Soda ash to kalkwasser

[Brandont21]

Hopefully i can find some help or some general info on here regarding this. Currently Im dosing about 60ml of soda ash a day. I do everything manually, i dont have any dosing pumps. I put 30ml in the morning and 30 early afternoon. This keeps me pretty stable around 8dkh. Every time i test calcium its within range, maybe dosing a small amount. Tank is 125 gallons. My question is, should i switch to kalkwasser at this point? Would i get more benefits from it? My corals are doing fine now, the boost in PH might be helpful. However i must keep in mind that i dont have the budget for some high end equipment. Is it possible to dose kalkwasser how im dosing soda ash now? Any help is appreciated, thanks for taking the time to read.

 

[WallyTime7]

Hopefully i can find some help or some general info on here regarding this. Currently Im dosing about 60ml of soda ash a day. I do everything manually, i dont have any dosing pumps. I put 30ml in the morning and 30 early afternoon. This keeps me pretty stable around 8dkh. Every time i test calcium its within range, maybe dosing a small amount. Tank is 125 gallons. My question is, should i switch to kalkwasser at this point? Would i get more benefits from it? My corals are doing fine now, the boost in PH might be helpful. However i must keep in mind that i dont have the budget for some high end equipment. Is it possible to dose kalkwasser how im dosing soda ash now? Any help is appreciated, thanks for taking the time to read.

What is your current PH at?
If you're manually testing, I would probably avoid it. Only because if you get a stirrer (kwasser), you have to keep a very strict 'how often you add powder' to the mixer, because it'll dose either too strong or too diluted. Then creating more headaches with your testing. If you have a Trident or anything automated, more open to the idea.
I went Stirrer and found the PH boost very helpful but only because my tank is in the basement of a well insulated house. I can now hit 8.1 - 8.35 range daily with the windows closed which never happened before due to wasser.

 

[Jekyl]

Hopefully i can find some help or some general info on here regarding this. Currently Im dosing about 60ml of soda ash a day. I do everything manually, i dont have any dosing pumps. I put 30ml in the morning and 30 early afternoon. This keeps me pretty stable around 8dkh. Every time i test calcium its within range, maybe dosing a small amount. Tank is 125 gallons. My question is, should i switch to kalkwasser at this point? Would i get more benefits from it? My corals are doing fine now, the boost in PH might be helpful. However i must keep in mind that i dont have the budget for some high end equipment. Is it possible to dose kalkwasser how im dosing soda ash now? Any help is appreciated, thanks for taking the time to read.

Kalk should be a slow and steady feed instead of a dose. If it ain't broke, don't fix it

 

[Brandont21]

My tank is also in the basement. PH is something I honestly havent tested in quote a while. Was around 7.9-8 about 6 months ago. I stopped testing due to tank being in basement and no real way to raise it. I may run an airline from outside to skimmer. Would the benefits be worth it?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Hopefully i can find some help or some general info on here regarding this. Currently Im dosing about 60ml of soda ash a day. I do everything manually, i dont have any dosing pumps. I put 30ml in the morning and 30 early afternoon. This keeps me pretty stable around 8dkh. Every time i test calcium its within range, maybe dosing a small amount. Tank is 125 gallons. My question is, should i switch to kalkwasser at this point? Would i get more benefits from it? My corals are doing fine now, the boost in PH might be helpful. However i must keep in mind that i dont have the budget for some high end equipment. Is it possible to dose kalkwasser how im dosing soda ash now? Any help is appreciated, thanks for taking the time to read.

You will need to dose about 2.8 L of saturated kalkwasser, or the same 60 mL of a diy two part with hydroxide for the alk part.

 

[Brandont21]

You will need to dose about 2.8 L of saturated kalkwasser, or the same 60 mL of a diy two part with hydroxide for the alk part.

I think I saw a post regarding your two part. Maybe ill look into that. Am i able to dose it exactly how ive been? Or do I have to drip?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I think I saw a post regarding your two part. Maybe ill look into that. Am i able to dose it exactly how ive been? Or do I have to drip?

I recommend slow dosing even the one you are using now (my diy recipe #1, which BRS uses for their two part) , but the need for slowness increases in the higher pH version.

