New to dosing. Ive got questions

[Jbrew]

Tank is a IM 170ext. Total water with sump is around 165g.
Current Parameters
Salinity - 35
Alk - 8.5
Calc. - 426
Mag - 1401
PH - 8.11 (at this exact moment it will be around 8.25 this evening)

Im manually dosing about 50ML of Soda ash a day. Setting up my Doser today so that will be on the doser by tonight. I started Reef Moonshiners about a week or 2 ago so im manually dosing that at night as well.
My PH Moves between 8 -8.25 over a 24 hour period. Im on a CO2 scrubber and that has made a ton of difference in my PH staying up but id still like to get it to a stable 8.3 if its even possible.
At what point should i consider Kalkwasser? This stuff fully confuses me to be honest. The amount of conflicting how to use and what params it raises etc out there is unreal. Ive read put it in the ATO (Which if thats the case i probably just wont ever use it) To just dose it like normal. When should i consider using this stuff and Can i just mix it put it on a doser and roll with it? My other issue there is what if the amount im using raises my PH (100% Hypothetical thoughts here) to say 8.5 but my alk starts dropping daily because the amount needed to raise the PH to cutoff isnt enough to keep up with my Alk needs?
Am I overthinking this and should just stick to soda ash?
Im sure I will have more questions but thats where im looking to start. Thanks!

 

[Peer.Boerner]

Kalk s very very simple. You should dose a fixed amount equal to or slightly less than evaporation rate. This way you know for sure how much goes in. Use ATO for any remaining top off. Mix Fully saturated Kalk using 2 tsp per gallon.

Now when and why to use Kalk? (1) annecdotal evidence indicates Kalk makes coral look nicer. Is that true? Who knows. (2) Kalk is cheap so if you can keep your Alk and ca in the range you want with a fixed Kalk dose, you’re done. No need for 2 part. (3) if Kalk alone is not enough to maintain your ca and alk, then supplement with 2 part as required though you’ll need less 2 part than without Kalk. Remember you can only dose as much Kalk as your evaporation rate. Any more and your tank will overflow :).

Lastly, regardless of Kalk or two part, you’ll likely need to supplement magnesium as well to help manage the ca and alk levels. Low mg will cause precipitation of calcium carbonate. Hope that all makes sense. Good luck!

 

[Jbrew]

Kalk s very very simple. You should dose a fixed amount equal to or slightly less than evaporation rate. This way you know for sure how much goes in. Use ATO for any remaining top off. Mix Fully saturated Kalk using 2 tsp per gallon.

Now when and why to use Kalk? (1) annecdotal evidence indicates Kalk makes coral look nicer. Is that true? Who knows. (2) Kalk is cheap so if you can keep your Alk and ca in the range you want with a fixed Kalk dose, you’re done. No need for 2 part. (3) if Kalk alone is not enough to maintain your ca and alk, then supplement with 2 part as required though you’ll need less 2 part than without Kalk. Remember you can only dose as much Kalk as your evaporation rate. Any more and your tank will overflow :).

Lastly, regardless of Kalk or two part, you’ll likely need to supplement magnesium as well to help manage the ca and alk levels. Low mg will cause precipitation of calcium carbonate. Hope that all makes sense. Good luck!

Makes way more sense than everything else i have read. That explains fully why it goes in the ATO vs a doser. If im reading it right its basically the same principal as why you use RO water instead of Saltwater to maintain salinity. Exact kinda the opposite your adding Kalk to maintain Alk/Calc and PH

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I do believe you are over thinking things and likely striving for values that might not be much different for the tank.

Relax! Enjoy!

 

[Jbrew]

I do believe you are over thinking things and likely striving for values that might not be much different for the tank.

Relax! Enjoy!

Oh I am LOL I think its the downfall of every newbie. I try not to sweat it too much but its an obsession at the moment

 

[Peer.Boerner]

Makes way more sense than everything else i have read. That explains fully why it goes in the ATO vs a doser. If im reading it right its basically the same principal as why you use RO water instead of Saltwater to maintain salinity. Exact kinda the opposite your adding Kalk to maintain Alk/Calc and PH

In the distant past we would use the ATO for Kalk. I did this for 15 years with a float switch and reef lifter pump. Now we use a dosing pump for Kalk and a just use an ato system for pure, fresh water. Why? Kalk often causes ato systems to malfunction: cloudy build up on float sensors, damage to pump impellers over time etc. plus with ato, the Kalk dose varies with evaporation rate over the year. Using a dosing pump for Kalk eliminates these issues. Always the same amount of Kalk, few equipment issues etc.

But I know many people still use the ATO for Kalk.

Have fun. Hope it all turns out great!