Kalkwasser Info
- Thread starter ColaAddict
- Start date
Tbonekilla
Member
Very interesting.
Sent from my EVO 3D
Sent from my EVO 3D
EricTheRed
No, I'm not a communist..
Thanks. I've been adding vinegar so I can supersaturate my ATO water but I still have precipitate at the bottom of my resevior. I've been adding 45ml of vinegar per tablespoon of kalk. This is half their recommended dose of 15ml vinegar to 1/2 teaspoon kalk. They also say to dissolve the kalk in the vinegar first which I'm not doing now. I'm going to bump my vinegar and see if the precipiate goes away.
RedDevil.258
Active member
Maybe you can help!
So I started to add Kalk to my ATO container as a way to maintain levels for my sps corals and clam. It's a 6g container from Walmart that is very common. The Kalk is from BRS and I used the recommended dose only for the ATO container. I mixed it let it sit over night and powered the JBJ ATO back up.
Now my questions, is it normal for the kalk to for a film layer on top of the water? I know that there will be sediment on the bottom and to avoid this. But the hazy film on top kinda weirded me out. So just to be safe I dumped it and will wait for some expert know-how from a user.
Standing by.........
So I started to add Kalk to my ATO container as a way to maintain levels for my sps corals and clam. It's a 6g container from Walmart that is very common. The Kalk is from BRS and I used the recommended dose only for the ATO container. I mixed it let it sit over night and powered the JBJ ATO back up.
Now my questions, is it normal for the kalk to for a film layer on top of the water? I know that there will be sediment on the bottom and to avoid this. But the hazy film on top kinda weirded me out. So just to be safe I dumped it and will wait for some expert know-how from a user.
Standing by.........
chicagophil
New member
im getting BRS kalk starter pack for my new tank, is that a good idea? Thanks for the info.
RedDevil.258
Active member
Cool
Also I know this may vary from brand to brand, but how will the saturated water look. Clear, hazy, or milky? When I mixed up a batch I dosed less than the directions asked for.
RedDevil.258
Active member
Also is there any guidance on whether its ok to dose two part as well as kalk?
FishBeard
New member
If your tank is consuming enough you need 2 part along with kalk, don't waste time with the kalk anymore and focus on dosing the 2 part to keep your cal/alk stable.
Lil BamBam
Premium member
You can do both, but you need to make sure that your levels are in check 1st and a few times after. Don't want your levels to go high
The main key is to test and test levels. I only use 5 tsp in a 5 gal to keep my levels in check.
Also keep inmind that you will have to use less of the 2 part when dosing. Hope this helps
EricTheRed
No, I'm not a communist..
The kalk-water will be realtively clear, except the bottom layer looks milky. try to avoid dosing the bottom layer. Make sure your intake tube is about 2" from the bottom of your resevior to avoid the milky sludge.
EricTheRed
No, I'm not a communist..
Go with the kalk. Unless you have a heavily stocked and mature sps tank the kalk will be enough to maintain your Ca and Alk. However, it might be a little hard to dial-in your proper kalk dosage so you might need to "top-off" so to speak with a 2-part once a week to maintain your levels.
Start by getting your levels where you want them by using 2-part.
It is typically recommended to begin with 1 teaspoon of kalk per gallon of rodi. See what this does for a week. If your levels dropped after 1 week then adjust with 2-part to get you back to where you need to be and increase your kalk. Try 1.5 teaspoons per gallon for the next week and test again, etc.
Keep in mind that kalk is saturated in water at 2 teaspoons per gallon. If 2 teaspoons per gallon doesn't work, then you can supersaturate the suspension by adding vingar.
As an example, in the summer months my tank runs hotter and my cooling fan speeds up evaporation so I am just fine with 2 teaspoons/G. However, in the fall, winter and spring I evaporate less so I need 3 teaspoons/G which can only be accomplished by adding vinegar. (To supersaturate you will need 15ml of vinegar per 1/2 teaspoon of kalk)
Last consideration; most 2-parts also include trace, kalk does not. So you might want to consider dosing a trace supplement or keeping up with 10% weekly WC's to replenish.
Hope this helps.
RedDevil.258
Active member
Thanks for the first hand info Dre and Eric.
EricTheRed
No, I'm not a communist..
For many reefers, doing weekly water changes will keep them in check, especially if they aren't heavy on sps. If your lps and sps are small and you have sufficient water volume then you can certainly get away without dosing. I'd recommend testing your ca and alk before and after water changes so you can see if your demand is covered. You should also test your pH regularly to make sure it isn't going too low since the addition of alk tends to keep it in check.
EricTheRed
No, I'm not a communist..
10g a week would be a little over a 10% wc which when done weekly is a good place to be. Start there, if you need more then try 15g/week. If you can't keep your ca and alk w/in ideal param's then you'll want to look at dosing something. If you're going to be doing more sps then you probably should be dosing to keep your parm's from fluctuating in between wc's. Stability is key w/ sps.