 

[billyocean]

You can pick up an inexpensive kamoer x1 doser do dose. You can daisy chain up to four and add one as necessary for starters. A lot of people use the 4 head jebao doser which is 70 bucks on amazon. In no way am I being offensive when I say if 70 bucks is too much this may not be the hobby you need to be in ...for now. It really will help tremendously in stability and ability to control the tank easier and more effectively. I dose about 125 ml of soda ash in my 125 daily fwiw. The sodium hydroxide, as randy mentioned could help as well.
Ryan

 

[GARRIGA]

Tried using kalk to raise pH but my room co2 is so high that ended up taking dkh from 9 to 14 while only getting a .2 raise in pH. I’d consider testing co2 in room although if nothing else there to contribute then likely low yet when viewing those there contribute co2 and that builds up in an air tight room with no place to escape over time.

I’m either adding a Fuge or installing an air exchanger once my AC kicks the boot. Latter solves my solution. For me kalk isn’t pragmatic. Especially since I then need to convert carbonates to co2 to later lower it. Although latter temporary and my tank then stabilizes to 7.6/7.8

Oddly, in the 90s. Kalk raised my pH. Guessing my small apartment wasn’t that sealed and I was constantly going in and out plus friends doing same helped naturally ensure constant air exchange.

Fuge I believe to be the quickest and cheapest solution to solving pH assuming alkalinity not a concern. Although it will remove nitrates which will also raise dkh. More or different chemicals I don’t believe an end all to every problem.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Oddly, in the 90s. Kalk raised my pH. Guessing my small apartment wasn’t that sealed and I was constantly going in and out plus friends doing same helped naturally ensure constant air exchange.

FWIW, I used kalkwasser for 20 years, and saw a clear pH step change when I installed new storm windows, reducing air exchange into the home.

 

[GARRIGA]

FWIW, I used kalkwasser for 20 years, and saw a clear pH step change when I installed new storm windows, reducing air exchange into the home.

Step down?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Step down?

Yes.

Posted in May 2011:

"When I got a new gas stove and new storm windows, my pH went from around 8.35 - 8.5 to around 7.95 - 8.10. "

different thread:

"Sure. For a long time, I intentionally was using partly saturated limewater as the tank did not need nor could it handle full strength without the pH getting too high. That is no longer the case, with better storm windows and a gas stove. "

posted in 2009:

"FWIW, my tank system ran from pH 8.3 to 8.5 for many years, before we got new storm windows and a gas stove, then it dropped to 7.8 to 8.0. I'd prefer it back the way it was, if I had my choice. "

 

[GARRIGA]

Yes.

Posted in May 2011:

"When I got a new gas stove and new storm windows, my pH went from around 8.35 - 8.5 to around 7.95 - 8.10. "

different thread:

"Sure. For a long time, I intentionally was using partly saturated limewater as the tank did not need nor could it handle full strength without the pH getting too high. That is no longer the case, with better storm windows and a gas stove. "

posted in 2009:

"FWIW, my tank system ran from pH 8.3 to 8.5 for many years, before we got new storm windows and a gas stove, then it dropped to 7.8 to 8.0. I'd prefer it back the way it was, if I had my choice. "

Seems that for both of us an air exchanger the best solution then plus better for the humans and other pets

 

[nano reef]

You can pick up an inexpensive kamoer x1 doser do dose. You can daisy chain up to four and add one as necessary for starters. A lot of people use the 4 head jebao doser which is 70 bucks on amazon. In no way am I being offensive when I say if 70 bucks is too much this may not be the hobby you need to be in ...for now. It really will help tremendously in stability and ability to control the tank easier and more effectively. I dose about 125 ml of soda ash in my 125 daily fwiw. The sodium hydroxide, as randy mentioned could help as well.
Ryan

I have been hand dosing as well and thinking of making a change more for stability of the tanks. I am defiently a budget reefer and all my wave makers are Jaebo . I was thinking of one of their dosing pumps but I am so scared of it getting stuck in the on position!

I have watched many BRS videos on 2 part dosing and I have never heard of them mentioning the need to add a redundancy feature and they all all about that. Is there a need to add a ph moniter like I have heard them say to do with Kalk? I also use Soda ash. Also I have a small aio nuvo 20 can one be hooked up to that with a small little sump type area in the back?

Thats another reason I have stayed with hand dosing so long as I figure if I have to dose one I may as well dose the other. plus I have a frag tank cycling now that only 20 gallon with no sump. Do I need a sump or can I run the lines directly into tank?