Doeseing kalk

[bear27]

Im new to kalkwasser and am fairly uncertin on how to do it properly. I have read most of the information out there on it but when i try to aply it i flop. i can never seem to get my ca and alk levels up there always low 360 ppm 6 dkh. My guess is ive never put in enouf kalk to get them up in fear of my ph swing. So ive tried something new that im not sure if its going to work i mixed up a batch of kalk and then adjusted the ph to 8.3 useing small amounts of viniger until i got it write, This way i dont have to worry about the ph swing. I still am dripping ig slowly so i dont change the chemistry of my tank to fast but this alows me to drip day and night

What do you guys think

[Gools]

I drip Kalk day and night. IMO vinegar is a NO!!! I've heard bad stuff about it. Anyways, Kalk only helps keep your calcium constant. You should get a two part calcium to first get your Calcium to a desired range, then drip kalk to keep it steady.

[trilinearmipmap]

The other question I have about kalk is which kind of containers are safe to hold kalkwater solution in the long term?

My plan is to use a 20 or 30 gallon container for kalkwater to use as top-off, and refill this container every few weeks when it runs out. I read that some types of plastic are degraded by the highly alkaline kalk solution, so which containers are OK, will Rubbermaids be all right?

[Gools]

I have a rubbermaid 10gal. Seem to work good for me, haven't had a problem yet.

[Skimmerking]

what kalk does is keeps the PH up in the tank. around 8.2-8.4
\when mixing it 1 tsp per gal of ro-ro/di put it in a rubbermaid container of a ro jug say 5 gal
mix it up let it settle for 3-4 hours and there you have the drip the good stuff..
and with a 5 gal jug you can drip all week if you r evaporation is low ...


mike

[bear27]

Ok heres my dilema

I have a 20 gallon tank,with a mixture of everything in it,sps,lps,softand clams

Know i had my perameters in check and was going to use the kalk to keep them level at 400ppm=ca and 9 dkh=alk but i found that i cant add enouf kalk before myph goes to high and my perameters are falling off right know there at 375ppm and 6 dkh

Im currently mixing 1 tbl spoon per 4 liters and its still falling off

Thats why I was hopeing the viniger would allow me to put more kalk in my tank unless you guys have a differnt solution

[EmilyB]

A two part, like B-Ionic, used after getting levels up where you want them, is very economical for a tank that size, and a lot less of a PITA than dripping kalk imo. :biggrin:

[bear27]

Well i thought i would get the hang of it cuz im moveing to a 50g plus a 20g sump in about 6 weeks, I have been unable to find b-ionic in town and i have a 50lb bag of kalk might as well use it up

[Skimmerking]

once you add say 1x tsp of kalk to 1 gal its going to be at ph of 12 or what ever it's at. YOu cant add any more, unless you boil it ..


mike

use 2 part like Emilyb says

[Aquattro]

YOu cant add any more, unless you boil it ..


Actually, CaOH is more soluble at lower temps, unlike most other substances.

[Lofus]

Where can you get b-ionic?

[EmilyB]

I believe I got it at MOPS.

[hawk]

The other question I have about kalk is which kind of containers are safe to hold kalkwater solution in the long term?

My plan is to use a 20 or 30 gallon container for kalkwater to use as top-off, and refill this container every few weeks when it runs out. I read that some types of plastic are degraded by the highly alkaline kalk solution, so which containers are OK, will Rubbermaids be all right?

It is my understanding that kalk begins to lose it's effectiveness after a few days, I could be wrong... I mix mine in my top off in a 10g bucket with a tight fitting lid that I bought at a wine making store. Seems to be holding up fine.