alkalinity

[lespice]

i am having trouble maintaining alkalinity over 200ppm. The pH is steady at 8.3 - 8.4 i continuously drip kalkwasser day and night and it just slows the drop in alkalinity, but will not maintain it. its a 300gal. system with three small fish, snails, crabs. Organics is definetly not the problem. Ca++ is a steady 420-440ppm. i have an identical system in a 30gal and have no trouble maintaining over 200ppm with kalkwasser. is 300gal to much for kalkwasser to handle? how can i maintain alkalinity?

Thanks
Lespice

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Lespice:

<< i am having trouble maintaining alkalinity over 200ppm. >>

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying.

Alkalinity is 200 ppm?

I presume that means 200 ppm CaCO3 equivalents, which is 4 meq/L. That's on the high side, not the low side. There's no need for it to be higher.

Do you mean that the calcium is 200 ppm?

<< Organics is definetly not the problem. >>

I'd agree, though I don't think that organics are ever a problem for either calcium or alkalinity regardless of how high they are. Am I misunderstanding something?