Recommendations for Dosing Kalkwasser on top of Two Part for better PH?

Ober_Reef · Nov 29, 2022

Hey Everyone,

I have recently (over the last couple months) started dosing BRS Liquid Soda Ash via a dosing pump at night to stabilize my dKH consumption and it's been working well. Previously I dosed by hand weekly when needed but my consumption has increased and I now dose daily via my Kemoer dosing pump. Like many of us I am chasing pH with hopes it leads improved growth and health of my corals. The thing is my pH via my Milwaukee pH probe sits right around 7.8 to 8.0, I'm wondering if anyone is using a combination of two part and kalkwasser(maybe during the day) for better pH results. Maybe I should just stretch out my liquid soda ash dose throughout the day ? I'm dosing 27-30 ml's nightly. As for Ca I am still dosing by hand but plan to get another dosing pump for this any day now. I'm basically trying to figure out if I should buy another dosing pump for Ca or one for Ca and kalkwasser at this point.

As always any input is greatly appreciated !

Miami Reef · Nov 29, 2022

You can use both limewater and two-part; take into account that both will raise alkalinity and calcium when followed properly.

bobnicaragua · Nov 29, 2022

It sounds like your consumption isn’t high enough for both. Switch to kalkwasser, and if at some point that’s not enough, dose 2 part in addition to the kalkwasser.

Matty Ice · Nov 29, 2022

What are your current parameters? Is precipitation a possibility?

Ober_Reef · Nov 30, 2022

bobnicaragua said:
It sounds like your consumption isn’t high enough for both. Switch to kalkwasser, and if at some point that’s not enough, dose 2 part in addition to the kalkwasser.

Thanks for your response, I thought about that when I was doing my research on whether to start with two part or Kalkwasser as well. What I read was that two part would be better because it has a better impact on PH and I wouldn’t need to dose as much as Kalkwasser.

Matty Ice said:
What are your current parameters? Is precipitation a possibility?

I don’t think it should be, I dose into a high flow area of the sump that’s designated for dosing but I will double check. My Alk stays between 8.4 -9 with the nightly dosing I do. I dose 390-400 mls of BRS Liquid Calcium Chloride every week to week and a half to keep my Ca around 440. I don’t test for Mg as much because it’s always stayed within ranges but last time I tested it which was a month or so it was 1350.

bobnicaragua · Nov 30, 2022

2 part will handle all of your calcium and alkalinity needs, you don’t need to supplement with kalk unless you are wanting a PH boost.

If you are wanting to go with kalk, I would stop the 2 part for now.

Ober_Reef · Nov 30, 2022

bobnicaragua said:
2 part will handle all of your calcium and alkalinity needs, you don’t need to supplement with kalk unless you are wanting a PH boost.

If you are wanting to go with kalk, I would stop the 2 part for now.

Hey, so yeah my Alk and Ca are covered by the two part dosing I am dosing but I am specifically asking about mixing in some kalk throughout the day to help with higher pH. At this point I was not planning on making the complete switch but exploring options to improve pH. I can’t run airline for air exchange with where my tank is currently, already run a CO2 scrubber, and I’m starting winter here in Michigan so windows opening will not be an option for a good few months.

Matty Ice · Nov 30, 2022

Is your pH probe reading accurately?

bobnicaragua · Nov 30, 2022

Kalkwasser adds alkalinity and calcium, so there will be no need for the 2 part unless you have a lot of good size SPS.

bobnicaragua · Nov 30, 2022

You can mix them in any ratio you want, it may initially just be tricky dialing them in. Obviously, more of one means less of the other.

Shooter6 · Nov 30, 2022

PapaPat said:
Hey Everyone,

I have recently (over the last couple months) started dosing BRS Liquid Soda Ash via a dosing pump at night to stabilize my dKH consumption and it's been working well. Previously I dosed by hand weekly when needed but my consumption has increased and I now dose daily via my Kemoer dosing pump. Like many of us I am chasing pH with hopes it leads improved growth and health of my corals. The thing is my pH via my Milwaukee pH probe sits right around 7.8 to 8.0, I'm wondering if anyone is using a combination of two part and kalkwasser(maybe during the day) for better pH results. Maybe I should just stretch out my liquid soda ash dose throughout the day ? I'm dosing 27-30 ml's nightly. As for Ca I am still dosing by hand but plan to get another dosing pump for this any day now. I'm basically trying to figure out if I should buy another dosing pump for Ca or one for Ca and kalkwasser at this point.

As always any input is greatly appreciated !

Answer to your question.
. Yes I dose both.

3 different dosing types to be exact.

Bulk dosing is kalkwasser slurry.
3gal a day on constant drip.

Secondary dosing is tropic marin all for reef. 180ml a day divided over hourly intervals.

Third is redsea alk,cal,mag.
A=120ml
C=120ml
Mag=200ml
A day divided over hourly intervals.

1200g system

bobnicaragua · Dec 1, 2022

Shooter6 said:
Answer to your question.
. Yes I dose both.

3 different dosing types to be exact.

Bulk dosing is kalkwasser slurry.
3gal a day on constant drip.

Secondary dosing is tropic marin all for reef. 180ml a day divided over hourly intervals.

Third is redsea alk,cal,mag.
A=120ml
C=120ml
Mag=200ml
A day divided over hourly intervals.

1200g system

That’s some demand, can you post a full tank shot?

Shooter6 · Dec 1, 2022

bobnicaragua said:
That’s some demand, can you post a full tank shot?

New system. About to hit 2 years wet. Most recent pic is a couple months old.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 1, 2022

A mix of a two part and kalkwasser is used by many. Kalk for pH boost and two part to meet any remaining demand for alk and calcium.

Becoming more popular is my DIY two part that uses hydroxide as the alk part, giving the same pH boost as limewater (kalkwasser) without the solubility limitations.

Ober_Reef · Dec 1, 2022

bobnicaragua said:
You can mix them in any ratio you want, it may initially just be tricky dialing them in. Obviously, more of one means less of the other.

That’s what I have been thinking about.

Ober_Reef · Dec 1, 2022

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
A mix of a two part and kalkwasser is used by many. Kalk for pH boost and two part to meet any remaining demand for alk and calcium.

Becoming more popular is my DIY two part that uses hydroxide as the alk part, giving the same pH boost as limewater (kalkwasser) without the solubility limitations.

Yes this is what I was thinking I just wasn’t sure how to go about it. So starting with Kalkwasser as the base daily and fine tuning with two part ? Seems like a lot of reconfiguring and testing again !

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 1, 2022

PapaPat said:
Yes this is what I was thinking I just wasn’t sure how to go about it. So starting with Kalkwasser as the base daily and fine tuning with two part ? Seems like a lot of reconfiguring and testing again !

I don't see undue complexity.

If you know what is maintaining alk now, one can determine a close starting point for using both.

of course, if you don't know anything about the demand, then yes, you will have to start as anyone else does. If that's the case, start with the limewater and see what happens.

Ober_Reef · Dec 1, 2022

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
I don't see undue complexity.

If you know what is maintaining alk now, one can determine a close starting point for using both.

of course, if you don't know anything about the demand, then yes, you will have to start as anyone else does. If that's the case, start with the limewater and see what happens.

Hey Randy,

Thanks again for your input. I’m dosing 27 mls of BRS Liquid Soda Ash over eight hours every night.