First, there have been quotes from Bob here and if it is referring to me I never posted that quote!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you drip Kalk it will help maintain Ca and Alk, Mg is used up so slowly after it has gotten to proper levels and your salt mix and water change schedule and amount you would not need to drip Mg.
Read it
What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
Read it
A Simplified Guide to the Relationship Between Calcium, Alkalinity, Magnesium and pH by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
There is an old saying parallels you all and y'all, ignorance is curable, stupidity is forever.
In post number 7 it might of been, I was quoting "beaslbob" not "rbursek". I have read the Farley articles numerous times, not being a chemist I get a little bit of informational overload from reading them. However, I've had a couple of questions about limewater that I have asked over the last few months elsewhere, that never really seems to get answered.
How many fluid ounces (or gallons) of saturated limewater can I dump into a 175 gallon system
at one time without immediately raising my PH levels more than .2 And is it .2 or .02 and is that percentage points or from 7.8 to 8.0 for example ??
Unless I missed it Farley's article talks about adding 1.2% of total system water in saturated limewater will result in a PH raise of .5 which would not be good. So my math would say that 1.2% divided by 5 equals roughly .25% of total system water of saturated limewater would raise PH by .1 So, if I don't want to raise my PH by more than .2 at any one time, I should never add more limewater than .5% of total tank capacity at any one time. In a 175 gallon system .5% equals .875 or roughly 112 fluid ounces.
My reading of the Farley articles, more than just those two, leaves me with the impression that sometimes my math is wrong, or this chemistry stuff just doesn't work like I think it does. This is why I come out of the shadows and ask these questions. But, if my math is correct I am always confused how some reefers can get away with replacing ALL their evaporated water with saturated limewater - which correct me if I'm wrong, Randy Farley does.
I evap out of that 175 system 2.5 to 3 gallons per day, I can not match that evap rate with saturated limewater or I will be adding more than the 1.2% that Farley talks about as extremely unhealthy for fish. (obviously the PH burn would kill them) Is that a correct assumption ???
Also, if one or 2 teaspoons/tablespoons (no one seems to know :squigglemouth: ) of pickling lime will make a gallon of saturated limewater, does anyone know what the addition of only say a 1/4 teaspoon of pickling lime to a gallon of water will make ?? A gallon of saturated limewater has a PH level of 12 or more, will a weaker solution have a smaller PH level ?? I assume that the slightest addition of pickling lime powder (a pinch) to a gallon of RO/DI will raise that PH level into double digits.
Well heck, I'll just have to get off my lazy keester and find that out myself, ahhhhh the internet, it makes me what I am today.....Lazeeeee
:nerd: