Can you dose kalk all day long?

[chip]

Was wondering if dosing Kalk all day would harm any of the parameters. Was planning on mixing a batch to last for five days then dosing it via a pump for make up water. Any info would be great.

 

[davelin315]

Yes, you can dose kalk all day long. Some people recommend dosing it at night to keep your pH levels up as oxygen levels change during periods of no photosynthesis, but your pH will stay fairly constant with a constant dosing of kalk. It is also very difficult to overdose kalk, as calcium will precipitate out of the water after a certain point. Also, if you use a slow drip, it will not change any parameters. One thing to watch out for, though, is to make sure you are not dripping to fast, or you will screw up your parameters. If your pump cannot dose slowly, dilute your solution of kalk. You probably will need to do so anyways, as evaporation is fairly quick, and if you top off using pure kalk, you may add too much and mess up your pH and KH and alk.

 

[Paul A. Ifkovits]

Dave is dead on. Just to add. I had a seesaw battle with alkalinity when I dosed only at night. AT the time it was a 75 gallon that lost about 1.5 - 2 gallons per day. Either the tank depleted the alk all day, ot I was precipitating it at night. I never really did figure out why. But dosing over a 24 hour period solved the problem perfectly.

Paul
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[chip]

Going to dose twenty four seven. Have a dosing pump for evaporated water which will be used. Know that the kalk make up water has to be fresh, will a five to seven day batch be too much?

 

[esmithiii]

I, too drip 24/7.

E

 

[I14Green]

I have a buddy who made a big 20 Gallon DIY Kalkwasser dumper as he calls it. He adds kalkwasser all day via a float switch in his sump. Any evaporation is filled automatically with Kalwasser. The "dumper" stirs the kalkwasser twice a day then lets it settle. During stirring he closes the float switch to avoid dumping non settled Calcium Hydroxide solution into tank. He says this is great for stability and Coraline growth ! By the way his tank looks great ,but I still am stuck on additives rather than a "dumper" - It's not a pretty thing and you have to hide it somewhere and run lines to tank !

 

[BBReefkeeper]

I drip kalk 24/7. My parameters are great and my tank is comming along nicely. I currently only have a 2.5gallon resevoir. I'm in the process of building a 10 gallon NURCE type system. If you drip, be sure to clean the airline tube or air controll valve every so often. It will clog.
Good Luck
Bryan

 

[davelin315]

I think packaging usually recommends using the kalk mixture up within one week, so you should be fine with 5-7 day depletion.

 

[Laurie]

I dose kalk 24/7 using a tightly sealed 32 gal. food-rated trashcan full of kalkwasser and vinegar and a Liter Meter. All my top-off is kalkwasser. The tank is only 2 months old and the overflows, locline, and powerheads are already coralline covered. SPS are growing nicely, too. My husband just said last night that the Liter Meter was the best investment we ever made.

 

[Paul A. Ifkovits]

I second Laurie's comment on the LiterMeter. I LOVE mine!!!!
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