DYI Kalk+2 mix

PVsPlayHouse · Mar 1, 2026

Was thinking about making my own Kalk like Kalk+2. Is Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime recommended. I have a 120gl mix reef and I use Brightwell Aquatics Kalk+2 but it’s getting expensive to run. Was thinking about making my own.

Wages Lime 2 teaspoons per gl 36 teaspoon.

Magnesium Chloride might use a little more depending on test results. I try and keep it between 14 and 1600. Seems to work for my lps.
• 2¼ teaspoons (1/8 tsp per gallon x 18)

Strontium Chloride keeping these numbers the same.
• About 1/2 teaspoon TOTAL
(1/32 tsp per gallon × 18 = 0.56 tsp)

In an 18 gl brut pall that I already use with the Brightwell Aquatics Kalk+2.

Do these number work. So far with the Brightwell Aquatics Kalk+2 everything is growing well but I’m going through this like crazy and it’s getting expensive.

Honestly I stopped AFR and just use Brightwell Aquatics Kalk+2 and everything started to grow nicely.
Thank you

KStatefan · Mar 2, 2026

PVsPlayHouse said:
Was thinking about making my own Kalk like Kalk+2. Is Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime recommended. I have a 120gl mix reef and I use Brightwell Aquatics Kalk+2 but it’s getting expensive to run. Was thinking about making my own.

Wages Lime 2 teaspoons per gl 36 teaspoon.

Magnesium Chloride might use a little more depending on test results. I try and keep it between 14 and 1600. Seems to work for my lps.
• 2¼ teaspoons (1/8 tsp per gallon x 18)

Strontium Chloride keeping these numbers the same.
• About 1/2 teaspoon TOTAL
(1/32 tsp per gallon × 18 = 0.56 tsp)

In an 18 gl brut pall that I already use with the Brightwell Aquatics Kalk+2.

Do these number work. So far with the Brightwell Aquatics Kalk+2 everything is growing well but I’m going through this like crazy and it’s getting expensive.

Honestly I stopped AFR and just use Brightwell Aquatics Kalk+2 and everything started to grow nicely.
Thank you

I would just use the kalk mrs wages or any generic.

The strontium and magnesium are just impurities in the kalk.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 2, 2026

Bad plan with respect to magnesium. There is almost no magnesium in kalk+2 based on Brightwell's own numbers, and, remarkably, it is less than in the commercial calcium oxide from Mississippi Lime Co that I used for many years.

But equally important, it makes no difference if you have magnesium in the kalk or not because it is NOT soluble in kalkwasser. At that pH, it will immediately precipitate as magnesium hydroxide, which is very insoluble at pH 12. Adding magnesium chloride (or sulfate) will cause a drop in alk in the kalk and make it an unbalanced alk and calcium additive.

It's fine to add strontium to it, though I personally do not think dosing strontium is useful for organisms in reef tanks.

All that said, kalk alone, or kalk+2 alone are fine additives to use for alk and calcium (and strontium for kalk+2 if you care about it). :)