Kalkwasser begginer

Serna 11 · Nov 28, 2019

Hi so I would like to start with kalkwasser in my reef tank in a dripper but I have some questions,
1_Since it is going to be dripping rodi water on the tank should I power off the ato?
2_My reef is a low demand to medium low I would like to know how much (aproximatly) a 1 gallon kalkwasser container dripping at a small rate would last before I have to add another gallon.
My idea was to do a good amount of kalkwasser in a container to at least las about a week.Before I have to put more in the dripper.

naterealbig · Nov 28, 2019

Hi there:

1. No, you don't need to turn off your ATO. Just keep an eye on your sump level. If it starts to rise, it means that you need to decrease your Kalk drip rate.

2. The best way to dose Kalk is to start with saturated lime water. I think this is about 1 tsp per gallon. Make sure you mix well and do not add more than 1 tsp per gallon.

i would start to drip very slowly - maybe a drop every 60 sec or so to start. Test alk of your Aquarium water right before you begin, then test again 24 hrs later. If your new alk is the same as your old alk then you have your drip rate. If alk has gone down, then increase your drip rate slightly - or vice versa if it went up.

Read through Dr. Holmes-Farley's article on limewater - link below. It will tell you everything you need to know about it....

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php

Emon · Nov 28, 2019

I started to use kalk myself and after monitoring my parameters I noticed that my mag keeps dropping, can the kalk drop my mag?

naterealbig · Nov 28, 2019

I don't believe so. Other organisms are probably using it. It will go down over time, even without any coral in the tank.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Nov 28, 2019

Emon said:
I started to use kalk myself and after monitoring my parameters I noticed that my mag keeps dropping, can the kalk drop my mag?

it doesn’t drop magnesium, but it adds none, so magnesium may drop 0-2 ppm per day. Anything faster is test error.

Abbetude · Jan 1, 2020

Hi reefers! Looking for some advise myself... Think with all the reading (Dr Randys articles , very good off course) I have confused myself

. hopefully you guys can point me in the right direction.

I have a total system volume of 250 Gallons. My display tank is 120 Gallons, the rest is sump and a water tank (Wanted to increase water capacity). I am in the 4th month of this tank being running. I have a few LPS and some other corals with some livestock.

I understand that I need to start dosing. I measured my Alklinity, Calsium & Magnesium. ALK was @ 7.5, Cal @ 420 - 450 & Mag @ 1400. I used Randys Recipe # 2 for ALK (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php) and used the reef calculator to determine how much to dose (http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html)

After slowly dosing ALK Recipe 2 over some hours I am now (next day) on my target ALK of 8.5 , Cal still seems top be @ 450.

I have mixed 2 teaspoons of Kalkwasser in 1 Gallon RODI water. The container has been standing and I have a clear water solution with some matter settled at the bottom. Now my question: How much Kalkwasser is safe to drip over 24hrs to keep my levels balanced? My evaporation is +- 1 - 1.2 Gallon per day.

Thank you in advance!

AZMSGT · Jan 1, 2020

Abbetude said:
Hi reefers! Looking for some advise myself... Think with all the reading (Dr Randys articles , very good off course) I have confused myself . hopefully you guys can point me in the right direction.

I have a total system volume of 250 Gallons. My display tank is 120 Gallons, the rest is sump and a water tank (Wanted to increase water capacity). I am in the 4th month of this tank being running. I have a few LPS and some other corals with some livestock.

I understand that I need to start dosing. I measured my Alklinity, Calsium & Magnesium. ALK was @ 7.5, Cal @ 420 - 450 & Mag @ 1400. I used Randys Recipe # 2 for ALK (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php) and used the reef calculator to determine how much to dose (http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html)

After slowly dosing ALK Recipe 2 over some hours I am now (next day) on my target ALK of 8.5 , Cal still seems top be @ 450.

I have mixed 2 teaspoons of Kalkwasser in 1 Gallon RODI water. The container has been standing and I have a clear water solution with some matter settled at the bottom. Now my question: How much Kalkwasser is safe to drip over 24hrs to keep my levels balanced? My evaporation is +- 1 - 1.2 Gallon per day.

Thank you in advance!

Welcome to R2R and Happy New year, seeing this is your first post I wanted to offer you a proper greeting. On the matter of your question I’m kind of in the same boat as you. I’m trying to figure out the best way to start adding Kalk to my system. I have a Kalk stirring unit and will be pushing RODI through it which moves Kalk solution into the sump. I’m just trying to figure out how best to go about how much I should dose. I was planning on figuring out my evaporation rate over the next 24hrs, so you are a step ahead of me.

