kalk depletes alkalinity?

[Toadally1]

Has anyone had this experience?

My calcium was getting too high so I backed off on the dosage. In response in doing so, my alkalinty dropped to 1.5meq. I started using Seachem's Reef Builder and was wondering if it was safe to use in combination with kalkwasser. So I wrote to Seachem and this is the response I got.....

Yes, it is safe to use Reef Builder. Kalkwasser very often can
deplete your carbonate alkalinity (which is what the corals need as
much as the calcium). The Reef Builder restores the carbonate as well
as total alkalinity.


I was always under the impression that dosing kalk would maintain calcium and total alkalinty at optimal levels.

What are your thoughts on this????

[ July 15, 2001: Message edited by: Toadally ]

 

[Toadally1]

So what you are saying is...."Don't use the buffer in combination?" Will using a higher concentration of kalkwasser be the way to go?
Will this increase the alkalinity?

 

[Joggins]

Don't dose excessive amounts of kalk or the above mentioned problems can be aggravated. I have never used Reef Builder and kalk together but I know that too much kalk at once can cause problems with your alkalinity.

Good luck

-Stephen

 

[jdeets]

When supplementing with a balanced supplement, the ratio of the change in Ca to alk is 20 ppm Ca to 1.0 meq/L alkalinity. In your case, if you let your Ca drop 40 ppm, your alk would drop 2.0 meq/L. (You get the idea...) The ratio the balanced supplements put these two components into the system is the same ratio by which they are consumed through calcifying livestock.

In your case, you stopped all Ca and carbonate input into your system, in order to get your Ca down. What you need to do is use buffer to gradually bring your alk back up. You need to use something that only has the alkalinity component (i.e., unbalanced supplementation) to get your alk back up. (If you try to raise your alk with a balanced supplement, like kalk, then you'll end up with Ca and alk where they were before you stopped adding the kalk--and be back at the starting point...)

You might consider Kent SuperBuffer dKH or something similar to get your alkalinity back up. Also, do it gradually.

If your Ca is also too low now, you can use a balanced approach once your alk is "in line" with your Ca. For example, suppose you were shooting for alk of 3.5 meq/L and Ca of 420. If your Ca were at 380, then you could raise both Ca and alk with a balance supplementation process, because the 2.0 meq/L increase in alk would correspond to an increase in Ca of 40 ppm. Get the idea?

Anyway, use buffer to raise alk gradually. Do the math and you'll be able to figure out when you should switch back to balanced supplementation.

HTH

 

[Kalkbreath]

I DO NOT!!!

 

[Nathan1]

Kalk *WILL* maintain both *IF* you have enough CO2 being injected into your water via aeration.

If your pH goes too high then yes, adding additional kalk will depete both your calcium and alkalinity.

-Nathan

 

[Sarc]

If you dose buffer and kalk at the same time, calcium carbonate might form and then the alk might go down as the calcium carbonate might form with the tanks alk.

Chris