Why add vinegar to kalk
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look up a thread called Kalkwasser virgin and see the post by Breifcase he's the kalk master and gives a detailed chemical description
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Mercedes Benz E Class
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Don't do it. There is a down side to adding vinegar to saturate your kal. mixture. It looks good and sounds good at first,but something funny will happen later. It's like heating up water to get more salt to dissolve in it. But once the water cooled, the salt will crash out. Not to mention vinegar might form other complexes with your kal. impurities. I am not sure what it is, but after using the method for a couple months, things don't look too good for me. However, others here have use it successfully. So hopefully it will works for you.
I did the search 4U.
Read briefcase remarks
http://www.reefs.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=028005
Read briefcase remarks
http://www.reefs.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=028005
Hi,
I did read the thread and did follow it. I was not the one that come up with the idea. I did say others have success with it, but not me.
Lots of chemicals reactions are theorized and are predictions. Chemists come up with formulations to explain what are the possible outcomes of the end results. The only way to say we know for sure is if we can actually see the molecules in action with our naked eyes or electron microscopes. Even if we can do that, we would have to be able to slow down each step of the reaction to take a scan to see what is happenning. Which I don't think anyone can do yet. Sure we have Nuclear Magnetic Resonance to predict possible hydrocarbons groups and Ft-IR to i.d. function groups, but until we can actually see with the naked eyes or scope, it's not a hundred percent. 99.99% maybe, but not %100.
In chemistry, we have the initial reactions and the end results, how can anyone say they know the sure-path that the complete reaction goes through.
Esmithii, I am merely not being as optimistic as others on this board. However that doesn't mean I don't know what I am talking about. Like I've have said ...this is just my opinion. To say that I know not what I speak is not cool. If you read the whole thread: F-Holmes did state:
2. The potential to help solubilize undesirable impurities in limewater is a possible concern. Tuus effect is minor for small amounts of vinegar (as Craig pointed out a few days ago for lead), but gets bigger as the amount of vinegar rises. At the point of dissolving all of the lime that you use with a lot of vinegar and forming a low pH solution (say, 7), you potentially send many of the impurities into the tank (as you do when using milky limewater). If one chooses to do this, I'd advise using a high quality lime.
I believe these impurities were what caused my tank to act funny.
Just because I offer an alternative thought on the matter doesn't mean I don't know what I am talking about. The power of knowledge and learning is not just read and accept, but also to question. How many times have we heard that this drugs and that drugs are safe to take, but later find out that they aren't safe. All I am saying is just be skeptical and cautious when mixing with vinegar.
I did read the thread and did follow it. I was not the one that come up with the idea. I did say others have success with it, but not me.
Lots of chemicals reactions are theorized and are predictions. Chemists come up with formulations to explain what are the possible outcomes of the end results. The only way to say we know for sure is if we can actually see the molecules in action with our naked eyes or electron microscopes. Even if we can do that, we would have to be able to slow down each step of the reaction to take a scan to see what is happenning. Which I don't think anyone can do yet. Sure we have Nuclear Magnetic Resonance to predict possible hydrocarbons groups and Ft-IR to i.d. function groups, but until we can actually see with the naked eyes or scope, it's not a hundred percent. 99.99% maybe, but not %100.
In chemistry, we have the initial reactions and the end results, how can anyone say they know the sure-path that the complete reaction goes through.
Esmithii, I am merely not being as optimistic as others on this board. However that doesn't mean I don't know what I am talking about. Like I've have said ...this is just my opinion. To say that I know not what I speak is not cool. If you read the whole thread: F-Holmes did state:
2. The potential to help solubilize undesirable impurities in limewater is a possible concern. Tuus effect is minor for small amounts of vinegar (as Craig pointed out a few days ago for lead), but gets bigger as the amount of vinegar rises. At the point of dissolving all of the lime that you use with a lot of vinegar and forming a low pH solution (say, 7), you potentially send many of the impurities into the tank (as you do when using milky limewater). If one chooses to do this, I'd advise using a high quality lime.
