ACI Kalkwasser Method.... I've watched this video and read a few articles, still not sure the exact method.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Agreed. I looked at mag and it would be less effective thank kalk. Sodium Hydroxide seems to be plenty strong enough and readily available.

Do you have any additional safety/health considerations compared to kalk?

Yes, there are also threads on diy two part recipes using it as well as safety precautions:

Second New DIY Two Part Recipe with Higher pH Boost

In a previous thread, I posted a true two part DIY recipe: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/new-diy-two-part-recipes-with-higher-ph-boost.344500/ But some folks may want to just swap the new ingredient into my 2/3 part recipe (as used by BRS, for example). Here's the original recipe link...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Nice to see other folks sharing their positive experiences with the method.

What exactly are you describing as the method? Dosing saturated kalkwasser for all evaporated water at night?

As folks have noted, that’s been done for decades with good success. Larry Jackson was using and recommending it before I joined the hobby in about 1992.

 

[jhuntstl]

What exactly are you describing as the method? Dosing saturated kalkwasser for all evaporated water at night?

As folks have noted, that’s been done for decades with good success. Larry Jackson was using and recommending it before I joined the hobby in about 1992.

Dosing kalkwasser to achieve a more stable pH with little concern for rising alkalinity. Has that not been one of the main talking points here?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Dosing kalkwasser to achieve a more stable pH with little concern for rising alkalinity. Has that not been one of the main talking points here?

Right now, I’m just trying to understand how the method varies from the old kalkwasser at night. Maybe it’s the same method reintroduced to newer reefers. I kept pH at 8.35 to 8.55 using kalkwasser starting in 1992.

Perhaps the lack of concern for alk is a new variation for new folks, but that isn’t what I got from the earlier discussion where kalkwasser was claimed to not even be enough alone and additional alk methods were used to get enough, not that one is pushing alk higher than the usual ranges, and keeping it there this way.

This was stated in post 14 of this thread;

“I don't think that is what he is proposing at all. He is just saying to dose up to maximum evaporation and let the pH and Alk rise to whatever level that provides. The only limit he seemed to suggest was having his CaRx kick in if the Alk fell to 8.6 dKH. He also mentions that eventually it will not be able to keep up, which is what everyone already knows ...”

 

[Nemosis]

Kalkwasser absolutely helped my nano tank, but one time I messed up bad and overdosed (my timer was left "on") and I had a bad tank crash after that.

I dosed with a dosing pump (Kamoer/DIY) in a 3 gallon container and I was eventually dosing all of my evap with kalkwasser. I basically did as Randy Holmes says, oversaturate your container and then let it settle and just don't put the slurry at the bottom in your tank.

My problems? I need a bigger container to hold enough kalk because a 3 gallon container doesn't last long enough. I need to find a place to put said container. And I need to buy 2 of said containers because I want a backup container of kalk ready to go to change it out.

I'll probably end up buying some 5 gallon water jugs and using those.

I’m using 5 gallon jugs and it holds enough kalkwasser to last me 4-5 days.

 

[jhuntstl]

Right now, I’m just trying to understand how the method varies from the old kalkwasser at night. Maybe it’s the same method reintroduced to newer reefers. I kept pH at 8.35 to 8.55 using kalkwasser starting in 1992.

Perhaps the lack of concern for alk is a new variation for new folks, but that isn’t what I got from the earlier discussion where kalkwasser was claimed to not even be enough alone and additional alk methods were used to get enough, not that one is pushing alk higher than the usual ranges, and keeping it there this way.

This was stated in post 14 of this thread;

“I don't think that is what he is proposing at all. He is just saying to dose up to maximum evaporation and let the pH and Alk rise to whatever level that provides. The only limit he seemed to suggest was having his CaRx kick in if the Alk fell to 8.6 dKH. He also mentions that eventually it will not be able to keep up, which is what everyone already knows ...”

Achieve as near to stable NSW pH as possible. Use kalkwasser to do it. Do not be concerned with rising alk. That's the method. The alk aspect is by far the most debated.

There are very few people in this thread actually experimenting with this. I am excited to see some folks chiming in with actual experience.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Achieve as near to stable NSW pH as possible. Use kalkwasser to do it. Do not be concerned with rising alk. That's the method. The alk aspect is by far the most debated.

There are very few people in this thread actually experimenting with this. I am excited to see some folks chiming in with actual experience.

Ok. If that us the essence of the question, stable pH vs stable alk, you may find this thread and follows ups by people focusing on stable pH vs stable alk to be of interest. There may also be better ways to stabilize pH if that is really what you mean, rather than just raising low pH.

I can also add that my experience with using kalkwasser to replace all evaporated with limewater/ kalkwasser without trying to control the alk is that it worked fine for me for 20 years. That said, I never used any other method to compare it to, so I cannot conclusively say how the tank would differ with other methods.

Alkalinity stability? pH stability? Are they even different?

It is currently the dogma of the reef aquarium hobby to say that alkalinity stability is very important for SPS corals, and that pH is not. Often, the very idea of someone trying to optimize pH is called “chasing numbers” as if that statement by itself shows it to be foolish. Since I have...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[14 foot reef]

I agree with @Randy Holmes-Farley this method has been practiced since the 90's and that there just might be new players that have come across this process, or a close version of it. I appreciate all the feedback from this thread as I believe its helping others learn older methods of reefing still work to this day.

