Best kalkwasser instructions

[gman107]

I would use the brs with a digital timer. The regular dosers dont hold up well to kalk. I dosed kalk for a few years with one and a 20 brute. I did end up moving to a 50ml minute brs pump because the 1.1ml couldn't keep up. I was at 7200 ml a day when I moved he tank. That method worked very well using one of these timers which allows the on time to be adjusted by the second.

When you were using the 1.1 was it running constantly? The 2 1.1 dosing pumps i have both dose 1.5 each. I guess i could run both for 3 ml a minute

 

[exnisstech]

I found out right away the 1.1 wasn't going to cut it and moved to the 50ml.

 

[gman107]

I found out right away the 1.1 wasn't going to cut it and moved to the 50ml.

 

[gman107]

Yeah so my 2 brs 1.1 Dosers are 1.2 i guess they will be ok for a start. I can always run longer right ?

 

[gman107]

So would it be better to dose 24 times on the hour or continuous drip all 24 hrs or just dose overnight for 12hrs?

 

[bobnicaragua]

If your goal is to keep SPS, dose overnight for 12 hrs.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So would it be better to dose 24 times on the hour or continuous drip all 24 hrs or just dose overnight for 12hrs?

There’s no perfect answer. The first two are virtually identical.

Dose more during the day if alk stability is your goal.

Dose more at night if pH stability or preventing low nightly is your goal.

Dose 24/7 to do some of both.

 

[lbacha]

I dose kalk 24/7 on both my tanks. One is with a BRS doser and the other is a Kamoer FX-Stp doser. Both work fine and I see about a .10-.15 PH swing from day to night. And alk swings about .25 dkh

 

[gman107]

Ok so i started dosing Kalk, i started dosing it at night from 10pm to 10 am i started slowly with 2liters broken into 12 doses moving up every few days to 4 liters. My Ph has definitely improved i don’t go down to 7.5 like i use to at night even though i have a refugium on 14 hrs my new ph low is 7.7 but my highs don’t go above 8.0 my alk is 8.5 to 9. Last night i changed my dosing schedule I’m now moving to 4 1/2 liters at 188ml 24 times on the hour. I was hoping at this point my ph would be higher I’m glad it’s not going so low anymore. Does this sound about right ? Should i keep going up with Kalk doses just slowly not to cause spikes and let the alk level go up slowly ?

 

[bobnicaragua]

Ok so i started dosing Kalk, i started dosing it at night from 10pm to 10 am i started slowly with 2liters broken into 12 doses moving up every few days to 4 liters. My Ph has definitely improved i don’t go down to 7.5 like i use to at night even though i have a refugium on 14 hrs my new ph low is 7.7 but my highs don’t go above 8.0 my alk is 8.5 to 9. Last night i changed my dosing schedule I’m now moving to 4 1/2 liters at 188ml 24 times on the hour. I was hoping at this point my ph would be higher I’m glad it’s not going so low anymore. Does this sound about right ? Should i keep going up with Kalk doses just slowly not to cause spikes and let the alk level go up slowly ?

I like to keep my alk around the 7-8 range. I suspect you will get a lot of different answers to this question.

You will be able to increase the alk dose overtime as your corals grow in and consumption increases.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

That result seems reasonable, and if you want higher pH without pushing alk higher, you’ll need to use other methods.

 

[Rjramos]

The best way to dose Kalk trouble free without clogs in dosing line, pump failure etc etc, is to use a kalk stirrer. RO/DI water in top off container, water pump set to dose 80-90% of evaporation rate over 24 hr period. I dose kalk 24/7. A pH meter to monitor pH in kalk stirrer. Once the pH drops under 12 time to add Kalk. I go about 2 weeks before having to add. From the kalk stirrer the water overflows from the top and slowly drips into your sump. I’ve tried other methods and this is the way to go without problems.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The best way to dose Kalk trouble free without clogs in dosing line, pump failure etc etc, is to use a kalk stirrer.

Why would that clog less than kalk from a settled reservoir?

 

[Jari]

Ok so i started dosing Kalk, i started dosing it at night from 10pm to 10 am i started slowly with 2liters broken into 12 doses moving up every few days to 4 liters. My Ph has definitely improved i don’t go down to 7.5 like i use to at night even though i have a refugium on 14 hrs my new ph low is 7.7 but my highs don’t go above 8.0 my alk is 8.5 to 9. Last night i changed my dosing schedule I’m now moving to 4 1/2 liters at 188ml 24 times on the hour. I was hoping at this point my ph would be higher I’m glad it’s not going so low anymore. Does this sound about right ? Should i keep going up with Kalk doses just slowly not to cause spikes and let the alk level go up slowly ?

You mentioned "other animals" in your first post, what are those? Do you have a CO2 scrubber if you have a zoo down there? :)

I have Nyos Opus 300 (80g tank), and dosing Triton Flex - Ca and Mg solutions each 15ml/day, KH solution 7ml/day, and traces separately. Less than year old tank.

Versa pushes RO/DI water through Deltec kalkstirrer 24/7 dosing 1,5l kalk/night, and 100ml during day (I would not need this but have noticed that it keeps Deltec less clogged). For me, half dose of the ALK-solution compared to other Triton Flex solutions keeps the alkalinity around 8. pH is around 8.2-8.4, and sometimes I have to remove CO2 scrubber media to prevent pH shoot really high, especially if no-one is at home.

I also had refugium in the beginning, but noticed that the only thing it did for me was to make everything more messy (algae everywhere), traces low, and did not do hardly anything for pH (reverse light cycle for chaeto). I would definitely consider CO2 scrubber unless you already have one.

 

[gman107]

Ok so my alk was 9 but was still dosing 20 mls of triton that ended last night too ! So i going to let this go a few days to see how it plays out alk might come down and i can put another 1/2 ltr and stay around 8-9. So with all this Kalk going in what does a WC do ? Am i overthinking this ?lol

 

[Rjramos]

Why would that clog less than kalk from a settled reservoir?

Well for one thing it supplies from the top, staying away from the undissolved slurry on the bottom. Secondly , periodic cleaning of the undissolved is easier done with a compact stirrer, than pulling your whole top off reservoir outside for a hose down. My top off is 27 gal, I really dont want to mess with that. Lastly, the pump is pumping RO/DI water thru it, not kalkwasser. Now the end of the drip tube coming from the stirrer will clog after a very long time, being that it’s 1/2” diameter.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Well for one thing it supplies from the top, staying away from the undissolved slurry on the bottom. Secondly , periodic cleaning of the undissolved is easier done with a compact stirrer, than pulling your whole top off reservoir outside for a hose down. My top off is 27 gal, I really dont want to mess with that. Lastly, the pump is pumping RO/DI water thru it, not kalkwasser. Now the end of the drip tube coming from the stirrer will clog after a very long time, being that it’s 1/2” diameter.

Thank you. I’m not convinced a reservoir will have a tendency to clog the drip tip faster, but I understand your reasons.

I think reservoirs have advantages, such as easier potency control, but stirrers certainly are workable. :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ok so my alk was 9 but was still dosing 20 mls of triton that ended last night too ! So i going to let this go a few days to see how it plays out alk might come down and i can put another 1/2 ltr and stay around 8-9. So with all this Kalk going in what does a WC do ? Am i overthinking this ?lol

I’m not sure what kalk dosing has to do with water changes, but certainly water changes will tug alk and calcium toward the levels in the new salt water.