Kalk question

[NanoReefWanabe]

i tried to start dosing kalk ( just with a stock solution and a drip at night) and i guess my cal and alk werent balanced...my calcium is 340and my alk was 15DKH after two nights of kalk...i am trying to get the calcium up while letting the alk drop naturally...then i guess i can start redoing the kalk...it just seems like i am using absolutely nothing when it comes to kalk though, and the alk is still climbing...i put in about 2.5grams/litre of water and shake like crazy...allow to settle then drip...

i lose about 1.5/2 litres a day in evap...so i was doing 1 litre of RO during the day and 1 litre of kalk at night...

i dont think i can but should i try to make the Kalk solution less potent?

or will things stay in check with the kalk once they are balanced with the two part?

reason i wanted to start doesing kalk was to help with phophates...i have a PO4 reactor...but since i just started it i only put in half a cup of media...i am going to change it out next water change and put in 1 cup or so to help with the PO4....

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Stop the limewater (kalkwasser) addition until the alkalinity declines to a normal value (say, 11 dKH). Then restart it using less (that is, less solid lime in the same top off water).

Boost the calcium with calcium chloride as detailed in this article and using this calculator to gauge the dose:

Solving Calcium and Alkalinity Problems
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

Reef chemicals calculator
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

[NanoReefWanabe]

thanx Randy...that is exactly what i was going to do...

i seems funny but when i use the calculators it tells me to use about 30ml of calcium solution, which just doesnt seem to do anything to the cal level in the tank...

i have both those pages bookmarked from long ago...

my mag is at 1400ppm also...i have never seen any precipitate in the water....upon dosing....but my heater does get crusted over every month or so...

i try to maintain the cal at 420 and alk at 12...or 200ppm and mag at or around 1400 (my elos kit only measures in 100ppm...so i would rather err to the high side then too low and cloud my tank...)

i am doing a water change next week...when the interceptor gets here...so i will wait until then to do any more limewater...after that water change i should be redbug free, phosphate free, hopefully nitrate free, and maybe even worry free about adding Kalk...

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Check the calcium level in your salt mix. Water changes may be dragging it back after you boost it up.