The Icecap Magnetic Kalkwasser Stirrer is a type of kalkreactor which could make dosing kalkwasser cool again. Dosing a solution of calcium hydroxide is one of the oldest ‘methods’ in reef keeping so any device that can streamline that process is a very welcome on the reef scene.
Although we all know that kalkwasser is great for raising calcium and keeping a high pH, it’s not all that practical to dose it to our aquariums on a regular basis. There are many different kinds of kalkwasser reactors in the hobby, but it’s been a long time since we’ve seen a magnetically stirred kalkreactor.
Interestingly, a magnetic kalkstirrer is the first product that Ecotech Marine ever put together and while you can still see a unit or two kicking it around their offices, the device was never fully commercialized. So the concept is ripe for a comeback and it will join a suite of other magnetically stirred devices introduced in the hobby in recent months.
The Icecap Magnetically Stirred Kalkreactor we spotted at MACNA was just a prototype, but a working one which looks pretty ready for primete time. It may not have the same fancy and water-resistant magnetic motor design of the ReefGrow regular stirrer, but the motor and magnetic stirrer bar are more than capable of giving a solution of kalkwasser a light spin.
Perhaps the most exciting feature of the IceCap Magnetic Kalkreactor is the attached controller, which is more or less the same as the controller we’ve seen in a myriad of DC controlled pumps. With this controller, IceCap could integrate not only the timer functions of the stirring, but also the dosing functions of a peristaltic dosing pump.
Some kind of synergy between the stirrer and doser could really put dosing kalkwasser on the map again, and in this regard the IceCap Kalkreactor seems prime to accomplish this. Alas the model we spent time with at MACNA was the only prototype so it’ll probably a while still until we see this device get an official release.