I believe these impurities were what caused my tank to act funny.
Just because I offer an alternative thought on the matter doesn't mean I don't know what I am talking about. The power of knowledge and learning is not just read and accept, but also to question. How many times have we heard that this drugs and that drugs are safe to take, but later find out that they aren't safe. All I am saying is just be skeptical and cautious when mixing with vinegar.
Tetra,
I'm with you on this one. I have been in the hobby for 15 years and have seen a lot of solutions that looked unquestionable on paper only later to be found less than desirable in real life application.
So I also prefer to err on the side of caution. My system is very stable. My corals look great and are growing nicely. My Calc. and Alk. levels are on target. If I don't have 100% guarrenty that viniger will not produce any harmful or counter productive effects on any of the organisms in my reef, then I will just wait another year or so for the final vertic.
Steve
I'm with you on this one. I have been in the hobby for 15 years and have seen a lot of solutions that looked unquestionable on paper only later to be found less than desirable in real life application.
So I also prefer to err on the side of caution. My system is very stable. My corals look great and are growing nicely. My Calc. and Alk. levels are on target. If I don't have 100% guarrenty that viniger will not produce any harmful or counter productive effects on any of the organisms in my reef, then I will just wait another year or so for the final vertic.
Steve
Thanx SeaView for the vote of confidence.
For those who are still interest in the matter, here is a post from the experts because by no mean am I an expert on the matter:
Kal.Post
What I do remember is that acetic acid is required to increase solubility of heavy metals when performing Heavy Metals analysis per USP-24.
For those who are still interest in the matter, here is a post from the experts because by no mean am I an expert on the matter:
Kal.Post
What I do remember is that acetic acid is required to increase solubility of heavy metals when performing Heavy Metals analysis per USP-24.
I think an impiortant thing to remember is that the vinegar solution is not for everyone dripping kalk. If I read the thread correctly, it is really only recommended for those who have a low evaporation rate to their tank. Because they have such a low evaporation rate or an extreme number of calcium depleating corals, they cannot replace the calc fast enough with kalk topoff water. The vinegar is simply a way to get more calcium in the solution.
People like SeaView who are keeping their calc/alk at desireable levels w/just kalk have no reason to experiment w/ this.
In summary, if you can maintain desireable levels w/ kalk, don't change! However, if you can't maintain appropriate levels, this may be something to explore. Keep in mind that this is simply an alternative to supplimenting your kalk drip w/a two part calc/alk product, or something similar. So, if you are concerned, simply use another product to suppliment your dripping to keep your calcium & alk in line...
Regards,
Chris
People like SeaView who are keeping their calc/alk at desireable levels w/just kalk have no reason to experiment w/ this.
In summary, if you can maintain desireable levels w/ kalk, don't change! However, if you can't maintain appropriate levels, this may be something to explore. Keep in mind that this is simply an alternative to supplimenting your kalk drip w/a two part calc/alk product, or something similar. So, if you are concerned, simply use another product to suppliment your dripping to keep your calcium & alk in line...
Regards,
Chris
Yes, esmithii you are right...my post is vague...perhaps after this experience I should be more careful in my posts. I guess we are all here to learn and today I've learned something from you as well...I guess I have to be more detail when posting a reply.....thanx for the reminder...
What happened to my tank is I believe Heavy metals got dissolved when I use too much vinegar. With no other changes to the tank, I would gues it would have to be the vinegar doing something funny somehow because my leather and brains react negatively to it. Until I've found the post on ReefCentral about heavy metals and vinegar, I could not explain it somehow.
Now with 30%water change, everything is cool again. So I guess what I should have said was...just becareful the amount of vinegar used. If not needed, don't use it. However every tanks is different so what didn't work for me may work for you or others just fine.
What happened to my tank is I believe Heavy metals got dissolved when I use too much vinegar. With no other changes to the tank, I would gues it would have to be the vinegar doing something funny somehow because my leather and brains react negatively to it. Until I've found the post on ReefCentral about heavy metals and vinegar, I could not explain it somehow.
