- Location
- Duluth, Minnesota
I do not think so but that is what you need to find out by doing those tests to see what the daily demand is.
Kalkwasser Yes or No?
- Thread starter brick-brothers
- Start date
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Gotcha, I'm starting tonight
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read this n call me in the morning
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_6/volume_6_2/kalkwasser.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_6/volume_6_2/kalkwasser.htm
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Thats a good link you provided. For some reason, it kinda explain the process alot better than the other sites I visited. Thanks.
- Location
- Ridgewood NY
Why dont you keep using the esv part 1 and 2? would it be any different other than using two mixes instead of one?
I'm also looking for cal/alk/mag solution and I'm torn between the 2 or 3 part esv or kalk + mag.
Sorry I jumped into your thread man, but any help will be appreciated
I'm also looking for cal/alk/mag solution and I'm torn between the 2 or 3 part esv or kalk + mag.
Sorry I jumped into your thread man, but any help will be appreciated
- Location
- Pennsylvania
i could keep using the esv but to me i think the kalk would be better far as dosing is concern. I would only be dosing 1 time with kalk. With the esv i would have to add part 1, then wait to add part 2, then add the mag if needed.
- Location
- Brooklyn, NY
Manny, to be clear, with Kalk you're dripping it in slowly on a constant basis via some sort of doser, not dumping it in "only 1 time".
AlohaTropics
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- Long Island
I used a few different Ca Reactors for a long time. Though they work well keeping Alkalinity levels stable, I found them to all be a pain in the butt to keep fine tuned. I would almost have to adjust the drip and bubble rate every other day to keep a stable output. Thats when I switched to Kalk.
Like Boomer said, you need to know a few things:
1. Daily Evaporation Rate
2. Daily Alkalinity consumption
Once you know these two, and you have your Ca, Mg, dkh set to where you want, you can begin Kalk dosing.
1. Figure out how much a fully saturated Kalk mixture in the quantity of your evaporation rate will raise your Alkalinity by. e.g. - Your tank evaporates 1 gallon per day. 1 gallon of fully saturated kalkwater will change your dkh (figure out with your own system's net water volume). Adjust the kalkwater saturation to meet your daily dkh consumption.
Note: If your dkh consumption is particularly high and even fully saturated Kalk at even evaportation quantity does not replenish it, you can add vinegar to the kalk solution to allow the mixture to be supersaturated and hold more dkh & Ca than normal. You can read up on this as this is a different ball of wax!
But for the most part, if your not holding tons of SPS, you shouldn't need to do this.
2. After figuring out the proper stable dkh dosage with the kalk, you will need to see if you are replenishing enough Ca. If your Ca still continues to fall while your dkh stays the same, then you will need to dose Ca on top of the Kalk.
This is my situation. I dose Seachem's Aquavitro Calcification because I have found that corals really do grow almost twice as fast with this product. It is a Gluconic Calcium and corals can absorb and use it up minus 1 less chemical process. So it is less stressful and they use up less energy converting it.
The Final thing to keep in mind, just like Boomer said, mind your pH. If your system has a stable pH of 8.3 - 8.4, it may be dangerous to use Kalk. Always drip Kalk after lights out as this will be the lowpoint of your daily pH. In my system, my pH drops from 8.4 to 8.1 at night without the kalk so dripping kalk after lights out helps me maintain my pH in a .05 swing (8.35 - 8.4).
Like Boomer said, you need to know a few things:
1. Daily Evaporation Rate
2. Daily Alkalinity consumption
Once you know these two, and you have your Ca, Mg, dkh set to where you want, you can begin Kalk dosing.
1. Figure out how much a fully saturated Kalk mixture in the quantity of your evaporation rate will raise your Alkalinity by. e.g. - Your tank evaporates 1 gallon per day. 1 gallon of fully saturated kalkwater will change your dkh (figure out with your own system's net water volume). Adjust the kalkwater saturation to meet your daily dkh consumption.
Note: If your dkh consumption is particularly high and even fully saturated Kalk at even evaportation quantity does not replenish it, you can add vinegar to the kalk solution to allow the mixture to be supersaturated and hold more dkh & Ca than normal. You can read up on this as this is a different ball of wax!
But for the most part, if your not holding tons of SPS, you shouldn't need to do this.
