Do I need a top-off unit anymore?

[kahnsell]

I am about to make the jump to dripping kalk in my tank. I was adding kalk before, but in my top off unit. However, the top-off unit sometimes added 1/2-3 gallons of water at a time to my sump (not good...) So now I am going to have to drip the kalk instead.
So my question is: Once I set up a drip system, I shouldn't need a top-off unit anymore, right? The dripping kalk should keep the water level even (after some tinkering). Is this correct? It sounds right, but you never know...
Also, I would appreciate it if anyone has a picture of their 5 gal Aquadosing unit. I may make one, but it sounds like the Kent Aquadoser is an easier option...
Thanks a lot!!!
-Rob

 

[dan-in-den]

I drip either top-off or kalk. I'm only dripping Kalk every other day right now (because I let it set for 24 hours after mixing). Later, when I start making larger batches of Kalk, I'll drip both. It'll take some experimenting to determine the ratio but I'll probably start at .75 gal Kalk and .5 gal top-off per day.
My evap rate is about 1.2 gal/day so I made a 2 gallon Kalk doser from a Rubbermaid container. I bought the container at Walmart (under $6) and added a $6 canula (the tubing that you see being used by people with oxygen tanks). The key thing is that the spigot on the container comes apart making it easy to insert the airline.
Attached is a pic of my dosing system:

 

[jbstuart]

Really cool idea.

 

[cathbad]

Instead of doubling your work load by dripping for top-offs and kalk, why not just drip a more dilute kalk solution sufficient to meet both calcium demand and top-off. Just an idea to lighten the load.