New to Dosing Kalkwasser

[taichimaster]

I just started yesterday to dosing kalk. Any suggestions and recommedations would be greatly appreciated. I currently run a 20 gallon with a JBJ ATO. I mixed the kalk with the make up water and have it dose for evaporation. I was told that I should only dose kalk in the evening to prevent PH swings.

My question is: I have been dosing the top off water 24hr/day. with the addition of the kalk, should i only dose in the evening. if so, will that be enough time for the auto top off to make up the evaporated water. I have lights off for 14hrs.

also, should i be watching out for anything with dosing kalk?


thank you in advance.

 

[roscoe]

My top off water is kalkwasser. I drip about a gallon every 24hr all day in a 40b. So I have not seen any ill affects I just started doing this for about 2 weeks now. MY alk and calcium stays at 9dkh and calcium at 1400/1450 consistantly in a heavily stocked sps and clam tank. I do dose magnesium once every 7 days.

 

[taichimaster]

Roscoe,
your calcium level is at 1400/1450? Do you mean 400-450? or is that your Mag reading?

 

[roscoe]

Roscoe,
your calcium level is at 1400/1450? Do you mean 400-450? or is that your Mag reading?

yeah I meant 400/450 lol. My bad my mag stays around 1300/1400 every sundy I test mag.

 

[taichimaster]

How soon do you dose after mixing it. I just mixed 2 gallons worth yesterday and started dosing once i noticed all the sediments are disolved. the top off water is a little cloudy though. I also noticed my tank yesterday a little cloudy when I first started. Now it is back to being clear. hopefully everything is good. thanks for the input.

 

[roscoe]

How soon do you dose after mixing it. I just mixed 2 gallons worth yesterday and started dosing once i noticed all the sediments are disolved. the top off water is a little cloudy though. I also noticed my tank yesterday a little cloudy when I first started. Now it is back to being clear. hopefully everything is good. thanks for the input.

I mix 5g for 24hrs and then let it settle for 24hrs. I use a small pump to get just the clear part of the water (between the bottom and top of water) for the top off water. This is how I do it. I don't know if it is the right or wrong way but it has worked for me so far.

 

[dnjan]

I turn the topoff off for a couple of hours after refilling the storage container with kalkwasser (makes sure everything has settled).

Personally, I would think it would be better to not run your topoff (with kalkwasser) only at night, because the first surge added would be quite large and could create a pH swing. I would just leave it on all day (unless your topoff is not very precise, and lets a lot come in at once anyway).

 

[Velamondry]

Ive found using a ph probe and a kalk slurry the easiest way for me. Here is an article about it.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/kalkh2ofaqs.htm

 

[Skeptic9962]

i am also just starting using kalk to maintain my alk/calc. ive been just filling up my 5 gal jug with RODI water and mixing in 5 tsp of kalkwasser letting it settle for a few hours and then letting my JBJ ATO do the rest...i have it set up so it sucks from the middle but my only question is the fact that when it gets down and i need to refill what do i do...do i pour out the leftover and the settled undisolved kalk or do i just refill and add another 5 tsp mixed in...?

 

[taichimaster]

Skeptic,
I did some research on the kalk dosing after everyones help. i guess we have a similar setup with the JBJ ATO. anyhow, i was told to disgard and make a new mix. don't leave the old sediment in.

 

[jezzeaepi]

What kind of pump are you using to dose it? You want to use a slow pump. Anything more then a slow drip and your asking for trouble. If your using a Powerhead and adding a large amount ot once, you are wreaking havoc with your chemistry, and if you had a PH probe in their youd see what was going on as the PH shoots way up instantly, possibly culliminating in a snow storm event causing damage to your corals... Kalk is dangerous stuff dose it very slow.

 

[taichimaster]

I am using an Tom aqua lifter. It pumps very very slow.

 

[Skeptic9962]

yeah thats same pump i am using...very very slow lol allright yeah i just remixed one so after this one ill dump and mix.

 

[Electrokate]

I have always wondered... when you mix up kalk some settles out once the solution is saturated, the settled out part is discarded and the clear solution dosed. From my limited recollection of high school chemistry in 1987 I recall you cannot dissolve any more of a chemical after saturation. So is there any point in putting a tsp per gallon of dry kalk in when probably half that actually dissolves? My hands shake making it hard to pour off the clear part, so I try to minimize how much is left at the bottom.

One of my customers says he doses "freshwasher" daily along with "that stuff you sell, I don't remember the name, it comes in a bottle". That level of expertise. He has lots of "angles and underwater flowers" in his tanks. IE polyps and centropyge angels. Yeah. I should have written that conversation down, there were more amusing quotes.

Thanks,
Kate

 

[dnjan]

You don't really know how much of the kalk disolves, so adding a bit extra is cheap insurance to make sure that you indeed have a saturated solution.

Sure, you can calculate the amount of calcium hydroxide needed to make a saturated solution when mixed with pure water at a specific temperature. But it is hard to take into account the amount of disolved CO2 in the water. Some of that CO2 will combine with the calcium hydroxide to precipitate as calcium carbonate. So adding extra kalk allows for calcium carbonate precipitation, achieving a saturated solution (whose concentration is also temperature dependent) plus a little excess. And there is always the time factor (between mixing and adding to the dosing tank) when additional CO2 may disolve in the water (combining with some of the calcium disolved in the water and resulting in a bit more of the excess calcium hydroxide on the bottom disolving).

 

[jezzeaepi]

As far as dumping the old klak is conerned before starting up a new batch, Randy has this to say:

"In general, it is a good practice to leave residual solids on the bottom of limewater reservoirs rather than cleaning them out every time, as they may actually help purify the water by these precipitation mechanisms. Once the solids discolor, or have been collecting for 6-12 months, however, they should be discarded."

full article:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php

peace