2. After figuring out the proper stable dkh dosage with the kalk, you will need to see if you are replenishing enough Ca. If your Ca still continues to fall while your dkh stays the same, then you will need to dose Ca on top of the Kalk.
This is my situation. I dose Seachem's Aquavitro Calcification because I have found that corals really do grow almost twice as fast with this product. It is a Gluconic Calcium and corals can absorb and use it up minus 1 less chemical process. So it is less stressful and they use up less energy converting it.
The Final thing to keep in mind, just like Boomer said, mind your pH. If your system has a stable pH of 8.3 - 8.4, it may be dangerous to use Kalk. Always drip Kalk after lights out as this will be the lowpoint of your daily pH. In my system, my pH drops from 8.4 to 8.1 at night without the kalk so dripping kalk after lights out helps me maintain my pH in a .05 swing (8.35 - 8.4).
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Good advice guys. I was having the same problem with my cal reactor. My bubble and drip rate wasn't staying the same. That's why I stop using it. Right now I'm dosing ph buffer because my ph is around 7.2 is this the only way to bring up my ph?
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Great thread.I also have a tank with LPS and softies.I am tired of dosing 2 part everyday and I am gonna buy a reactor and run it inline with my auto top off.I figure Ill check the parameters everyday for the first couple weeks and see how it works.I was thinking about buying the Aquamedic Kalkwasser Stirrer / Reactor 1000 and running it with my tunze ato. I believe it keeps the kalk stirred constantly.Seems like the pump models need to be set on timers.Any opinions on this appreciated.
AlohaTropics
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- Long Island
7.2?? Wow, thats really low. Please stop using pH buffer. You will cause yourself many more headaches. I would start doing 10% water changes every day until you correct your pH. You probably have a sever ionic balance problem. That would also explain why your Ca is 500+ without precipitating out. Is there enough air transfer to your system? Your low pH can also be a result of CO2 build up. Do you have a canopy?
- Location
- Duluth, Minnesota
If you are getting a pH of 7.2 there is something wrong with your meter, like it needs a good cleaning. It is almost impossible to get a pH that low in seawater as "rock" will start to dissolving raising it back up. The floor pH for seawater is about 7.6. Soak it in vinegar over night and then rinse it very well in RO/DI or Distilled water and recalibrate it. You DO NOT add buffer to raise the pH, unless the pH and Alk are both very low and yours is not, Dkh is fine and then you use only Soda Ash ( Baked Baking Soda/Washing Soda)
Last edited:
- Location
- Pennsylvania
ok im going to clean my ph probe, i havent done it in awhile so maybe thats the problem. So plain baking soda will bring up the ph without raising the cal and alk?
- Location
- Duluth, Minnesota
You do not use buffers like baking soda to raise the pH. It is to raise the Alk ONLY.
- Location
- Pennsylvania
I must of mis read that post. So what can I used to bring up my ph with raising the cal and alk?
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- Location
- Duluth, Minnesota
You need to find out what that pH is first. The issue of low pH and how to get it up 99 % of the time too much CO2, usually high room air CO2 or a Calcium reactor. Once you have cleaned and recal that probe post the, Alk, Salinity & Temp and I'll tell you what that pH should be.
- Location
- Pennsylvania
- Location
- Pennsylvania
ok here we go. I cleaned and calibrated my ph probe. Now its giving me proper readings. My ph is 8.15, cal 400, alk 9.6 dkh, sal 1.025, mag 1430, and temp 78.
- Location
- Duluth, Minnesota
That is much better. Get the Calcium up to more like 420 or so and do not so anything to raise the magnesium as it is already high. More like 1300 ppm.
Based on those levels the highest your pH could get is 8.3. So, you have some excess CO2 but not really. I would leave it alone, as 8.15 is about the same pH as the ocean. The reason you pH should be 8.3 is that your Alk is much higher than the ocean. If we keep your pH and lowered that Alk to 6.5 dKH you have about the same pH as the ocean.
Based on those levels the highest your pH could get is 8.3. So, you have some excess CO2 but not really. I would leave it alone, as 8.15 is about the same pH as the ocean. The reason you pH should be 8.3 is that your Alk is much higher than the ocean. If we keep your pH and lowered that Alk to 6.5 dKH you have about the same pH as the ocean.
- Location
- Pennsylvania
how would I bring down my alk?
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