily do an upfront and disclosed advert for their sponsors in every video.