Kalkwasser

[altyfc]

Is kalkwasser is the best way to go for maintaining calcium?

 

[esmithiii]

IMO, Yes. By far the best method. I think for a highly stocked tank (lots of coral that is) I think that kalkwasser dosed using a nielsen reactor coupled with a calcium reactor is the best way to go.

Calcium reactors alone add CO2 to the water which can cause nusiance algae growth. Kalkwasser precipitates phosphates which limits algae growth. In tanks with high demand the two techniques in conjunction seem to work well.

Personally I use kalkwasser and vinager and have great growth of SPS and coraline algae.

Ernie

 

[shellshocked]

altyfc,
kalk work fairly well but you still need to test your calcium levels. Often Kalk alone won't maintain the CA levels. It depends on how much you drip (or can drip). I drip kalk but also have to supplement with a little calcium.

 

[esmithiii]

I drip kalk but also have to supplement with a little calcium

What do you mean, 'suppliment with a little calcium'? Kalkwasser powder is mostly calcium- calcium hydroxide.

 

[shellshocked]

I use turbo calcium from Kent. A lot of people use two part additives and I have tried them but have not really seen any difference in my system other than the extra cost. You are correct that kalk is calcium chloride. However the kalk mixture reaches saturation and there is a finite amount of calcium per volume of water in the mixture you drip. There are other factors also - calcium hydroxide does not dissolve readily and you have to mix it vigorously, the age of the mixture also makes a difference. If you can drip enough kalk to keep the calcium levels high then great. The amount you can drip depends on the normal evaporation loss of your system. You can't drip a gallon a day if your system only evaporates half a gallon. Dripping kalk provides other benefits beside the addition of CA - there are dozens of posts outlining the chemistry behind it. The real point however is when making changes to your system - test, test, test... I have learned the hard way.

 

[esmithiii]

You are correct that kalk is calcium chloride.

No, Kalkwasser is calcium hydroxide not calcium chloride. Turbo calcium is anhydrous calcium chloride.

Most people can add enough kalkwasser to keep up with their tank's demands. I personally loose over 5 gal/day in evaporation. That's a lot of kalkwasser that I could add. I mix with vineager to increase the solubility.

Excessive mixing of kalkwasser is not recommended, however.

I am not disagreeing with testing. I simply think that kalkwasser alone is the most overlooked solution to raising calcium levels.