Now with 30%water change, everything is cool again. So I guess what I should have said was...just becareful the amount of vinegar used. If not needed, don't use it. However every tanks is different so what didn't work for me may work for you or others just fine.
How much (and which) heavy metals were in your tank? Why are you convinced that it was the vinegar? What kind of Kalk did you use? All this information would be good for me as well as possibly others on this board. What problems did you have w/ your brain and leather? FWIW my leathers close regularly for up to a week at a time, but still seem healthy and experience growth. What kind of brain coral? Favia, favites, symphyllia, lobophyllia, cynaria, trachyphyllia, platygyra, oulophyllia, leptoria, or goniastria? All are commonly called brain corals.
I have been dosing vinegar for a couple of months now. I want to learn here too. Again, I am sorry if my tone was abraisive.
Ernie
I have been dosing vinegar for a couple of months now. I want to learn here too. Again, I am sorry if my tone was abraisive.
Ernie
ReefQuest,
I think you hit the nail on the head. If it's not broke don't try to fix it. I think in this hobby everyone is always looking for a better/faster cheaper way to do the routine crap we have to do to maintain our tanks.
A lot of reefers may be a little too eager to start using vineger. I would even guess that many newbies will be mixing Kalk for their first time with vinegar based on recent info, which I would have to say could be a mistake. I think hobbiests need to learn through experience as well as testing and measurements what a chemical's overall effect on the system will be. Then, as you put it, they can start experimenting to improve those chemicals reactions.
Steve
I think you hit the nail on the head. If it's not broke don't try to fix it. I think in this hobby everyone is always looking for a better/faster cheaper way to do the routine crap we have to do to maintain our tanks.
A lot of reefers may be a little too eager to start using vineger. I would even guess that many newbies will be mixing Kalk for their first time with vinegar based on recent info, which I would have to say could be a mistake. I think hobbiests need to learn through experience as well as testing and measurements what a chemical's overall effect on the system will be. Then, as you put it, they can start experimenting to improve those chemicals reactions.
Steve
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What I didn't like about your post (and I probably should have stated it in a different way) is the fact that your original post was so vague on the problems you had and the fact that you blamed the vinegar addition without giving any more information. Simply put your post sounded like you had no idea what you were talking about yet you were still advising someone what to do. Your post reads something like this:
"Don't do it. Bad things will happen to you if you do because they happened to me. I am not sure why bad things will happen, but they will. Also, other people have luck with it, so if you try it good luck."
I still don't know what happened to your tank, or what made you so sure it was the vinegar. Could you please be more specific?
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The reactions BReefCase mentioned are very well understood.
I apologize if I was too harsh in my language.
Ernie
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What I didn't like about your post (and I probably should have stated it in a different way) is the fact that your original post was so vague on the problems you had and the fact that you blamed the vinegar addition without giving any more information. Simply put your post sounded like you had no idea what you were talking about yet you were still advising someone what to do. Your post reads something like this:
"Don't do it. Bad things will happen to you if you do because they happened to me. I am not sure why bad things will happen, but they will. Also, other people have luck with it, so if you try it good luck."
I still don't know what happened to your tank, or what made you so sure it was the vinegar. Could you please be more specific?
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The reactions BReefCase mentioned are very well understood.
I apologize if I was too harsh in my language.
Ernie
Right you are SeaView, I was too eager to get more calcium into the tank. I test all I can for NH3,-NO2,NO3,Ca,pH and Alk. With no other changes, The only thing left is vinegar (25mL/gallon)in the kalk. mixture. After two months, the leather and brain stop inflating. Once I done a big water change and don't use vinegar anymore, everything is looking good again including the GSP. I believe little vinegar is good, but the amount I was using is a little too much. I got to admit the use of vinegar kicks a$$. My cal. level was always up there and easily maintained up there. Another possible problem is the use of pickling lime, which possibly has more impurities than regular Kalwasser. However some here claim that they have been using vinegar with pickling lime without any problem. I just hope one day some experts here can work this formulation out to perfection so we can benefit. Until then I will have to leave the vinegar/Kal. to the experts.
