I have the powder, i just dont know how to mix it right with the top off water, or how do dose it or anything of that nature. Can someone or everyone explain, and tell me how you guys do it?
sure. put it back in the container its in and put it on a shelf! >LOL<
not very useful IME but i know others use it successfully and feel it contributes significantly to their success.
I use kalkwasser in a reactor. My only reason for using it is to help maintain my PH. My tank is in the basement with not many windows. Some people feel Kalwasser also helps with Alk and Calcium. I can tell you if I don’t dose baking soda my alk goes down to 6. My calcium however is staying in the 440 range so I am not sure if its the kalwasser or the weekly water changes that are doing it.
But to answer your question there is really no big science to it. Start with about a teaspoon per gallon of water. Mix it up and let the powder settle to the bottom of the container and only use the clear liquid on the top.
TLF came out with a reactor for it… i wonder what they say behind it… What reactor do you use RBU1
I use the reeftek along with the auto top off they make. Works perfect for me. If you can plumb a line from your RO unit it make toping off the tank simple…
My only reason for using it is to help maintain my PH.that was my main reason as well and it did make a difference. if i recall it keept my PH about .2 higher than not using it. at a certain point though i felt that the low PH wasnt really hurting anything but i am still curious as to its impact on my overall reef chemistry. i have since bought CO2 scrubbing media and a reactor to fit inline with my skimmers air intake. im curious as to how effective it will be and how long the media will last.
John I can tell you a bit more about the TLF reactor, l8r shoot me a PM. I don’t want to say too much publicly as I could be wrong on certain parts and I am not sure he is ready to release all the details. You’ll also have trouble finding one today probably as they are just starting to trickle out and won’t be available on a larger scale until possible the beginning of next month. Shoot me a PM and remind me for details.
Here is my personal two cents on Kalk in general. Dosing it with a reactor without a controller of some sort is risky if you ask me especially with a tank under 100 gallons and does not consume a large amount of calcium.(likely best to dose only during the night hours and a pH controller of some sort) The problem with dosing kalk in the past has typically been that by the time a hobbyist is advanced enough to look into the option and understand it that often times the tank consumption of Ca is quickly reaching the point where the kalk reactor will not be able to provide enough calcium in short time and other means will still be needed to be used.
Secondly in the past the expense of a kalk reactor wasn’t justifiable in most cases. Reason being that most hobbyist will eventually get to the point where they will want to use a Ca reactor. Why put down ~$500 to set up a kalk reactor($250-$350 reactor + $200 for cheap pH controller) when you will eventually need to buy a Ca reactor which could be done for around maybe ~$900 on the cheap end.***
More recent changes in thinking:
First of some people like rbu1 use kalk reactors to help maintain pH. This is becoming more common practice on both FOWLR systems and some high end reef systems as well. Second change may come soon in the price of the reactor. If an inexpensive good quality kalk reactor were available that was easy to set up it would become a more lucrative option for people who do not yet have a massive consumption of Ca. In addition that kalk reactor doesn’t need to go to waste if you decide to purchase a Ca reactor because it could still be used in your system to maintain pH and if it was truly good quality it would retain its resale value.
I was personally planning* on picking up a TLF kalk reactor as soon as they were released. I planned to use it on my main propagation system until I could afford a Ca reactor and then switch it over to my softy only propagation system which would not have a large Ca consumption but would benefit from kalk additions. I also believed they would last a long time as they are similar to their Phosban reactor which I’ve used tons of and love, I could also use it to maintain pH and add a little more Ca to any of my systems, and I believed they would retain their resale value.
*I refer to it as past tense as being unemployed, I don’t even have time to set one up yet alone justify spending more much money on my tanks. That being said I’m still on the fence about it.(When even paying bills is tight does even thinking about it mean my priorities are messed up?)
***I don’t want to debate on the $ numbers on here just given numbers to make other points, it might be possible to get it done, “cheaper†if you are skilled enough to train yourself to build something, don’t account for all the man hours to teach yourself how to do it have lots of spare parts laying around and all the tools and glues and what not you need, you actually trust won’t flood your floor or crash your tank. I would argue that a well done Calcium reactor addition to a tank would cost significantly more than that.
These threads might help
http://delreefclub.org/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=28&topic=3146.0
http://delreefclub.org/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=28&topic=1468.0
I dose either via a slow drip or in conjunction with my top off system. It depends on your system if you want to use it in conjunction with the ATO.
My ato system operates an air pump (instead of a powerhead/pump) that leads into a (sealed) 1 gallon jug with my kalk and RO mixture, another line runs out of the jug (sealed) and into the tank.
The incoming air line should be placed at the bottom of the jug to bubble and mix the RO/kalk while building some pressure in the jug, the line exiting the jug should have its inlet placed about an inch or so off the bottom of the jug.
This allows the kalk/ro mixutre to flow out of the jug and into the tank while not sending the clumpy mix at the bottom of the jug into the tank.
For amounts, I add kalk about once every week or so, you will need to test and come up with your own schedule by a process of dosing and adjusting frequency.
Shawn, how long have you had your scrubber? On your set up rough how long does the media last on your CO2 scrubber? I am curious as to weither CO2 scrubbing or kalk additions would require less maintenance.
When does your calcium outtake get too much for a kalk reactor…
If you have a tank dominated with SPS you will outgrow a kalk reactor fairly quick, unless you have a PH issue. I like to keep my PH in the 8.0 to 8.2 range and with out kalk I can’t get it above 7.9. My tank is softies and coraline algae so my calcium consumption is not as high as a person with an SPS tank. There is also a possibility that using a calcium reactor will lower your ph, so you might need a calcium reactor and kalkwasser…What do you keep in your tank? If you are mostly softies a kalk reactor will probably be perfect.
All SPS now… I have about… hmmm a dozen SPS corals… and around another dozen until i am happy with the stocking. Along with 2 clams… and probably another two in the next month…
Well if your an SPS person…I would talk to some fellow reefers that have been keeping SPS with success for a decent amount of time. I am not an SPS person…Fish and Leathers are my thing.
I add a few tablespoons of kalk every couple of weeks to my top off bucket to help keep my ph from dropping below 7.8 at night. If I dont add the kalk the ph will drop to 7.7 before morning. I still have to add 60 ml of both calc and alk daily to maintain these levels despite the kalk.