Kalk Question

Duberz

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Can I dose kalk at a low level to help up my ph a little if my water changes are keeping my parameters stable? I was thinking 1/2 teaspoon/gallon in my ato. I'm asking because my cal/alk are very stable right now and I don't want the kalk to raise them. I'm currently using a co2 scrubber which works but I'm sick of replacing the media once a week. I don't want to do the recycling method because I heard it makes the skimmer less effective at oxygenating the water.
 

Reefahholic

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Can I dose kalk at a low level to help up my ph a little if my water changes are keeping my parameters stable? I was thinking 1/2 teaspoon/gallon in my ato. I'm asking because my cal/alk are very stable right now and I don't want the kalk to raise them. I'm currently using a co2 scrubber which works but I'm sick of replacing the media once a week. I don't want to do the recycling method because I heard it makes the skimmer less effective at oxygenating the water.

Hi, you can do that, but I'm not sure if you'll see much of a bump in pH unless you dose a lot at once. Kalk is a weak solution even when fully saturated. A lot less potent than most 2-parts. However, fully saturated Kalk hits the water with a pH of 12+, but if you dilute it that much, I'm not sure if the pH will be lower or stay the same. I've always been in the fully saturated club. It will obviously change your ALK/CAL levels slightly because you will be adding more of those elements back into the system.

BTW, I ran a CO2 scrubber the recirculating method and it rocked. Can say if it affected the oxygenation or not. I didn't notice anything. Is there a thread on that you can link here? Thx.

@Randy Holmes-Farley could tell you if the pH changes if you dilute the Kalk. Seems like it would and you'd have to dose more. I'm curious myself.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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Can I dose kalk at a low level to help up my ph a little if my water changes are keeping my parameters stable? I was thinking 1/2 teaspoon/gallon in my ato. I'm asking because my cal/alk are very stable right now and I don't want the kalk to raise them. I'm currently using a co2 scrubber which works but I'm sick of replacing the media once a week. I don't want to do the recycling method because I heard it makes the skimmer less effective at oxygenating the water.

Yes, but dosing a little is unlikely to boost pH much.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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Randy would the kalk at 1/2 teaspoon/gal raise my cal and alk much if it's ran in my ato?

Depends on the amount added.

If you add 1% of the tank volume in saturated limewater (~2 tsp per gram), you will boost alk by about 1.15 dKH and calcium by 8 ppm.

At 1/2 tsp per gallon, you are adding 1/4 as much, or 0.3 dKH and 2 ppm calcium.

The pH rise is about 0.6 pH units instantly for 1.25% of the tank volume in saturated limewater. That fades over a period of hours as the tank pulls in CO2. If you add 1/4 of the concentration (at 1.25% of the tank volume), the pH effect is roughly 1/4 of that, or around 0.15 pH unit.
 
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