For what it's worth, I'm still dripping Kalk and Vinegar in all of my makeup water, and have encountered no problems attributable to this practice.
I use 25ml of 5% Acetic Acid for each 1/2 teaspoon of Calcium Hydroxide per liter (quart) of RO water. (Four times what tetra reports using.)
When you mix the Calcium Hydroxide into the Acetic Acid before adding the water, you consume all the Acetic Acid into Calcium Acetate. Since the Acetic Acid is the limiting reagent, there is no potential for any leftover free Acetic Acid that would enter the tank and cause problems with anything else.
The pH of the resultant solution is always well above 8.3, so there is no possibility of acid/metal reactions occurring in the tank. I cannot envision anyone INTENTIONALLY using enough Acetic Acid in their Kalk mix to exceed the Calcium Acetate endpoint.
Excess leftover free Acetate ions are the one real possible source of trouble, if your biological filtration (live rock and live sand) is not working sufficiently to utilize it as nutrition. (If your Nitrate levels are under control, you know you are in good shape in that area.)
The chemistry here is well understood and deterministic -- there is nothing else going on beyond what is claimed. It may be difficult for laymen to believe, but if inorganic and organic chemistry were not exact sciences, most of modern industrial and consumer society could not be sustained. Chemistry works the same every time -- it is not Alchemy or Witchcraft.
By the same token, since there is no magic going on here, as pointed out by someone else above there is no reason to play around with Vinegar if B-Ionic or just plain Kalkwasser is enough to maintain the Calcium levels in your tank.
Adding Vinegar in Kalk is a means to an end, not an end in itself. It's too valuable a tool to be discredited by injudicious use or anecdotal claims of undesirable side-effects, and I hope it does not become a "reef fad." We have too many of those already.
I do, by the way, use lab-grade chemicals, which are both less expensive per unit, and of more certain content, than pet store or grocery store items.
Back when I used Kalkwasser mix I always used Kent brand, and when I used food-grade white vinegar I used Heinz brand. I never had problems with impurities. I never tried grocery store Pickling Lime.
Although it should go without saying, never use anything but pure white distilled Vinegar. If you add apple or red wine or other flavored Vinegar to your tank you are on your own.
The only reliable reports I have seen of problems from adding small amounts of Vinegar in Kalk that were not clearly attributable to blatant "operator error" involved off-brand or grocery store label Vinegars that had sugar added but not listed on the label. A taste will tell you.
Those concerned about purity and who can't buy lab-grade chemicals locally can buy the required reagents on-line from someplace like Redbird Services or the Science Alliance. Such places sell a lot of other pure chemicals that are very useful in reef keeping too, and are good resources to know about in general.
I use 25ml of 5% Acetic Acid for each 1/2 teaspoon of Calcium Hydroxide per liter (quart) of RO water. (Four times what tetra reports using.)
When you mix the Calcium Hydroxide into the Acetic Acid before adding the water, you consume all the Acetic Acid into Calcium Acetate. Since the Acetic Acid is the limiting reagent, there is no potential for any leftover free Acetic Acid that would enter the tank and cause problems with anything else.
The pH of the resultant solution is always well above 8.3, so there is no possibility of acid/metal reactions occurring in the tank. I cannot envision anyone INTENTIONALLY using enough Acetic Acid in their Kalk mix to exceed the Calcium Acetate endpoint.
Excess leftover free Acetate ions are the one real possible source of trouble, if your biological filtration (live rock and live sand) is not working sufficiently to utilize it as nutrition. (If your Nitrate levels are under control, you know you are in good shape in that area.)
The chemistry here is well understood and deterministic -- there is nothing else going on beyond what is claimed. It may be difficult for laymen to believe, but if inorganic and organic chemistry were not exact sciences, most of modern industrial and consumer society could not be sustained. Chemistry works the same every time -- it is not Alchemy or Witchcraft.
