how often do you dose kalk?

sw-addict · #1 01/29/2004, 11:36 PM

As some of you may know we have recently started dosing calcium to our tank. After a few weeks of water changes and dosing turbo calcium we nailed or parameters at calcium 430ppm and alk. 11. In 4 days time they both drop to cal. 380ppm alk. 5.6 the only coral in the tank is 6 mushrooms the size of silver dollars. We have glass lids under our canopy so that we only loose about 20oz of water a week, so top off with kalk. is not very often. My question- do we need to take water out of the tank every couple of days and dose kalk. A calcium reactor is out of the question atleast until summer.

so often do you dose kalk in your tank?

vinstr · #2 01/29/2004, 11:49 PM

I used to have to dose every day before I got my reactor...I was using the 2 part additves for awhile then BIOcalcium for awhile but if I missed a day, it would drop about 20-25 ppm- I would try the two part additives and/or the anthony calfo Kalc Slurry method: Click this link, scroll down about a third of the page and read how to dose this way- it works very well:
http://216.239.41.104/custom?q=cache...hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Ereefic · #3 01/30/2004, 12:10 AM

I dose 24/7, but i'm evaporating 2.5gal a day.

Gary Majchrzak · #4 01/30/2004, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sw-addict
As some of you may know we have recently started dosing calcium to our tank. After a few weeks of water changes and dosing turbo calcium we nailed or parameters at calcium 430ppm and alk. 11. In 4 days time they both drop to cal. 380ppm alk. 5.6 the only coral in the tank is 6 mushrooms the size of silver dollars. We have glass lids under our canopy so that we only loose about 20oz of water a week, so top off with kalk. is not very often. My question- do we need to take water out of the tank every couple of days and dose kalk. A calcium reactor is out of the question atleast until summer.

so often do you dose kalk in your tank?

Taking {salt}water out of a reef tank to replace it with kalkwasser will lower the salinity. Don't do it.
Kalkwasser is especially great for maintaining alkalinity and Calcium levels in reef aquariums with high evaporation rates, in which case all make up water can be limewater as long as you monitor Ca and alkalinity. If your aquarium has a very low evaporation rate, I'd recommend using a two part Calcium/alkalinity sytem- or a Calcium reactor.
Removing the glass top on an aquarium will drastically increase evaporation.

Scuba Dog · #5 01/30/2004, 12:34 AM

sw-addict you could do away with the glass top and have a canopy built and have your new reef lights installed on it.......that way youl get better oxygenation and some evaporation so you can do kalk by top off..........or you could use the drip method when ever your lights are off, but thats a pain to do all the time to remember to turn the drip on or off, or buy an expensive dosing pump........i prefer by top off.........

Frick-n-Frags · #6 01/30/2004, 07:17 AM

I put kalk in my topoff every day. I just make it more diluted in the winter when evaporation is sick (3-4 gals a day) and mix it really strong for summer (maybe 1 gal a day or less even)

trickyblue · #7 01/30/2004, 09:07 AM

I use a Kalk Reactor, hooked up to a float switch for instant kalk dosing and top off.. "Two birds with one stone!"

JB NY · #8 01/30/2004, 09:33 AM

24/7 all my top-off water is kalk.

THEBMAN · #9 01/30/2004, 11:54 AM

Quote:

use the drip method when ever your lights are off, but thats a pain to do all the time to remember to turn the drip on or off

scuba dog, what do you mean by this, I have a kent doser that i put my kalk in and just let it drip in all day. and refill it every other day. but the lights are on.

is that wrong or does that have some effect on it.

warmstrong · #10 01/30/2004, 12:09 PM

I use a rubbermaid above the sump with 5 gallons of limewater , its tapped and a plastic hose goes to the float in the sump as top off it drips 24/7 and works really well , It lasts about 5 days.

Dan

warmstrong · #11 01/30/2004, 12:10 PM

I have read here about putting vinager in with the Kalk, can anyone elaborate on the reasons and why they were doing this?
Dan

Randy Holmes-Farley · #12 01/30/2004, 12:17 PM

The primary reason that some folks add vinegar is to get somewhat more solid lime to dissolve into the limewater. So if you cannot meet the demands of the aquarium with normal saturated limewater, some vinegar may help.

A second reason is that it can help reduce the pH peaks that the aquarium attains. Not because the pH in the limewater is much less (it will still be in the 12's), but for tanks with inadequate aeration (which for this purpose is many or even most), the acetate is metabolized in the tank by bacteria and other organisms to CO2, helping to bring the pH down.

