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  #1  
Old 01/26/2004, 02:55 AM
windycityblues windycityblues is offline
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kalkwasser dosing now ph is too high

I started a slow drip of kalkwasser in my tank last night and when I woke up the ph was around 8.8. I've done a couple searches but they just seem to confuse me the more I read. Basically from what I read I need to do small water changes until the p/h slowly comes back down and after that when I dose I need to add vinegar to lower the p/h. Is this accurate? I know the LFS has ph down. Any opinions on this product? Can you add vinegar in the top off water to get the same effect as the water changes? My ph has been 8.2 solid since the tank's been up and running so this is the first time I've had to deal with a ph problem so I'm new on this subject.
  #2  
Old 01/26/2004, 07:25 AM
grim grim is offline
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I'm surprised you haven't snowstormed at a pH of 8.8, but it is possible you don't.. What is the size of your tank? I'd be very worried about rapid shifts in pH, it probably took half a day to get up there, so make sure you take half a day to get it back down (my opinion). You can use seltzer as long as it doesn't contain anything. I'm going to take a guess that your tank is small, try using a capful at a time spaced out. IMO, the pH will fall rapidly at first, then slowly come down.

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  #3  
Old 01/26/2004, 07:37 AM
aquaman67 aquaman67 is offline
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This may be way off, but here's a guess. The pH is naturally at it's highest right before lights out. So I would think you should start the drip first thing in the AM to avoid overshooting pH.

That advice came off a bottle of Kent's Tech CB.

Maybe it would work like that for you too?
  #4  
Old 01/26/2004, 08:23 AM
redsixer redsixer is offline
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So is is it best to dose for pH after kights are out?
  #5  
Old 01/26/2004, 08:24 AM
redsixer redsixer is offline
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Uuuuhhh.....that would be lights are out.
  #6  
Old 01/26/2004, 09:37 AM
aquaman67 aquaman67 is offline
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I would say it's best to start the drip in the morning, that's when the pH will be at it's lowest. Also, how fast are you dripping kalk and how soon after did you test pH?
  #7  
Old 01/26/2004, 10:50 AM
windycityblues windycityblues is offline
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aquaman-Oh I see. That makes sense. I knew ph drops during the night so it would make more sense to dose in the morning when it hits rock bottom. I tested at 8pm later that night. I was getting another gallon set up to drip and thought I should check it before I did any more and BAM whoops. I dripped about 3/4 gl in about 8 hours or so. It was about 2 drops a second or so.

Grim- it's a 75 gl. Yeah I was so shocked when I saw it. I couldn't believe the snails and fish were just going about there routines just like normal.

What would be better to get the ph down for now? The seltzer or ph down?
  #8  
Old 01/26/2004, 11:02 AM
Sloth Sloth is offline
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Kalkawassar is CaOH. The OH tells you its a base. Which means it has high pH. Vinegar is an acid with a low pH. Adding vinegar to the kalkawassar lowers its pH. That way it doesn't raise your pH so much when it drips in. As to how much vinegar it takes, I don't know.
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  #9  
Old 01/26/2004, 12:02 PM
aquaman67 aquaman67 is offline
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Here's a good thread to read.

FYI;

Kalk = pickling lime = calcium hydroxide

They're all the same thing.
  #10  
Old 01/26/2004, 03:58 PM
intrudah intrudah is offline
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I use drip method lime water(pickling lime) 24/7, I make 2.5gallons of lime water using RO/DI and then just add 1 1/2 tbsp of white vinegar, My PH stays at 8.4 24/7
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  #11  
Old 01/26/2004, 05:50 PM
yunkeraj yunkeraj is offline
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I would, and have always thought that you wanted to drip the Kalc over then night to stop the PH from droping. Did you over dose the Kalc? I add about one gallon per night and keeps the system stable. Just my .02
  #12  
Old 01/26/2004, 07:50 PM
windycityblues windycityblues is offline
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I don't think I overdosed. It was about a gallon over an 8 hour period or so. My calc #'s are 350ppm so I wouldn't suspect it to be too much.

So what do you want to mix in? Just distilled vinegar? Is it white vinegar or what?
  #13  
Old 01/26/2004, 09:03 PM
Johnnyfishkiller Johnnyfishkiller is offline
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I accidentally spiked my ph the other day with a heavy dose of kalk. When my ph meter said 8.8 the fungia was looking worse than when the pet store had it. A couple of other corals didn't look too happy either. The Mandarin was very pale looking too.

I put about 2 tablespoons of vinigar in the sump. My ph lowered almost instantly to 8.5. The mandarin got his color back right away, and the corals started to perk up in about an hour.

If your ph is that high, IME a rapid drop is not good, but it's better than letting it stay high.
  #14  
Old 01/26/2004, 09:25 PM
windycityblues windycityblues is offline
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I tested at noon today before I went to school and at about 5 pm and it was 8.2 both times. I guess either the test was a fluke or maybe it was too much too quick and it took a little for the water to catch back up or something. I'm gonna test before I shut the lights off tonight and see what's up. I think I will still try mixing in some vinegar when I dose from now on though.
 

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