small amounts Kalkwasser rodi

[FlyTekk]

Is it possible to just pour in rodi water for daily top off that has kalk in it given the fact that ill only add small amounts of kalk to water. Just enough to get the ph in top off water to match the ph in tank? Or maybe just a tad bit higher.

Say tank is 7.9 and top off water is 8.4

Im assuming the difference wont be that much since itll probably only be like a cup of water per day.

 

[Waleedwale1]

drip it in. Kalk has a PH of 12. Can cause swings. What I did before I had an ATO was take a gallon jug and fill it with topoff+kalk and ***** a tiny hole with a needle so it slowly goes in over 3/4 hours

 

[FlyTekk]

I thought kalk would have a ph of 12 if you add enough of it. Im trying to add small amounts. Just enough to get ph to 8-9. Then pour in small amounts daily. I dont have top off or dripper. Nor do i have many sps or lps.

 

[vio]

Is it possible to just pour in rodi water for daily top off that has kalk in it given the fact that ill only add small amounts of kalk to water. Just enough to get the ph in top off water to match the ph in tank? Or maybe just a tad bit higher.

Say tank is 7.9 and top off water is 8.4

Im assuming the difference wont be that much since itll probably only be like a cup of water per day.

NOT sure, if i can explain the right way. But, by add Kalka. to RO/DI may cause more harm then good, Kalka. powder have the ability to bond to your sand, Rocks etc. then also PO4 bond to sand and Rocks, if you add Kalka to your system, the BEST way will be Kalka Stirr, so in anther words, clear water, NO powder, u may add Kalka powder via pump , by add to ATO. Try to understand , how Kalka Stirr works (Deltec etc.) . The amount of Kalka in ATO, wont increase the PH, i will try to add less CO2 to the tank ( if u got Calcum Reactor) , if u try to increase the PH, try to find up how to remove the CO2 in your tank first. Like fresh air from outside (to feed the Protein Skimmer) , CO2 scrubber, etc. List that my opinion. Also , one cup is a lot of Kalka. Then u depend of evaporation water amount , one day , is dry, anther NOT, or very dry, will be hard to balance.Much SAFE , just leave the ATO along. Vio

 

[Boomer]

Sorry vio but you are way off here. Thousands of reefers add Kalk to their ATO or drip it in. It most certainly does raise the pH. You are not adding powered, the powder dissolves in the RO/DI water. Many add a Kalk solution at night due to the downward trend of night pH. A Kalk stir works nice but is often not needed. Some reefers can add just Kalk to their tank for Alk, Calcium and pH control. It is always good to solve the CO2 issues first though.

 

[vio]

for some reason I believe that powder (Kalka) make the sand to become a huge brick, also make the life of the pump short, sorry for wrong advice.

 

[Boomer]

No, raising the pH or Alk with Kalk to fast, may on a rare occasion, cause the sand bottom to turn into a brick.

When you add Kalk powder to water it is not Kalk any more but is free Calcium and Hydroxide. The hydroxide combines with CO2 and makes bicarbonate the same thing in baking soda and the Calcium is the same thing as in Calcium chloride.

The SB turning into a brick, 99 % of the time, is due to a low pH in the SB, which dissolves some of the sand. This is only common in new tanks usually. Why, because the sand surface is fresh and calcium carbonate loves to precip output on fresh surface. This happens in nature and we call it "Early Marine Diagenesis". As soon as the sand starts to dissolve it, from that low pH, it turns back into a solid, because as it dissolves it raise the pH, Alk and Calcium back up again in that area. When that happens, a precip's form, glueing the sand together. Some glueing of the SB has nothing to do with any of this ^. It has to do with high density populations of certain bacteria that produce a glue like substance that glues the SB grains together.

The life of the pump may be short if or when you run high amounts of dissolved Kalk through it. It is because the pump runs warm/ hot and the calcium carbonate deposits will form more at higher temps. It does not reform as Kalk. You see the same thing on heaters.

 

[vio]

Thank You so much for explain so well, one more think, I got in my room Temp. Co2 meter, Humidifier meter, etc. is not a secret one day or weeks is more dry or more humid , so the amount of water in ATO tank go faster or slow (2 Gal. 3 Gal or 1 Gal.) a day evaporation, how you determine the amount of Kalka, because evaporation go up or less, you now the reason I ask, to avoid PH, dKH , (even Ca) go up and down. Thank You.

 

[Boomer]

Bio

Nice to see you have a CO2 meter in the house That meter can tell you allot about room air CO2. You want it to read around 400 or so. If it is high, like say 500, you have high room air CO2 which causes low pH in the aquarium.

Yes, evap rates can be an issue if they are all over the place. If your evap rates are high for your Kalk try not to add as much Kalk to the ATO. Meaning, if you are using a saturated Kalk solution and get high evaporation the Kalk may leave solution, which you should see in the bottom of the Kalk solution container. This will lowers the effect of the Kalk.

 

[vio]

i second that, that way i go w/Kalka Stirr, in winter when we have to use steam (for heating) air is so dry 20% i have to run two humidifiers to make 35-40%, i keep my tank at work. Thank You for help.
.

 

[FlyTekk]

Thanks guys. On a side note. I opted not to go with kalk and i dose part a/b. When i do so the ph seems to increase from 8.1 to 8.2+. Is this normal? Isnt that to much too fast?