By the same token, since there is no magic going on here, as pointed out by someone else above there is no reason to play around with Vinegar if B-Ionic or just plain Kalkwasser is enough to maintain the Calcium levels in your tank.
Adding Vinegar in Kalk is a means to an end, not an end in itself. It's too valuable a tool to be discredited by injudicious use or anecdotal claims of undesirable side-effects, and I hope it does not become a "reef fad." We have too many of those already.
I do, by the way, use lab-grade chemicals, which are both less expensive per unit, and of more certain content, than pet store or grocery store items.
Back when I used Kalkwasser mix I always used Kent brand, and when I used food-grade white vinegar I used Heinz brand. I never had problems with impurities. I never tried grocery store Pickling Lime.
Although it should go without saying, never use anything but pure white distilled Vinegar. If you add apple or red wine or other flavored Vinegar to your tank you are on your own.
The only reliable reports I have seen of problems from adding small amounts of Vinegar in Kalk that were not clearly attributable to blatant "operator error" involved off-brand or grocery store label Vinegars that had sugar added but not listed on the label. A taste will tell you.
Those concerned about purity and who can't buy lab-grade chemicals locally can buy the required reagents on-line from someplace like Redbird Services or the Science Alliance. Such places sell a lot of other pure chemicals that are very useful in reef keeping too, and are good resources to know about in general.
BReefCase: -> I am glad that you agree with my statement above, which tells me that I actually understood your discussion on Kalkwasser from llowwelll's post on 8/16. Prior to reading that, I have never dripped kalk. From the information you gave in that thread, I have been dripping kalk for the past week and a half, now.
I am wondering if you would be willing to spend some time discussing how much I should be dripping and give a little more information on precipitation of calc/alk? I will try to give you specifics below that you could structure a response around.
Specs:
I am currently dripping about 1 1/4 gallons of kalk per night to replace evaporation. I am using 3 teaspoons of Ball's Pickeling Lime mixed into the 1.25 gals. and letting it set for a minimum of 3 hours prior to dripping. The jug I am using has a spigot about 1" from the bottom, so I avoid allowing the settlement in the tank. I am starting with a simple kalk mixture and will experiment with vinegar later, if needed. I am dripping about 2-3 drops per second. I have a 90 gallon reef with a 20 long sump. The reef consists of a high number of sps and lps corals with a handfull of softies.
Questions:
In your previous responses, you discussed the fact that one must be conscious of the amount of mixing done in the dosing container when no vinegar is used. If I understand correctly, that is due to the lack of CO2 in the container, which causes the calc/alk(?) to mix and precipitate out??? Sorry, I was never good at chem, so please be kind.
If this is true, how do I know how much I should mix. Currently, I am putting the lime in the bottom of the jug, filling the jug, closing the cap and shaking it until the lime on the bottom is suspended in the water.
Since I am dosing from the same jug where I am mixing, do I need to worry about the skim on top of the kalkwassser getting into the tank? Is this even avoidable?
My reading suggests that kalk is used to maintain calcium and alkalinity levels, not to raise them. If this is true, I assume that I need to dose every night as topoff. Is it possible to overdose the tank? What does that mean?
The previous question is based around the fact that I think I have some precipitation in my tank happening right now. I had been maintaining alk around 10 dKh and calcium around 420 ppm. My PH is around 8.1 - 8.15 and goes up to about 8.25-8.3 during and a little after I am dosing. My salinity is about 1.023. This morning I performed a 10 gallon water change using Reef Crystals. Tonight, I started dripping kalk that I made last night. After about one quarter of a gallon was introduced into the tank, I realized that there was some sediment blowing around the tank, as if I had disturbed the sandbed, or something. It wasn't like the tank was a big cloud, but just like there was an unusually high amount of debris in the water column. The PH had raised from 1.17 when I started dosing to 2.5 when I noticed the sediment in the water column. My dKh was about 10 and I think the calcium was 430 - 450 prior to dosing. Those are general estimates, since I hadn't tested since before the water change. OK, so, does it sound like something was precipitating out? Should I be concerned with my calcium or alk levels after this precipitation settles? Is there something I should be doing (ie - Water change???) If stuff is precipitating out, is it necessarily a reason to panic. I mean, could it just be that anything extra will precip out, but the calc/alk levels will remain stable??
