Testing RowaKalk

[wrightme43]

Is anyone else using RowaKalk? I have been trying it for going on 3 weeks now. So far I am very very impressed. I had used Kent Kalkwasser mix before and it seemed to leave a very large amount of sediment in my dripper jug. I have found RowaKalk to be very easy disolving, and I am happy with it so far. I dont rinse out my dripper jug, it holds 3 gallons of rodi. I look at the amount of sediment every time I use it and I have been impressed so far. It doesnt seem to leave the grey muck that I found with the other brand. I have got my tank balanced with toe cutters tool. at 440ppm CA and 4 Meq/L KH. I am adding 5ml of white vinager, and 2 heaping teaspoons of RowaKalk to 3 gallons of rodi water and things so far, have been staying in line. I know this is a very short time in the long term scheme of things and wondered if anyone else is using it, or is considering it. I remember Mojos, and Boomers post about the grades of kalk and it says it meets the EAB, FCC, USP, and EN 12518, class 1 type A ratings. Anybody got anything to share about it? Steve

 

[moonpod]

I dunno, I'm using some I got as a freebee, it doesn't seem any different than say seachem or whomever else I've used.

 

[dnjan]

I used the Kent kalk once when I ran out of a different brand. Also got dark sediment. Now I only use ESV (I buy the 4-lb containers). There is cheaper kalk available, but i don't worry aboyut sediment with the ESV. Also, kalk (in 4-lb containers) is a very small part of my total operating cost.

 

[WIKI2ECHO]

RowaKalk or ESV.......

Similar to Dnjan I also use ESV Kalk. You say you use 2 teaspoons per 3 gallons. Is that fully saturated. ESV needs 2 teaspoons per 1 gallon of rodi. I get sediment because I add a little extra to be sure the water is fully saturated and vinegar only helps further saturate the rodi as I understand it. When you mix it is your ph over 12?? Also I get solids built up on the surface due to surface reaction with co2 in the air.
Quick question.....what is " toe cutters tool" ????

Thanks Bill

 

[DonW]

If you like the kalk, I think you'll like the kalk-plus (calcium oxide) even more. For some reason its a little cheaper and disolves even better.

Don

 

[dnjan]

Good catch on the dosage rate, WIKI2ECHO.
You want to add enough extra kalk so that you have a white residue on the bottom of the mixing container - undisolved calcium hydroxide. Typically a bit over a teaspoon per gallon. With added vinegar, you may need more kalk.

Concerning using calcium oxide instead of calcium hydroxide - be careful! The reaction between calcium oxide and water is exothermic (gives off heat). You could get some flash boiling if you add water to a lot of calcium oxide in a bucket. Also, be careful not to get dry calcium oxide on your skin.

 

[wrightme43]

I dose at less than saturation because it will push my levels to high, if I dose more than what I do. That has turned out to be a good balance for me. My ph scale doesnt go to 12, I tested it last night and it did turn it intense purple, but the scale doesnt go that high.
On the toecutter reef tool, do a search for it here. Boomer linked it and it is really a nice tool. It lets you put in dkh, and ca and shows you visually where you are in relation to seawater. I.E. ballanced high, or low, off with to much CA or KH or to low CA or KH.
On the surface scum, no I dont get that because I use a sealed container. I fill it rodi, add the vinager, and then add the kalk and seal it and let it sit at about 8 and my lights go off at midnight so I start the drip then.
On the CA hydroxide, its my understanding that it doesnt get to hot if you add it to water instead of adding it and then adding water. I dont know for a fact because I have never experimented with it. Just what I hear.
Boomer has a real neat explanation of how it works too, or maybe it was Colin. Search through Boomers posts and you will find it. Those two rock. LOL
Steve

 

[dnjan]

I don't quite follow why you are adding acetic acid if you aren't adding enough kalk to saturate a neutral (just RO/DI) water system.

And yes, adding calcium oxide to water is generally safer than pouring water on calcium oxide. I would still sprinkle the CaO over the surface of the bucket rather than dumping it in one lump though.

 

[wrightme43]

I could be wrong to do this, I have been before. LOL This is just how I do it. If I remember correctly the reason I started doing it is vinager adds, carbon and keeps the kalk from precipating as calcium carbonate. Any left over feeds bacteria which I belive the clam, and corals like to eat. Also it allows me to shake the kalk mix when I make it, and then allow it to settle, with out making Calcium Carbonate. In addition it is only 5ml to 3 gallons of water. It is a very very small amount and is just basicly used because I like to do it. It makes me happy. LOL I am not telling anyone to do what I do. I just know my tanks do very very well the way I do things. All I can share is what I do, that is how I do it and so far it has worked well for me. Like I said before I may be 100% wrong, though right now my corals and tanks are thriving. Steve

 

[wrightme43]

Also the size of dripper jug I have holds three gallons, I get that much evap. every other day, and when I add that amount of kalk to that amount of water my levels stay happy. I could make it saturated but then the levels would go high out of whack and that wouldnt make any sense for my tank. I could skip every other time adding kalk but that would make more of a roller coaster effect for my tank. I had tried that too. The more I thought about this is what I came up with. Steve

 

[NaH2O]

Steve - I have no experience using RowaKalk, but I did want to post up some other information:

Here is a thread about: Does Anyone Add Vinegar to their Kalk?

