Kalkwasser or 2 part?

[JEREMY82]

Long story short . I have been trying to do the math for a while on what my corals are consuming ... because I'm leaving to go over seas for a month. .I test and test and test for days .. only see my daily consumption of .06 being used for kh. Calcium isn't moving enough for me to see what I need to add daily. Would kalkwasser hold the level for a month or should I proceed to use dosing pump I leave Thursday nite tank is full of corals.or when I set dose up do I dose same amount of each part 25 mil of kh and 25 mil of calcium..?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

If either a properly made two part or limewater (kalkwasser) is maintaining alkalinity, then the calcium level will be fine a month later.

 

[JEREMY82]

So what I have is brs 2 part dry mix . Should I mix each batch and just dose the same amount everyday of each I was manually adjusting weekly .. rt now I just have a 30 gallon tank set up for top off with just ro to see what I'm comsuming

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

So what I have is brs 2 part dry mix . Should I mix each batch and just dose the same amount everyday of each I was manually adjusting weekly .. rt now I just have a 30 gallon tank set up for top off with just ro to see what I'm comsuming

Yes, add enough of both parts equally, daily, to maintain alkalinity, then if calcium seems to be dropping too low or rising too high, you can adjust it.

Don't forget to add the recommended amount of the mangesium part as well, even if you do not measure it. it does more than maintain magnesium: it balances the sulfate to chloride ratio.

 

[bif24701]

I would use Kalk! Kalk is under utilized because people say the system will out grow it but you would need high demand for that and from what you are telling me your not there yet. Also Kalk helps keep pH higher. It's balanced ALK and Calcium. All you need is the lime(kalk) and a container large enough to hold a month worth of water, and a pump that will not siphon.

 

[Ty Hamatake]

Does your top off tank have a cover? If you use kalk you'll want to limit it's contact with CO2 which will cause the Ca to precipitate (right @Randy Holmes-Farley?). If you have a way of doing that, I'd highly recommend kalk!

EDIT: Does anyone know if there is a "shelf life" for limewater?

 

[Ty Hamatake]

Also, traveling is always fun! Where are you headed?

 

[bif24701]

Does your top off tank have a cover? If you use kalk you'll want to limit it's contact with CO2 which will cause the Ca to precipitate (right @Randy Holmes-Farley?). If you have a way of doing that, I'd highly recommend kalk!

EDIT: Does anyone know if there is a "shelf life" for limewater?

As long as it remains undisturbed should be fine indefinitely. A cover is needed to prevent atmospheric CO2 getting in the limewater. After mine is mixed a film of calcium carbonate develops on top and helps prevent any gas exchange. I keep it in a 32 gallon Brute.

My system:
32 gallon Brute with lid
BRS 50ml/minute peristaltic pump
Magnetic doser line holder, holds my pump intake securely in place (2" from bottome

 

[Ty Hamatake]

As long as it remains undisturbed should be fine indefinitely. A cover is needed to prevent atmospheric CO2 getting in the limewater. After mine is mixed a film of calcium carbonate develops on top and helps prevent any gas exchange. I keep it in a 32 gallon Brute.

My system:
32 gallon Brute with lid
BRS 50ml/minute peristaltic pump
Magnetic doser line holder, holds my pump intake securely in place (2" from bottome

What about mixing a small batch of high concentration to be added to the ATO later? I have a gravity fed 14 gallon drum that usually lasts me about two weeks. Only problem is that sometimes I am away for longer than that so I would like to have it pre-made for my wife. Would one disturbance of the film ruin the whole batch or is that only a matter if it's constant. Also, the drum is sealed after filling.

 

[bif24701]

What about mixing a small batch of high concentration to be added to the ATO later? I have a gravity fed 14 gallon drum that usually lasts me about two weeks. Only problem is that sometimes I am away for longer than that so I would like to have it pre-made for my wife. Would one disturbance of the film ruin the whole batch or is that only a matter if it's constant. Also, the drum is sealed after filling.

Is there a reason she couldn't mix it? It's nearly impossible to mess it up. No, disturbing it would ruin it but could reduce its potency. Could you possibly use a bigger container? Kalk stirrers might be something you could look at. They have a chamber that mixes Kalk with RO water in a way that the sediment isn't pumped into your system.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

What about mixing a small batch of high concentration to be added to the ATO later?

Nope, wont work. You cannot dissolve more than about 2 teaspoons per gallon of freshwater.

 

[Ty Hamatake]

Nope, wont work. You cannot dissolve more than about 2 teaspoons per gallon of freshwater.

Right now I'm only using one teaspoon per gallon, so could I mix say two gallons with four teaspoons and use that to eventually make four gallons of top off water?

 

[Ty Hamatake]

Is there a reason she couldn't mix it? It's nearly impossible to mess it up. No, disturbing it would ruin it but could reduce its potency. Could you possibly use a bigger container? Kalk stirrers might be something you could look at. They have a chamber that mixes Kalk with RO water in a way that the sediment isn't pumped into your system.

She's already got three kids to handle alone when I'm gone so the less effort she has to put into the tank the better. Bigger reservoir and kalk mixer are not in the cards for me right now

 

[wcharon]

I am using both 2 part and also Kalk thru my Dosing system 24/7. ALK and Calc is 74ml and Kalk is 135ml. Kalk strength is 1 1/4 TSP per gallon. This maintain my tank ALK at 8.0, Calk at 440, Mg at 1360 and PH around 8.1 and 8.4.

I want to use more Kalk and less 2 part but I am afraid that will affect my PH and raise it to much.

My question is if I up the strength of KALK to fully saturated (2TSP) per gallon and reduce 2 part will that affect to much and risk the PH range?

This is my APEX graph for reference:

Thanks in advance...

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The pH will rise a bit, but not likely above 8.55, which I peaked at for years with no apparent issues.

You can add vinegar is you want lower pH.

 

[wcharon]

Thanks Randy. That gives me confidence. I will give it a try...

The vinegar should be mixed with the KALK or I can dose it separately? I will look for articles for learning curve and recommended amounts.

The pH will rise a bit, but not likely above 8.55, which I peaked at for years with no apparent issues.

You can add vinegar is you want lower pH.

 

[JVS]

The pH will rise a bit, but not likely above 8.55, which I peaked at for years with no apparent issues.

You can add vinegar is you want lower pH.

I have a bucket full of top off water mixed with kalk constantly being mixed by a small pump, is this ok or will the solution go bad doing it like this? I do have a cover on it.

 

[JEREMY82]

I used a 30 gallon tank put a pump in it once a day to stir the kalkwasser. I am in the Pacific islands (Palau). The corals here are awsome except the fact that there is a lot of sps bleached

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks Randy. That gives me confidence. I will give it a try...

The vinegar should be mixed with the KALK or I can dose it separately? I will look for articles for learning curve and recommended amounts.

Either way is OK, but I chose to dose vinegar separately from my limewater to better control the times and amounts.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I have a bucket full of top off water mixed with kalk constantly being mixed by a small pump, is this ok or will the solution go bad doing it like this? I do have a cover on it.

It is undesirable to constantly mix it. That just serves to drive in carbon dioxide, depleting it.