Kent turbo calcium

[danny zubot]

Anyone else using Kent Turbo Calcium?

I bought a small jar last night to try out. It says that you should dose 1/4 teaspoon per 50 gallons. I've tried a lot of calcium suppliments but this one seems to be the most concentrated. 1 table spoon boosted my 80 gallon system from 328ppm to 400ppm just like that. If all goes well with it, I can see it becoming my best choice for calium suppliments.

I recommend it for those tanks in limbo between to big for liquid calcium suppliments, and too small for calium reactors.

[christyf5]

I was under the impression that Turbo Calcium was designed not as a supplement but as something to get your calcium levels in order so that they could be maintained by using a calcium buffer or liquid calcium or other product. Turbo calcium contains chloride which can build up in your system with repeated use and have negative effects on corals due to its toxicity.

[Delphinus]

A lot of these liquid supplements are things you need to be careful with. Like Christy mentioned, some of them are CaCl and the Cl ions don't really have anywhere to go once freed from the Ca. I thought I read (years ago now) that this is speculated to contribute to things like old tank syndrome. At the very least, problems with ionic imbalances can be hard to diagnose and correct. It take take months before you suspect something is up.

[danny zubot]

Wow, good to know. I always wondered why there some suppliments say "raises calcium" while others say "maintains calcium" Time to contact Kent for info.

[christyf5]

Well using Turbo Calcium isn't a bad thing. It really works quite well. Its just that it isn't really good to use long term. Get your levels up and then switch over to a different product. It works much better than trying to get levels up with the "maintenance" product which can take forever sometimes. :biggrin:

Also watch your alk when you're using that stuff as well. Alk swings can be not so good for your tank inhabitants.

[BMW Rider]

I use Kent Turbo Calcium to boost my levels up if they drop off too much. I have a Kalk reactor that is fed by my top off water, so I don't have to use very much of the Turbo, usually only every few months. It does bring up the calcium levels very well. I usually try to do the boost over three or four days.

[danny zubot]

Maybe you guys can answer a question for me. Does kalk add calcium or just alkalinity? If it does add calcium, does the two part washing:baking soda buffer also add calcium?

[Beverly]

Kalk adds both Ca and alk. The two part washing:baking soda only adds alk, no Ca.

[dirtyreefer]

Maybe you guys can answer a question for me. Does kalk add calcium or just alkalinity? If it does add calcium, does the two part washing:baking soda bugger also add calcium?

Kalk maintains CA and KH, the key word being maintains. It should not be used to raise or add calcium, since it is so high in pH. I would get boost to the desired levels using CaCl and a buffer, and then maintain with Kalk. If your Kalk dosing cannot keep up with the demand of your corals, might be time to invest in a reactor :lol:

[Beverly]

Danny,

Do you want me to post the chemistry links for you?

[danny zubot]

Thats ok Bev, I understand what needs to be done. I'm just trying to figure out what products will allow me to achieve the levels I want.

On another note, I've been told that HOB calcium reactors are not far off for my LFS.

[reeferaddict]

Good products for raising Alk are Kent's Superbuffer DKH in liquid or powder form... Seachem's Reef Builder, or if you have low pH Marine Buffer...

To Raise Calcium use Kent Turbo Calcium or Seachem's Reef Advantage calcium...

My experience just this past week has been this as I have actually had to make a serious additive adjustment to keep things up...

Turbo Calcium or equivalent calcium chloride is what you want to use to raise levels... Reef Advantage sounded like the product to me, but I found it difficult to raise levels using this product... I used half of a 1kg jar and was getting nowhere... when I switched to Calcium Chloride my levels responded...

The powdered form of Superbuffer dKH was also the most effective at raising Alk levels over the other products.

I would recommend dosing one, then the other at say 12 hour intervals over a period of days until target levels are acheived. I had to go from 7 dKH to 10 dKH, and did this over 3 days... Calcium was a bit more challenging as I had to get from 340 to 400... this actually took me 5 days finally coming after I switched to Calcium chloride... all the while I was dosing Kalk as my makeup water... 2 gallons a day! I wouldn't try and raise Alk by more than 1 dKH a day.... and Calcium 10 - 20 ppm per day, but that's just me.

FYI my levels fell from my target levels within 3 days of hooking up a Phosban reactor... if I ever doubted even small amounts of Phosphate inhibited calcification and coral growth, I am 100% convinced now! I had taken my Ca Reactor out of the system, as consumption did not warrant it, and I was concerned about leeching Phosphates and subsequent algal blooms because of the C02... but it's back online... Kalk alone will not keep up with these greedy corals.

