help on kalk

[baja_01]

Hello,
I'm going to start a reef tank soon. Right now I need some help on kalk. I was going to get some from ReefDream, but don't know if I need the buffer from him to. I have a 34 gallon tank and I'm try in to get a 10-20gal refugium. How much should I use and do I need to use vinegar to? What about the buffer? I was planing to get a Kent aqua dose. Would that work? Any more info would be great! Thanks a lot!

[Skipper]

Greetings, baja_01.

Kalkwasser should be used to replace any water lost in your tank due to evaporation. A Kent Aqua dose will work pretty good for the dosing. Mix the Kalkwasser per the instructions on the container. I generally used 1 & 1/2 heaping teaspoon/gallon when I mixed mine. There are some extra benefits to adding vinegar (sorry, can't remember them), but I have personally never used vinegar. You don't really need the vinegar. Buffer is used to raise the ph of the water. Whether or not you need it is dependent on what your ph is. I have not used buffer for years in my own tank.

[Skipper]

By the way...

:celeb1::lol2: Welcome to Reef Central :lol2: :celeb1:

Any relation to bajathree?

[turbo800]

Welcome baja, I bought 4 pounds of reefdream's powder and it works great. I mix it similar to skipper but add vinegar. I currently mix the vinegar and the powder together first, 15ml vinegar to 1 tsp powder per liter (approx 4 1/4 cups) of water. I use distilled water I buy from the local store cuz I don't have an osmosis maker yet. For the drip I bought a $5.00 1.5 gallon water dispenser from WalMart and picked up an IV drip kit from a friend at the local hospital. I hear you can usually buy them from a vet as well but don't know the cost. I sealed the drip kit into the side of the water dispenser with silicon using a heated screwdriver to start the hole. You should start using a smaller amount of vinegar until you see how your critters react or choose not to use vinegar at all if you ph holds. You should, in my opinion, buy a test kit for any additives you use ie, if adding calcium (kalk) get a calcium test kit. A drip of about 1 drop every 2 or 3 seconds should be a good starting point for your size tank. With the money you save not buying the aquadoser, you can buy more critters!! Good luck!! Your on a GREAT board here!
turbo

[Skipper]

Ok, I found an article by Craig Bingman that may help. He talks about kalkwasser and vinegar:
http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1999/oct/bio/default.asp

[baja_01]

Thanks everyone! I don't know it I could get me an IV to dose it. Is there an alternative? Is that 1 teaspoon to the total tank volume or to the size of container you mix it in? Oh, no relation to Bajathree. Baja is my favorite vacation spot. Thanks for the info!:spin2:

[Skipper]

That would be per gallon....

[baja_01]

ok thanks

[Fresno State Reefer]

I use a adjustable dripper I bought at Home Depot. It is a little plastic device used for drip irrigation watering. Its about the size of a marble and you just poke it on the end of a piece of hose. I also bought the hose their too. It is over by the ice maker hose.

The part # for the dripper is

BO2B

They are in a clear 4x4 little baggie.

I just poked a little dripper end into the hose. Then I poked the hose into a two liter soda bottle and sealed it up using aquaium grade sealer.

[MIKE]

One thing to watch for with gravity drippers is that they can be quite inconsistent in drip rate. Probably not a big problem unless it stops altogether, which they can do. You can get around this by putting an air pump on and pressurizing the container. Drip rates are then much more consistently. Ultimately, if you seriously drip kalk, you'll likely want to get a quality drip system.