Rybren · Jan 1, 2020

I think that it will mostly be a trial and error thing to determine the drip rate you'll need. Every tank's consumption rate will be different. Pick a drip rate, measure your levels after a couple of days and adjust as required.

FWIW, I find it easier to add kalk directly to my ATO. Yes, there is some variation as the evaporation rate changes throughout the year, but I just adjust the amount of kalk I add to the ATO.

Abbetude · Jan 1, 2020

AZMSGT said:
Welcome to R2R seeing this is your first post I wanted to offer you a proper greeting. On the matter of your question I’m kind of in the same boat as you. I’m trying to figure out the best way to start adding Kalk to my system. I have a Kalk stirring unit and will be pushing RODI through it which moves Kalk solution into the sump. I’m just trying to figure out how best to go about how much I should dose. I was planning on figuring out my evaporation rate over the next 24hrs, so you are a step ahead of me.

HI AZMSGT, Thank you for the welcoming. I also looked at the following opions:

ATO > Kalkwasser (My evaporation is up and down as we sometimes have 4 seasons in one day!

) Not an option
Kalkstirrer > Kalwasser - Could work but still needing to know how much per day, maybe use of dosing pump? More controlled amount
1 Gallon Mixed > Dosing pump, More controlled amount , How much

lol

Abbetude · Jan 1, 2020

Rybren said:
I think that it will mostly be a trial and error thing to determine the drip rate you'll need. Every tank's consumption rate will be different. Pick a drip rate, measure your levels after a couple of days and adjust as required.

FWIW, I find it easier to add kalk directly to my ATO. Yes, there is some variation as the evaporation rate changes throughout the year, but I just adjust the amount of kalk I add to the ATO.

I have hooked up my 1 Gallon full saturated bottle to a dosing pump for now. Dosing 100ml over the next 24 hours and will continue to do so for 3 days. Measure again and adjust. I somehow feel this starting point is nowhere in the ballpark and seems very low...

Rybren · Jan 1, 2020

Abbetude said:
I have hooked up my 1 Gallon full saturated bottle to a dosing pump for now. Dosing 100ml over the next 24 hours and will continue to do so for 3 days. Measure again and adjust. I somehow feel this starting point is nowhere in the ballpark and seems very low...

I really can't say whether it will be high or low. I've only ever used kalk in my ATO; I've been doing it this way for ~12 years and yes, the evaporation rate fluctuates somewhat daily, but it all evens out in the end. If I had a pure SPS tank, it might be an issue, but even then, I doubt it would be a big deal - my alk and Ca levels remain pretty constant.

Abbetude · Jan 1, 2020

From my testing, the reef seem to use ALK @ 0.2 - 0.4 Dkh per day, always testing the same time, just before the photo period starts.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 1, 2020

Emon said:
I started to use kalk myself and after monitoring my parameters I noticed that my mag keeps dropping, can the kalk drop my mag?

no, but it doesn’t add any either. You might have demand off your to 2 ppm per day.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 1, 2020

Abbetude said:
From my testing, the reef seem to use ALK @ 0.2 - 0.4 Dkh per day, always testing the same time, just before the photo period starts.

that means normal saturated limewater is likely too strong to replace all evaporated water. Use a calculator like the one linked at the top of this forum too see how much to use as a starting point, then adjust be trial and error.

Abbetude · Jan 1, 2020

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
that means normal saturated limewater is likely too strong to replace all evaporated water. Use a calculator like the one linked at the top of this forum too see how much to use as a starting point, then adjust be trial and error.

Thank you for your response and my apologies to the OP for hijacking.

My intention is not to have the solution via ATO but rather via dosing pump. By using the calculator, my understanding is the following:

Evaporation average @ 1.2 Gallons
Dosing Limewater as per attached (Alk 8.2 > 8.5) @ 0.65 Gallons - DAILY
Therefore the average topup will now be +- @ .6 Gallons

So is my above calculations or understanding correct and if so that means dosing 100ml will have no effect? Thank you for taking the time to assist

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 1, 2020

Correct that dosing 100 mL will have very little effect. You need to dose more like 1% of the tank volume to be useful.

Flippers4pups · Jan 1, 2020

I dose it via ATO top off since I started this hobby. You can adjust the amount of calcium hydroxide added with testing over time. Starting with a low amount and increasing the amount over time till you hit the amount needed. Yes, evaporation will be different at times, but it can be done effectively once you have a good understanding of what your tank is using.