 

[Garf]

Ok. If that us the essence of the question, stable pH vs stable alk, you may find this thread and follows ups by people focusing on stable pH vs stable alk to be of interest. There may also be better ways to stabilize pH if that is really what you mean, rather than just raising low pH.

I can also add that my experience with using kalkwasser to replace all evaporated with limewater/ kalkwasser without trying to control the alk is that it worked fine for me for 20 years. That said, I never used any other method to compare it to, so I cannot conclusively say how the tank would differ with other methods.

Alkalinity stability? pH stability? Are they even different?

It is currently the dogma of the reef aquarium hobby to say that alkalinity stability is very important for SPS corals, and that pH is not. Often, the very idea of someone trying to optimize pH is called “chasing numbers” as if that statement by itself shows it to be foolish. Since I have...

www.reef2reef.com

My grandmother told me you used about 70% saturated, if you know what I mean.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My grandmother told me you used about 70% saturated, if you know what I mean.

Lol

Yes, I used undersaturated for years because the pH got too high at full strength. Then I got new storm windows and the pH dropped back and I went to saturated.

 

[LimestoneCowboy]

@Randy Holmes-Farley do you see any harm in dosing multiple Ca/Kh/Mg routes at the same time? (CaRx/your high pH 3 part/Kalkwasser). I do this due to our high consumption. KW/CaRx are for the majority of the dosing and then the 3 part is used by the Dosetronic when numbers slip down a bit. All SPS fine and growing, just not with that nice metalic sheen we all like to see, so I thought I would ask from a chemistry perspective if I was off with my method. Thank you as always!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

@Randy Holmes-Farley do you see any harm in dosing multiple Ca/Kh/Mg routes at the same time? (CaRx/your high pH 3 part/Kalkwasser). I do this due to our high consumption. KW/CaRx are for the majority of the dosing and then the 3 part is used by the Dosetronic when numbers slip down a bit. All SPS fine and growing, just not with that nice metalic sheen we all like to see, so I thought I would ask from a chemistry perspective if I was off with my method. Thank you as always!

No, there’s nothing wrong with multiple methods!

 

[LimestoneCowboy]

Great! Thank you @Randy Holmes-Farley. One follow up. For a "no/small" water change system, which of your 2/3 part recipes would be best for keeping things ionically balanced-ish? Thank you!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Great! Thank you @Randy Holmes-Farley. One follow up. For a "no/small" water change system, which of your 2/3 part recipes would be best for keeping things ionically balanced-ish? Thank you!

Best is 2 parts plus balling part C.

 

[LimestoneCowboy]

Best is 2 parts plus balling part C.

Just so I'm understanding this right, if the goal is to dose the same amount for each (for a Dosetronic), do these calculations from your recipe look right? Thank you

	A	A	B	Or for less pH bump	C
	Ca (g/L)	Magnesium Chloride (g/L)	B-KH Soda Ash (g/L)	B-KH Baking Soda (g/L)	Balling Part C (g/L)
OG Directions	50​	10​	40​	80​	25​
2x Strength	100​	20​	80​	160​	50​
2x strength To Make 3L	300​	60​	240​	480​	150​
2x strength To Make 4L	400​	80​	320​	640​	200​
2x strength To Make 1 Gallon	378.5​	75.7​	302.8​	605.6​	189.25​

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Just so I'm understanding this right, if the goal is to dose the same amount for each (for a Dosetronic), do these calculations from your recipe look right? Thank you

	A	A	B	Or for less pH bump	C
	Ca (g/L)	Magnesium Chloride (g/L)	B-KH Soda Ash (g/L)	B-KH Baking Soda (g/L)	Balling Part C (g/L)
OG Directions	50​	10​	40​	80​	25​
2x Strength	100​	20​	80​	160​	50​
2x strength To Make 3L	300​	60​	240​	480​	150​
2x strength To Make 4L	400​	80​	320​	640​	200​
2x strength To Make 1 Gallon	378.5​	75.7​	302.8​	605.6​	189.25​

I do not think making 2x strength is going to work very well due to difficulty dissolving the alk parts. That's how the concentration was originally devised.

 

[BAMatter]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

I’m currently using this method. My PH was around 7.8 and with kalk at night, I’m able to bring it to 8.22-8.24 but only with the help of a CO2 scrubber or else I dose more than I evap. My alk went over 12dkh, but has begun to drop. It’s now around 9.5dkh. If it continues to drop, I plan on dosing ESV B-ionic 2 part to keep Alk where I want (8.5dkh if it drops below that) That said, since the kalk is being dosed at night, and Alk consumption is during the day, should I dose the 2 part opposite schedule of the kalk schedule?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Watch to be sure the dropping alk is not indicating excessive precipitation of calcium carbonate on pumps and hardening of sand.

Id consider alk dosing during the day, yes, to even it out more.

 

[BAMatter]

Watch to be sure the dropping alk is not indicating excessive precipitation of calcium carbonate on pumps and hardening of sand.

Id consider alk dosing during the day, yes, to even it out more.

Thanks. Also had a question- I’m getting a .1 gain in PH with the CO2 scrubber.. is it worth chasing? Wondering if the 2 part will help make some of that PH up if I were to discard that piece of equipment and dose kalk for 8.1 instead of 8.2, since the cost for media seems fairly unbalanced for what I’m achieving.

 

[Roli's Reef Ranch]

Wheel re-invented. Woot!!!

EDIT: Not sure the aquarium behind him makes me think that he has a real grasp of coral growth.

You talking about Devin, from ReefDudes?!? LOL