kalk or 2 part?
- Thread starter gmoney243
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orthokardia
Well-Known Member
kalk as topoff and suppliment with 2 part if your evaporation is too little. Calfo advocated shooting a kalk slurry as opposed to topoff...interesting, but i would need to know more. the reason i like kalk is ph=8.4 bam!
angrycubano
Well-Known Member
I 2 part cuz I don't know how much kalk to add to my top off. I could set it up with dosing pumps but I don't have any room to set up the containers.
Kalk all the way. Every tank should be using kalkwasser, at least in the beginning, a Ca RX, or 2 part may be necessary eventually but kalkwasser is the best thing to help keep a stable sysytem, IMO.
2 part is going to let you fine tune your calcium and alk to a percise number since they are seperate liquids/checicals. Kalk is super saturated calcium hydroxide and adds high levels of calcium, but does not actually add alkalinity. What it does is neutralizes acids that would normally exhaust the alk's buffers. So which is better of the 2 really depends on what you are trying to achieve. Most use Kalk for very small calcium/alk demands. Also people like myself that use calcium reactors use Kalk to help raise calcium a notch and neutralize the acids associated with the low PH of a CaRx's output effluent. 2 part is better for a system is moderate to moderately high calcium/alk demands.
Long story short, Kalk is used more as a additive to make small adjustments in a system, where as 2 part is used as a full supplement for calcium and alk.
Long story short, Kalk is used more as a additive to make small adjustments in a system, where as 2 part is used as a full supplement for calcium and alk.
kuyatwo
Well-Known Member
I have done ca rx, two part, and Kalk for my tank. Kalk as my main and then adjust with two part as needed. I run mine through a avast Kalk reactor. This dosing system has worked best for me. You just need to make sure you have safety measure in place so you don't over dose Kalk or you will nuke your tank
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The problem with doing a slurry is it can really play havic on pumps.
Actually KW does add alk in proportion to ca. It combines with the co2 in the tank to form carbonate.
Many people can supply all of their ca/alk with kw alone and in the past before sps dominated tanks, kw easily met the ca/alk demands of reef tanks. But 2 part definately gives you better control. In small tanks kw might be a problem because of the high ph.
Kalk does both calcium and alkalinity.. It is only used to maintain them though not raise them, you have to use some otherway to raise them.
Dave Polzin
_sludgefactory
Valuable Member
I think im going to go get some pickling lime and try it. My reef is only 54 gallons and i usually dose into the return chamber of my sump. Usually when i top off its at most a cup or 2. First question, how much kalk per gallon? I figure ill just mix it in my top off jug and dump it in the return area, its pretty high turbulence and will mix as it returns, eventually im going to build an ato. So with a 54 gallon tank, adding maybe a cup or a little more of kalk mixed top off to a high flow are of my sump, you think that i will have a negative reaction? Obviously i will observe and add the kalk slowly at first.
I have three BRS dosing pumps. First one is 50ml per min and doses Kalk in the top off thru a Kalk reactor. I then use the other two low volume dosers to adjust Alk and Cal with BRS two part. All controlled with my Apex.
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mjaustin22
Active Member
I've used both, I used just 2 part for awhile, then tried kalk, then went back to just 2 part and now I'm using both and my corals have never looked better. My corals hated me when I stopped using kalk lol.
I use 2 pt in the morning and kalk in my top off at night
orthokardia
Well-Known Member
also gotto love the Kalk precipitation (locking up) the PO4
Devonjevon
Active Member
I use a hyper saturated kalksweiser solution. 5 tablespoon( 15 teaspoons) to 5 gallon bucket and 1 cup ( actually 225 ml ) cheap distilled white vinegar.The vinegar allows more solid lime to dissolve into the limewater, and limits the maximum pH swing that the aquarium will attain. Drawbacks include the possibility that bacterial growth will be driven by the acetate in the vinegar. I started using this when auto top off was not keeping up with demand of corals. It can bridge the gap before you have to dose both kalksweiser and 2 part.
The maximum u should ever dose kalksweiser at one time should be 0.25 % of your aquarium water volume! Any more than that will cause to much of a ph swing and should be gradually introduced. .25% is about 1 liter per 100 gallon saltwater volume.
The maximum u should ever dose kalksweiser at one time should be 0.25 % of your aquarium water volume! Any more than that will cause to much of a ph swing and should be gradually introduced. .25% is about 1 liter per 100 gallon saltwater volume.
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