Beating the kalk horse to death...

[mark78]

I'm sure this has been covered...but

Whats a good amount to use in a low Ca req. tank for top off water? I don't want to spike pH but I don't want to drip it either.

Last night I made a 5 gallon jug of RO and added 1/8th tst per gallon (5/8th tsp total). I didn't notice any precipitate after it sat for a couple hours. Is it ok to top off the tank with 2 gallons of this at a time? Total volume is around 100ish gallons, and evaporates about 1-2 gallons a day.

 

[Ben1]

Kalk will raise the pH and should never be added all at once. Mixing it to saturation is the idea, then dripping it is the only way to go. ALso kalk will help mantain CA/ALK but more the ALK side. CA may still need other additions to keep it high enough depending on your tanks absorbtion rate and evaporation rate. It should be used for all top off, IMO.

If you dont mix it to saturation then you arnt addign as much as possible and although you may be able to add it a bit faster whats the point?

 

[mark78]

Well I only have 2 tiny corals in the tank, so I don't need a whole lot of Ca buffering at this point I don't think. My idea was to start slow and build up as needed, and as testing says I need.

I know a lot of people top off thier tanks with Kalk water rather then dripping it in, so I'm just curious if I'm doing it right, and what is the high end of kalk dosage where I should not do this due to pH swings...

 

[Anonymous]

IMO you really should get used to dripping it overnight or 24/7. Adding a light dosage is just fine but when you add even a light dose all at once it will consume all available CO2 and spike your PH. If this spike climbs over 8.5 then a precipitation event is likely and you'll actually end up with a lower Calcium level than before the dose.

If dripping is not in your future then I recommend one of the many other methods of maintaining Calcium and Alkalinity.

 

[mark78]

Thats what I was affraid to hear Maybe I'll invest in a 20g bucket and a dosing pump... don't have any experience with them, I assume its pretty easy to setup

 

[Ben1]

Your evap is about 1-2 gals a day just use the 5 gal bucket. Go to HD and get a john guest ball valve and screw it into the bottom of the bucket. Attach that to a piece of airline tubing and run it to the sump. FIll the 5 gal bucket with RO water and mix in the recommended amount of kalk. Then open the ball vlave enough you to let it drip out the other end.

Or just use a barb and tie a knot in the airline tube to make it drip. Those plastic clamps with the rolling wheel also work well to get a nice drip.

 

[Anonymous]

.... or you could add vinegar to the sodium hydroxide then water. It'll take care of all the undesirable reactions.

Although there are some who really cringe away from using vinegar, but if you want to make up your own mind, check this out http://www.reefscapes.net/articles/bree ... asser.html