Low pH and calcium, alkalinity good

SteveBunlies

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I am having problems with maintaining calcium and pH in a 75g tank with a 20g sump. The current pH (middle of the day) is 7.8 measured with the Hanna checker. Alkalinity is pretty solid at 9-11, but I add alkaline buffer every one to two weeks. Calcium is currently sitting at 366. I add aquavitro Calcification when it drops, but that never brings it above 400 and it's only temporary. I know that CO2 is probably the culprit for the pH problem. The tank is in my office, which is not continuously occupied, but there are two smaller freshwater aquariums in there and I have some issues keeping the pH up on those as well.

After reading Randy's excellent article on pH I think the best way to go is dosing kalkwasser. I bought some Brightwell Kalk+2 and the mixing directions seem pretty straightforward, 6 grams (~1 tsp) per gallon. I plan to use distilled water. My water total volume is probably 80 - 85g. I've seen dozens of articles and posts on dosing pumps and reactors, but I never see anything about how much to dose and how often. I have an ATO, but everthing I read says that dosing with the ATO is probably not a good idea.

Help?
 

bubbgee

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Start by knowing how much ATO water replaces the evaporation rate? Mine is 2500 ml a day. Then I made 100ml doses every hour. Then once that seemed to keep pH ok, I moved on to Kalk at night and then my two part during the day maintaining the same ratio.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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The Aquavitro product (or any calcium chloride) should be able to get calcium as high as you want. What happens if you just add more?
 
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SteveBunlies

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The Aquavitro product (or any calcium chloride) should be able to get calcium as high as you want. What happens if you just add more?
I've been a bit hesitant to do that. I wiped out an entire freshwater tank several years ago by putting too much of a pH additive in.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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I've been a bit hesitant to do that. I wiped out an entire freshwater tank several years ago by putting too much of a pH additive in.

I understand. :)
 

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