This article describes the vinegar effect in more detail:

http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/a...io/default.asp

warmstrong · #13 01/30/2004, 12:37 PM

Great Article Randy ,,thanks for the link,, I think I will try this and watch my PH a little closer,, by the way I see alkalinities of 11dkh on some posts ,,my alk has been 2.5 to 3 dkh the last time I tested it which has been a while but tonight I will test it ,,is this OK or is something out of the norm ,, how high is too high?

Thanks Dan

Randy Holmes-Farley · #14 01/30/2004, 12:43 PM

my alk has been 2.5 to 3 dkh the last time I tested it

You sure that isn't 2.5-3 meq/l, which equals 7-8.4 dKH?

warmstrong · #15 01/30/2004, 12:59 PM

I am not sure, I will check it out this evening when I get home ,, I have been known not to watch the alk very closely, what is a good reading.
Dan

Randy Holmes-Farley · #16 01/30/2004, 01:25 PM

I usually recommend 2.5-4 meq/L (7-11 dKH), but higher is OK as long as calcium is not too low (which is sometimes a consequence of elevated alkalinity).

The ocean has about 2.5 meq/l of alkalinity.

Scuba Dog · #17 01/30/2004, 04:31 PM

THEBMAN
On the drip method at nite, i used pure kalk,( not diluted like as in my top off resavore) since the ph is quite high i driped when i turnd out the lights, once the lights are out the phof the tank water starts to drop some and the kalk drip helps keep it stable....but hey if your ph is staying where ya want it and your tank is doing great go for it.....

THEBMAN · #18 01/30/2004, 05:44 PM

scuba dog, ok i see what your saying, i thought there was another reason why you did that, but that is a good idea, i keep my refugium on when the rest of the tank goes out that seems to keep my ph stable so far.

this is kind of what i got going on in this setup,

THEBMAN · #19 01/30/2004, 05:45 PM

lights that is, forgot to put in the word lights sorry about that.

bastion666 · #20 01/30/2004, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Randy Holmes-Farley
I usually recommend 2.5-4 meq/L (7-11 dKH), but higher is OK as long as calcium is not too low (which is sometimes a consequence of elevated alkalinity).

The ocean has about 2.5 meq/l of alkalinity.

Hi Randy,

This past week I started to dose Kalk 24/7 (peristalic pump) and noticed that my dK went from 10-11 to 11-12, not a big jump. But my pH has gone from 7.9 to about 8.3 in the mornings to 8.4 - 8.5 in the late evenings right before the lights go out.

My calcium level hasn't changed. It's still varies between 385-410. Are these numbers ok? SG hasn't varied from 1.0265 to 1.027 and the temp is stable at 79.5.

Prior to dosing kalk I was using b-ionic (Kents A/B) daily. The automated top-off + kalk solution makes life a whole bunch easier.

Now to figure out if I really have colonies of hydroids. Camera time!

Randy Holmes-Farley · #21 01/31/2004, 08:24 AM

Yes, all of those changes are about what one expects, and the values look fine.

If you are wanting to do something to feel useful, I'd add some calcium chloride to boost calcium, but it isn't important right now.

sw-addict · #22 01/31/2004, 10:33 AM

I dont know if thebman is going to look at this again but that is one of the neatest looking set-ups that I have seen, is that a 55g on top? To the rest of you thanks for your input I will start leaving my glass tops open while my atnics are on for a while. If that does not work I will somehow mount my lights in my hood and remove the glass.

THEBMAN · #23 01/31/2004, 11:06 AM

thanks sw-addict i really appreciate that, you guys ought to check out this thread it is awesome, there are a ton of beautiful pictures of peoples tank rooms and there tanks... get allot of good ideas off it. Plus all my tanks are on there.

and yes that is a 55 gal. refugium above my 155 reef tank, i keep my shrimp and seahorse in there,

here is that thread....

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=299330

reefrider · #24 01/31/2004, 11:06 AM

all my top off water is kalk mix. about 1 gallon a day

joefish · #25 01/31/2004, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by THEBMAN
scuba dog, what do you mean by this, I have a kent doser that i put my kalk in and just let it drip in all day. and refill it every other day. but the lights are on.

is that wrong or does that have some effect on it.

If it works don't change it .
I'm not saying your wrong , just another reason for night dosing . Besides scuba dogs good reason , I heard that the kalk water disipates better at night making more calcium usable by your system . If I rember right the raised c02 at night is what does it .
But Like I said in the begining , If it works don't change it .
HTH