Alkalinity and Kalkwasser Dosing Question

[kodiak1313]

If you dose Kalkwasser through a gravity feed drip system.

1.) Do you have it drip 24 hours a day or only at night when PH is dropping? On a "One one thousand, two one thousand" count how much time between drips?

2.) What is your Alkalinity, Calcium and PH. levels?

3.) How would you grade you coralline algae growth.

Slow - Live Rock shows very little growth
Average - Splotchy but steady growth on rock and glass
Fast - I clean it off the glass weekly to monthly
Extremely Fast - I mine the stuff off the glass daily)

4.) Last but not least do you have a bryopsis (nuisance hair algae) problem?

I welcome and appreciate any IME or IMO comments...

[rmendis]

1) It's easier to let it drip 24hrs when you have a gravity system. If you have an electronic doser, you can set it on a timer. If your PH swings too high with 24hr drip, you'll have to scale it back to less hrs per day. How much drops per sec depends on your tank's evaporation rate, or how high you want the pH, Alk, and Ca to go. I use 1 drop/4sec on my 35gal

2) Alk = 10-11dkH, Ca = 410 - 450ppm, pH = 8.0 - 8.2

3) Currently average growth. I think it's beginning to pick up.

4) No. I had a bryopsis bloom when the tank was cycling, but it died off on its own. However, I do have some turf algae problem (short brown tuffts) that I am fighting. I'm hoping I can win the battle over time with RODI water changes and good husbandry.

[kodiak1313]

Thanks Rick great info. I appreciate it.

[jackson6745]

Right now I m still using a gravity feed system. I use a saturated solution of limewater with 15ml of vinegar per gallon dripped 24hrs. I have a fan on my sump blowing 12hrs per day to increase my evaporation so I can keep up with calcification. My tank is pretty stocked with SPS and a few clams and I am able to keep calcium at 440ppm and alkalinity at 3.0-3.5meq/l. Occasionally I use a tsp of baking soda to bump up the alk though.

[kodiak1313]

Thanks Jackson. Why the Viniger? I am new to Kalk have been using Tech A & B in the passed. This is my first gravity fed system.

[kodiak1313]

bump

[rpgraff]

Kodiak, the use of the vinegar is so the acid allows for a higher concentration of calcium ions to be dissolved in the clear kalkwasser liquid.

You might want to read this article:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm

And in the Reef Chemistry forum there is a message with links to all sorts of water chemistry articles:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=102605

[jackson6745]

Originally posted by kodiak1313
Thanks Jackson. Why the Viniger? I am new to Kalk have been using Tech A & B in the passed. This is my first gravity fed system.

Read the article, It will explain the benefits of kalk and vinegar. The only problem with this gravity fed system is that is only a 5 gallon jug. I have to make new kalk every 3rd day....it's getting to be a pain so I will shortly be switching to a kalk reservoir with a float switch for an auto top off. Also, sometimes the IV line gets gets clogged and the drip will need to be adjusted

[kodiak1313]

Thanks all for your experience.

After read the AA article and your posts I will be opting for mixing the kalk in with my water top off system. I already have a 35gallon reservoir plumed to my float valve in my sump. I have a 220 gallons total water volume and evaporate about 2.5 gallons a day. I read that to increase the kalk addition in this system you either add vinegar (question on how much?) to increase the binding ability of the kalk and/or add a fan to increase evaporation (which I may need to do to help with heat any how).

My concerns.

Regulating the amount of Kalk entering the system?

Resuded left in the reservoir?

Clogging of the float valve and the line from the reservoir to the float valve?

How much Kalk to add to a 35g reservoir and on my kalk instructions it say to mix separately from reservoir and not to make more than a gallon at a time? This would take quite a while to fill 35g. I purchase two little fishes (Julian Sprung's) Kalk?

Please help. Any description of your kalk system including maintenance would be very helpful…

[rpgraff]

1. Increasing evaporation increases the volume of Kalkwasser you can add via water top off means. Adding vinegar to your Kalkwasser mix increases the amount of dissolved calcium hydroxide essentially increasing the amount of calcium ions in a given volume. They are different mechanisms.

2. The instructions suggesting telling you not to mix more than a gallon of Kalkwasser at a time are becuase of concerns that Kalkwasser can "degrade" over time. That may not be as much of a concern as once thought. Read this article: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-0...ture/index.htm

In my previous system I used a 10 gallon photo lab chemical storage tank with a floating lid as my reservior. That was connected directly to a float valve. Once a week I would add more RO water and Calcium Hydroxide stir and let settle again. (I had a shut off valve so that the Kalkwasser wouldn't be delivered untill the undissolved Kalkwasser had settled to the bottom.

About every 2-3 months I thouroghly cleaned the reservior and float valve.

[jackson6745]

I use Mrs. Wages pickling lime for kalk. To make your limewater add 1 heaping TSP of kalk per gal of water . Put the solids in first and then pour in the water after. No mixing will be required. As for the vinegar, if you can't keep up with calcification demands start adding 10ml per gallon and take it from there. At times I experimented and used up to 40ml per gal with no ill effects.

Good luck,
Rich

[jackson6745]

BTW 1 heaping TSP per gallon will give you a saturated solution of limewater

[kodiak1313]

Thank you Rick and Rich. Your information has been very helpful. I will be putting it into action over the next couple of days. I appreciate all of your straight forward answers. That is sometimes hard to get here on RC.

[rmendis]

You're welcome. Best of luck, and have fun!

[Rebels23]

Hey Rich,

How is it going?

Do you use an IV dripper for your gravity feed? I am currently dripping from a 1 gallon container just by gravity and a knot in an air hose line. I bought an IV drip kit but haven't set it up yet. Do you know how much 1 saturated gallon jug of kalk would raise your Ca and Alk? Thx

Rebels23

[jackson6745]

Originally posted by Rebels23
Hey Rich,

How is it going?

Do you use an IV dripper for your gravity feed? I am currently dripping from a 1 gallon container just by gravity and a knot in an air hose line. I bought an IV drip kit but haven't set it up yet. Do you know how much 1 saturated gallon jug of kalk would raise your Ca and Alk? Thx

Rebels23

Hey,
I am using an IV dripper. I'm not sure how much a saturated jug of limewater would raise CA and alk but...I was using about 50ml of each bionic before switching to kalk and the kalk alone was enough to keep my CA and ALK levels around 450ppm and 3.5meq/l. I would just drip the saturated solution and check your CA and alk levels periodically and you may also want to keep an eye on your PH so it doesn't climb too high. Since adding more SPS and clams I am currently dripping about 2gallons of saturated limewater with 15ml of vinegar per gal....per day. I increase my evaporation rate with a fan on my sump. Soon i'll need a bigger fan or a CA reactor to keep up with calcification demands. Thats about all the info I can think of right now.

later,
Rich

BTW how are the frags doing?

[Rebels23]

Hey Rich,

Frags are doing good.

I just got an IV drip and I can pinch the little white thing and it'll increase the drip rate. But I'm not sure what holds it down. It's almost like I am missing a part.........

Anyway, thx again for the frags dude. I got some small frag pieces of some purple monti digita if you want some?

Rebels23

[jackson6745]

Thanks, I already have some purple digitata. I recently got a frag of blue polyop digitata. When it grows out I will save a frag for you (if you don't already have it)

[Rebels23]

Thanks Rich. I just got a piece of blue polyp monti digita.

Rebels23