When to Switch from 2 Part to Kalk

[docscorals]

Hey all,

Just curious at what point people decided it was time to switch from 2 part to Kalkwasser. I currently dose about 40 ml of soda ash daily for alk, and about 20 ml of calcium (with a dos)

pH isn’t a problem, I average about 8.15-8.2.

 

[Peer.Boerner]

I think it usually the other way around. People dose Kalk until it can’t keep up with demand and then they augment with 2 part or something else. In my case I supplement my Kalk with All for Reef.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

when they realize that kalk has awesome sps benefits, and it’s cheaper to dose.

 

[rtparty]

If you’re gonna dose kalk, dose it until there isn’t enough evaporation to keep up with demand and then implement 2 part. Not the other way around

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

In my old tank I started and never dosed any alk except kalkwasser for 20 years.

In my current tank, I dose only All For Reef (a one part additive) for alk and calcium.

 

[docscorals]

Thanks all. I’ll make the switch!

 

[docscorals]

I think it usually the other way around. People dose Kalk until it can’t keep up with demand and then they augment with 2 part or something else. In my case I supplement my Kalk with All for Reef.

I’ve done 2 part for as long as I’ve been reefing. It’s what the people who helped me first learn taught, and generally the LFS I always went to really pushed. Up until a couple years ago, I’ve had mostly soft corals with some LPS (mostly Euphyllia) and very few SPS. Maybe a Monti cap and a chalice.

About two years ago I really started getting into SPS and acro and now the tank that I’m worried about is almost “mixed reef” but really about 80% SPS. So I’m just now really starting to see a high alk and calcium demand.

 

[docscorals]

when they realize that kalk has awesome sps benefits, and it’s cheaper to dose.

Probably why I never really looked at it. Until a couple years ago I barely touched SPS.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I've only ever dosed AFR in my tank!

 

[PPBlimpy]

I am switching from 2-part to kalk as soon as I run out of my current gallon jugs 2 part. May take a while at 30ml daily.

I wanted to try 2 part because this tank is small to see how it goes. I have seen no real benefit but my tank is fairly young.

I was mixing and storing 50G kalk at a time when dosing my big tank.still have the setup and would take nothing to transfer over. I would like to see the PH bump from Kalk thru out the whole day instead of the tiny little blips am currently seeing with 2 part.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

I honestly never notice any ph benefit from dosing kalk and Im dosing a good amount of it. If anything, maybe it keeps the ph from dropping lower at night. The SPS of course love it.

 

[docscorals]

Getting ready to start the Kalk. I have a stirrer and plan to use a Dos to feed water to it from my ATO. I plan to have it turn off if

PH > 8.6
KH > 10.5
Calcium > 500

I plan to keep my two part as a back up if Kalk can’t keep up or Kalk gets turned off because of the above. If that happens, two part would dose to keep my all at 10 and/or calcium at 450.

 

[PPBlimpy]

Sounds like a plan.
Not sure what your other parameters are in the tank but there are ways of making the Kalk more potent.

If I remeber correctly.
Please do your own research
If you are or need to carbon dose. You can spike your Kalkwasser mix RO water with 15ml vinegar per gallon of RO and now instead of 2 teaspoons of Kalk powder you can fully dissolve 3 making your Kalkwasser more potent.

There is a reduction in PH in the Kalk but fairly negligible.

Going to be starting this on my big tank soon.

 

[docscorals]

Sounds like a plan.
Not sure what your other parameters are in the tank but there are ways of making the Kalk more potent.

If I remeber correctly.
Please do your own research
If you are or need to carbon dose. You can spike your Kalkwasser mix RO water with 15ml vinegar per gallon of RO and now instead of 2 teaspoons of Kalk powder you can fully dissolve 3 making your Kalkwasser more potent.

There is a reduction in PH in the Kalk but fairly negligible.

Going to be starting this on my big tank soon.

Nitrates and phosphates are right where I like them, N 10-15 and P 0.07-0.10. I do carbon dose with the BioActif products from TM to keep it there.

My pH in the this tank hovers around 8.1-8.2. I’d like to get it to at least 8.3-8.4, but it’s not a major concern. The Kalk is more because my 2 part dosing needs keep creeping up. I’m getting very noticeable growth. Surprisingly so since it was just reset about 6 weeks ago after we moved. My calcium has really started creeping up. I noticed last night that my goniopora and alveopora have both really started growing and building out. At least I know where all that calcium is going .

 

[PPBlimpy]

Sounds like your in a good place. chasing number because of growth is not a bad thing!!

Just throwing other ideas out there. My tanks run high nutrients, mostly because I insist on having a messy porcupine puffer in my Mixed reef. In the past I would ad a Calrx, lower kalk and then as thing continued to grow up the kalk dosing. This time I will try spiking the kalk water and see how that goes. Hoping to keep from installing the Calrx.

I mix and store 50G kalkwasser as a time and dose from that. I don't really want to pull out my old Calrx and set it up.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Getting ready to start the Kalk. I have a stirrer and plan to use a Dos to feed water to it from my ATO. I plan to have it turn off if

PH > 8.6
KH > 10.5
Calcium > 500

I plan to keep my two part as a back up if Kalk can’t keep up or Kalk gets turned off because of the above. If that happens, two part would dose to keep my all at 10 and/or calcium at 450.

Is the switch to two part automatic or manual?

If calcium at 510 ppm triggers a kalk shut off, what happens?

 

[docscorals]

Getting ready to start the Kalk. I have a stirrer and plan to use a Dos to feed water to it from my ATO. I plan to have it turn off if

PH > 8.6
KH > 10.5
Calcium > 500

I plan to keep my two part as a back up if Kalk can’t keep up or Kalk gets turned off because of the above. If that happens, two part would dose to keep my all at 10 and/or calcium at 450.

Is the switch to two part automatic or manual?

If calcium at 510 ppm triggers a kalk shut off, what happens?

My plan is to make it automatic. The Dos running my two part will only turn on if the Dos running Kalk is off.

Then it will only dose Alkalinity or Calcium if that parameter is below my desired parameters of 10 and 450 respectively. Basically what it is programmed to due now, it will just run only if the Dos for Kalk is off.

At least for now that is. After I run Kalk for a couple weeks I’ll see where my parameters are and determine if I need to keep running two part as a supplemental.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

While I understand the desire to eliminate overages, I think the pH is the only one you really need.

I also think using the two part as separate additives eliminates one of the big advantages of it: 1:1 dosing eliminates roller coaster effects that were all too common when two parts were not yet invented.

Stopping a sudden kalk overdose does have merit, and pH will catch that.