Limewater not raising my alkalinity

[20 gallon nano]

I'm using this stuff and it's not raising my alkalinity. It's maintaining my calcium at 420 but the alkalinity is dropping still. So I'm using a alkalinity supplement with limewater. Whats my issue? Does anyone else have success keeping both calcium And Alkalinity stable with limewater alone?

 

[cmcoker]

I keep both up with only lime water. Could you tell us some more details about how you are dosing. How much kalk you add to the water, how much lime water added to the tank a day and how you add it, what's you alk and what's your target, etc

 

[jimbau]

In my experience kalk works best to maintain current levels and is not the best at raising them. I would get your alk to where you want it and then use kalk to maintain it. If alk still drops then you need supplemental dosing of some sort.

 

[bif24701]

Dosing Kalk slow enough not to raise pH too much to get ALK to rise is going to be very difficult. Use baking Soda to get ALK to where you want it and just maintain that level with Kalk.

 

[Downbeach]

I was able to keep up with my demand using fully saturated kalk(2tsp/gal.) in my ATO between WC's for a number of years. But, when I started to add SPS, and my systems demands increased I had to start dosing, starting with an alk supplement(soda ash/baking soda), and as the system grew had to add the Ca supplement too. Ultimately I was dosing all three, i.e. Kalk, CaCl and Soda Ash.