ToeCutter's Reef Chemistry Visual Aid

and finally another thread on: Calcium Oxide

Hope these help!

 

[NaH2O]

oops, and Welcome WIKI2ECHO to Reef Frontiers!!!

 

[wrightme43]

Nikki how in the heck do you link stuff like that? I am computer illetarate and I cant even spell that right. LOL I wish I knew how to do that for people. Thanks for doing it. Steve

 

[NaH2O]

It isn't as hard as my explaination makes it seem. If you quote my post you will see all the coding tags associated with the links. Basically, this is all you do (remember to remove the * when you try it yourself)

[*url=paste url address to the website/link here]Type what title you want here[*/url]

so for example:

[*url=http://www.reeffrontiers.com/]Reef Frontiers[*/url] looks like this after I remove the *s

Reef Frontiers

There is also another way when you go to the add reply screen, click on the globe with the chain link. I think you just paste the url address in the prompted box.

 

[dnjan]

I am having a bit of a problem with the assertion (in the previously-mentioned thread on adding vinegar) that it reduces the tendency for CO2 in the air to combine with calcium in the kalkwasser to form a calciumcarbonate skim. I just can't see how acetate could reduce the formation of calcium carbonate, and part of that thread mentions the probable clumping of the top of the sandbed when vinegar is used. Also, if acetate interferes with the formation of calcium carbonate, wouldn't it interfere with coral skeleton growth?

I also have some concerns about the addition of acetate. In the short term, it will definitely perk up corals. This was mentioned about a year ago by one of the PSAS speakers. However, in the long term, you are adding short-chain organics to your tank. When you sandbed starts to mature, and starts supplying plenty of organics itself (leading to nuisance algae growth), you may want to stop the vinegar additions until you have the sandbed organics back in balance. I'm not saying to quit now (especially when things are doing well in the tank), but be ready to stop the vinegar at the first hints of cyano or dinoflagealletes. No need to add nutrients if you are having a nutrient problem.

 

[wrightme43]

I see where you are coming from, Don. This is my thinking on the matter. I am only using 5ml to 3 gallons of water. At 4 liters a gallon if I did this right its about 4ppm of a very mild acid, reacting with a very large amount of base. I believe and I may be wrong about this that it is neutralized and used up. If I am doing something that will hurt my tank, I will be glad to change it. I have done many things that seemed like a good idea at the time, and later turned out that it wasnt. I am going to ask Boomer what he thinks. Maybe I can get him to say it english so I can understand it. LOL I know I am not very bright, and very much enjoy the help of others. Steve

 

[Boomer]

Don and Wright

Try reading these

http://www.reefscapes.net/articles/breefcase/kalkwasser.html

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm

 

[dnjan]

Boomer - thanks for posting those. I still have a question, though. It sounds like the calcium carbonate film on the top of kalkwasser forms because there isn't enough CO2 in the water to form bicarbonate, correct? I thought the film formed because CO2 from the air was disolving into the kalkwasser, and reacting with the Ca. I am confused as to why adding CO2 causes precipitation because there isn't enough CO2.

 

[Boomer]

Don

It sounds like the calcium carbonate film on the top of kalkwasser forms because there isn't enough CO2 in the water to form bicarbonate, correct?

Yes, that is correct. If there is enough CO2 it combines with the OH- from the Ca(OH)2 and gives HCO32 (bicrabonate). If CO2 is lacking you will get high CO3 and pH which will combine with Ca which gives CaCO3.

I thought the film formed because CO2 from the air was dissolving into the kalkwasser, and reacting with the Ca.

It may, it would depend on how much CO2 is in the air. The CO2 in the air can diffuse into the water, where it then combines with water to from a weak acid, which dissolves the Kalk. if you then loose that CO2 you will get a precip of CaCO3..

I am confused as to why adding CO2 causes precipitation because there isn't enough CO2

Where did you read that I can't find it

It doesn't. Adding CO2 makes the water more acid and allows you to keep more Ca(OH)2 in solution and also produce less CaCO3. If you loose that CO2 then you get some CaCO3 as there isn't enough CO2 in the water to keep it in solution.

 

[dnjan]

Don

I am confused as to why adding CO2 causes precipitation because there isn't enough CO2

Where did you read that I can't find it

It doesn't. Adding CO2 makes the water more acid and allows you to keep more Ca(OH)2 in solution and also produce less CaCO3. If you loose that CO2 then you get some CaCO3 as there isn't enough CO2 in the water to keep it in solution.

I mean that if the skim on top of the kalkwasser forms from CO2 in the air, then adding CO2 (from the air) causes precipitation because there wasn't enough CO2 in the first place. Seems a bit confusing.