...sorry for the long post...
Regards,
Chris
[ December 16, 2001: Message edited by: ReefQuest ]</p>
I am wondering if you would be willing to spend some time discussing how much I should be dripping and give a little more information on precipitation of calc/alk? I will try to give you specifics below that you could structure a response around.
Specs:
I am currently dripping about 1 1/4 gallons of kalk per night to replace evaporation. I am using 3 teaspoons of Ball's Pickeling Lime mixed into the 1.25 gals. and letting it set for a minimum of 3 hours prior to dripping. The jug I am using has a spigot about 1" from the bottom, so I avoid allowing the settlement in the tank. I am starting with a simple kalk mixture and will experiment with vinegar later, if needed. I am dripping about 2-3 drops per second. I have a 90 gallon reef with a 20 long sump. The reef consists of a high number of sps and lps corals with a handfull of softies.
Questions:
In your previous responses, you discussed the fact that one must be conscious of the amount of mixing done in the dosing container when no vinegar is used. If I understand correctly, that is due to the lack of CO2 in the container, which causes the calc/alk(?) to mix and precipitate out??? Sorry, I was never good at chem, so please be kind.
Since I am dosing from the same jug where I am mixing, do I need to worry about the skim on top of the kalkwassser getting into the tank? Is this even avoidable?
My reading suggests that kalk is used to maintain calcium and alkalinity levels, not to raise them. If this is true, I assume that I need to dose every night as topoff. Is it possible to overdose the tank? What does that mean?
The previous question is based around the fact that I think I have some precipitation in my tank happening right now. I had been maintaining alk around 10 dKh and calcium around 420 ppm. My PH is around 8.1 - 8.15 and goes up to about 8.25-8.3 during and a little after I am dosing. My salinity is about 1.023. This morning I performed a 10 gallon water change using Reef Crystals. Tonight, I started dripping kalk that I made last night. After about one quarter of a gallon was introduced into the tank, I realized that there was some sediment blowing around the tank, as if I had disturbed the sandbed, or something. It wasn't like the tank was a big cloud, but just like there was an unusually high amount of debris in the water column. The PH had raised from 1.17 when I started dosing to 2.5 when I noticed the sediment in the water column. My dKh was about 10 and I think the calcium was 430 - 450 prior to dosing. Those are general estimates, since I hadn't tested since before the water change. OK, so, does it sound like something was precipitating out? Should I be concerned with my calcium or alk levels after this precipitation settles? Is there something I should be doing (ie - Water change???) If stuff is precipitating out, is it necessarily a reason to panic. I mean, could it just be that anything extra will precip out, but the calc/alk levels will remain stable??
...sorry for the long post...
Regards,
Chris
[ December 16, 2001: Message edited by: ReefQuest ]</p>
ReefQuest -- I really hate to pretend to specifically advise others on their tanks, because Lord knows I have enough problems with my own tanks, but you asked, so here goes. (My advice and $3.75 will get you a cheap cup of coffee at Starbuck's.)
Your tank parameters sound in good shape to me (although I didn't quite follow the 1.17/2.5 numbers -- you didn't really mean pH, I hope).
I might raise salinity to 1.025 but that's just me on my hydrometer -- "your mileage may vary." I'd just keep doing what you are doing. You Calcium level seems fine without Vinegar and it sounds like you have lots of evaporation to allow lots of dripping.
Kalkwasser with or without Vinegar adds Calcium and Alk to the tank, so it will either maintain or raise levels of both depending on how much you drip.
Yes, you certainly can overdose the tank by indescriminantly dripping Kalk, with the result of raising Alk, Calcium, and/or pH to unacceptable levels, so test (Salifert kits or EPA protocols) and use care.