[danny zubot]

Good info, I can't quite justify a calcium reactor yet because I've only got 80 gallons total volume.

Please answer: Best bang for your buck for maintaining calcium levels?

1. Kalk
2. Calcium suppliment

[dirtyreefer]

Good info, I can't quite justify a calcium reactor yet because I've only got 80 gallons total volume.

Please answer: Best bang for your buck for maintaining calcium levels?

1. Kalk
2. Calcium suppliment

Definitely Kalk since you wouldn't have to maintain Alk either (as long as your Kalk dosing can keep up with your evap rate).

[dirtyreefer]

Good products for raising Alk are Kent's Superbuffer DKH in liquid or powder form...

There's also a product by Kent called "Coral Builder". This stuff is like Superbuffer, except it won't mess with your pH. So if you have a good and stable pH already, I would use Coral Builder to maintain your alk. Too much Superbuffer can up your pH which is something you don't want.

I think basically all Superbuffer is is baking soda, while Coral Builder is basically baked baking soda.

[reeferaddict]

If it's the expense of a reactor, I don't blame you... however you can dial even the largest reactors down to providing the smallest of systems with Ca and Alk... Just because your system is small doesn't mean it wouldn't benefit...

Good question.... I would lean towards Kalk.... easy to do and more stable unless you drip your supplements... personally I have Kalk running straight from my auto top-off as WELL as my Ca reactor going.... and I don't really have a crammed tank.... (YET!)... Kalk is a "balanced" additive that replenishes BOTH but keep in mind that 1 dKH of Alk is only 20 ppm Calcium or something like that, so to raise your Ca by 60 ppm would mean adding 3 dKH in Alk... I've heard some people having great success ... swearing by it as a matter of fact, by using 2 part A&B supplements... even in very large systems... These are ionically balanced, and most of your other trace elements get dosed as well with these systems... Cost effectiveness of these additives would vary with quantities bought... 1L of each could cost $20/L while 5 gallons might set you back $150 a bucket...

One downside of using Kalk only is the precipitation of Magnesium... in my system, (Ca reactor + Kalk), I find that I have to monitor Magnesium, Strontium and Iodine, as they tend to fall, especially iodine which apparently gets skimmed away quite quickly. No matter what system you use... be sure to use test kits to make sure you're not over or under dosing. Some of the most successful reefs I have seen are done with NO supplements, rather frequent water changes with water prepared to values of natural sea water... sometimes I think in this hobby... as with computers, that success or failure depends on the wind direction.... :mrgreen:

This is just from my own humble experience and in no way to be taken as an "expert" opinion... do LOTS of reading... Emily B has posted some very useful water chemistry links.

[danny zubot]

Well, I went out and bought a small jar of Kent Kalk last night to try out. I mixed about 1 tbs into a 5 gallon bucket that I rigged with some airline and a valve for dripping. How long should it take to drain that amount? I was told about a day, 24 hours. Right now its just sitting in the bucket.

I'm a bit nervous about using it because my ph has been higher lately, 8.35 to 8.41.

[dirtyreefer]

1tbs per 5 gallons is not that much at all. I use 1 tsp per gallon, and drip overnight as a topoff. What you have shouldn't affect your pH that much at all.

[danny zubot]

Cool thanks

[StirCrazy]

I don't know if some one else mentioned it so if they didn't I will and if they did I am just suporting them (to lasy to read everything right now :mrgreen: )

turbo ca should only be used as a once and a while corection as it contains somthing else that will be elivated in your tank and may not be good. I can't rember exactly what it was right now (something to do with the chloride) but I will try find it but there was a big study done on them by RHF and that is what came out if it. I have had a 7 oz bottle for 3 years now and only used it 3 times and they are on 100% water changes to balance everything out.

Steve

[danny zubot]

Steve, it is the cholride ions. I've bought Kalk to buffer my calcium levels for the long term and it seems to be working well.

Another note, Kent defended their product by claiming that sea water contains 20,000 ppm of chloride ions anyways, though they wouldn't tell me the concentration of turbo calcium so I can't compare.

[reeferaddict]

Remember, kalk is a balanced supplement... calcium AND alk... :smile:

[StirCrazy]

Remember, kalk is a balanced supplement... calcium AND alk... :smile:

I don't think I will agree with that, in my experences I still have to add Alk to my tank when I use Kalk. so I don't think it is as ballanced as people thing, but rather leans heavaly towards the Ca replacment side.

Steve

[reeferaddict]

Well allrighty Steve :biggrin: ... I stand somewhat corrected... I meant balanced in that both are added at once... though your consumption will of course vary from tank to tank. :question: