Maximum amount of vinegar in kalkwasser solution

Fuzzywuzy

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 23, 2021
Messages
32
Reaction score
14
Location
Singapore
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Can't seem to find a definitive answer out there despite quite a bit of googling.

Is there a maximum amount of vinegar in kalkwasser? I am intending to dose both kalk (calcium and alkalinity) and carbon (via vinegar; for NO3 PO4 reduction through stimulation of bacteria growth)

What will happen if I mix 45ml of 5% vinegar with a litre of RODI water, and then saturate the mixture with kalk powder?

1) what is the resultant pH of the solution? will the resultant mixture have a (desireable) high pH? Or will the kalk react with the acid, form calcium acetate, reach it's solubility limit, and then we get a middling pH solution (~7 ish) that will go bad in no time as the bacteria munch on the acetate.

2) is there a maximum amount of vinegar? Heard @Randy Holmes-Farley fully saturates 5% vinegar with kalk to neutralize the acidity before dosing. What's the resultant pH in that scenario?
 
Last edited:

brmc1985

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 25, 2020
Messages
355
Reaction score
377
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Can't seem to find a definitive answer out there despite quite a bit of googling.

Is there a maximum amount of vinegar in kalkwasser?

What will happen if I mix 45ml of 5% vinegar with a litre of RODI water, and then saturate the mixture with kalk powder?

1) what is the resultant pH of the solution? will the resultant mixture have a (desireable) high pH? Or will the kalk react with the acid, form calcium acetate, reach it's solubility limit, and then we get a middling pH solution (~7 ish) that will go bad in no time as the bacteria munch on the acetate.

2) is there a maximum amount of vinegar? Heard @Randy Holmes-Farley fully saturates 5% vinegar with kalk to neutralize the acidity before dosing. What's the resultant pH in that scenario?
What are you dosing the kalk for? It’s usually used to boost ph so not sure why adding vinegar would be helpful at all. It would just neutralize the ph.
 
OP
OP
F

Fuzzywuzy

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 23, 2021
Messages
32
Reaction score
14
Location
Singapore
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What are you dosing the kalk for? It’s usually used to boost ph so not sure why adding vinegar would be helpful at all. It would just neutralize the ph.
Edited question post for clarity.

Kalks for pH Calcium and alkalinity.

Vinegar is for carbon, to boost bacterial growth and in so doing, reduce no3 and po4. It's basically NOPOX, without the ethanol and methanol.

Since I'm trying to save on dosing heads, and for convenience I'm hoping to dose the 2 tgh, in same aolution
 

brmc1985

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 25, 2020
Messages
355
Reaction score
377
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Edited question post for clarity.

Kalks for pH Calcium and alkalinity.

Vinegar is for carbon, to boost bacterial growth and in so doing, reduce no3 and po4. It's basically NOPOX, without the ethanol and methanol.

Since I'm trying to save on dosing heads, and for convenience I'm hoping to dose the 2 tgh, in same aolution
Ah makes sense. Could always just mix some up and see where the ph comes out at. I wouldn’t think that this little amount of vinegar would lower the ph too much from the 12.4 but there could be other complex reactions that take place.
 

esse

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 9, 2017
Messages
129
Reaction score
61
Location
SF East Bay
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I mix up at 24 grams kalk & 50 ml vinegar per gallon rodi. I think that was based on 2 tbsp per gal + the extra tbsp kalk to vinegar
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 66 37.3%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 59 33.3%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 14.1%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 27 15.3%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
Back
Top