If you are not using Vinegar in your Kalk it's almost impossible to avoid having the precipitation and top-scum you describe form in the mixing vessel. Shaking makes things worse -- I just sort of mix gently and let time dissolve the Kalk mix, but many won't or can't wait that long (a day or more).
About the only recourse to avoid precip and scum is to mix your Kalk in a separate container from what you will drip from, and then decant the clear liquid only from the middle of the mixing container into the drip container, leaving the top and bottom layers behind in the mixing vessel as waste.
You MIGHT reduce scum formation by ordering lab-grade Caclium Hydroxide from a chemical company instead oif using the pickling lime -- it's hard to say how pure those pickling limes are.
Your tank parameters sound in good shape to me (although I didn't quite follow the 1.17/2.5 numbers -- you didn't really mean pH, I hope).
I might raise salinity to 1.025 but that's just me on my hydrometer -- "your mileage may vary." I'd just keep doing what you are doing. You Calcium level seems fine without Vinegar and it sounds like you have lots of evaporation to allow lots of dripping.
Kalkwasser with or without Vinegar adds Calcium and Alk to the tank, so it will either maintain or raise levels of both depending on how much you drip.
Yes, you certainly can overdose the tank by indescriminantly dripping Kalk, with the result of raising Alk, Calcium, and/or pH to unacceptable levels, so test (Salifert kits or EPA protocols) and use care.
If you are not using Vinegar in your Kalk it's almost impossible to avoid having the precipitation and top-scum you describe form in the mixing vessel. Shaking makes things worse -- I just sort of mix gently and let time dissolve the Kalk mix, but many won't or can't wait that long (a day or more).
About the only recourse to avoid precip and scum is to mix your Kalk in a separate container from what you will drip from, and then decant the clear liquid only from the middle of the mixing container into the drip container, leaving the top and bottom layers behind in the mixing vessel as waste.
You MIGHT reduce scum formation by ordering lab-grade Caclium Hydroxide from a chemical company instead oif using the pickling lime -- it's hard to say how pure those pickling limes are.
Thanks for the response BReefCase. I'm not sure why I put 1.17 -> 2.5, but I meant PH of 8.17 -> 8.25. Anyway, I think you covered my question.
I am working on getting the salinity up to 1.025. I had always been told to keep it at 1.021, but have learned recently that corals like the 1.025 better. I am going slow
As an observation, I wanted to state that I do not get any scum on the surface while the kalkwasser is 'settling.' It is when I remove the cap ontop of the container and begin dripping that the scum forms. I guess that is b/c the CO2 is reacting on the surface. Y'all probably know this, but I thought I would throw it out there.
I think the only question I have left is, how could dripping kalk cause the calcium already in your tank to precipitate out? The result of the calcium precipitating out is a drop in the tank's calcium and alkalinity levels and PH(?) You discussed this a bit in llowwelll's post, but I didn't quite get it. If you wish to simply direct me to a reference, that's cool, too, but you have, so far, put things in layman's terms for me and I appreciate that!!!!
Thanks for the reply!
Regards,
Chris
I am working on getting the salinity up to 1.025. I had always been told to keep it at 1.021, but have learned recently that corals like the 1.025 better. I am going slow
As an observation, I wanted to state that I do not get any scum on the surface while the kalkwasser is 'settling.' It is when I remove the cap ontop of the container and begin dripping that the scum forms. I guess that is b/c the CO2 is reacting on the surface. Y'all probably know this, but I thought I would throw it out there.
I think the only question I have left is, how could dripping kalk cause the calcium already in your tank to precipitate out? The result of the calcium precipitating out is a drop in the tank's calcium and alkalinity levels and PH(?) You discussed this a bit in llowwelll's post, but I didn't quite get it. If you wish to simply direct me to a reference, that's cool, too, but you have, so far, put things in layman's terms for me and I appreciate that!!!!
Thanks for the reply!
Regards,
Chris
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We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
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