Kalkwasser question

[mr_X]

i have a large tub of kalkwasser mix that i purchased cheap at a local store that was closing it's doors. i want to administer it to my tank to see if i see any notable changes. as of today, tests say between 380-400ppm. i would be happy to raise the Ca another 50ppm.

ok, now...the directions say that i should mix the solution and then let it sit. there may be a crusty layer on top and some stuff at the bottom, and that i should utilize the water in the middle. should i siphon out this water and put it in a separate container, and drip that, or will a new layer of unusable substance form?

how do you guys do it?

naturally, i won't be doing anything but using some airline tubing and a gallon milk jug for dispensing....

 

[ihopss]

I donot use kalkwasser, I use pickling lime ,and on the bottom sediment is a heavy metal and I do not have a resin on top so I would not know what that would be, I don't see the purpose in using kalkwasser brand if you cannot use everything, what I'm saying is if it is no cleaner then your pickling lime why pay the price . The unusable should be on the bottom.I hope this helps

 

[rbursek]

I let my Kalk settle out in my mixing container, let it settle out, and put the clear solution in my drip container.
Bob

 

[Kevin1000]

Pickling lime is Kalkwasser.

Kalkwasser is a balanced additive ... has the same proportion of calcium and alkalinity that hard corals use when they build their skeletons. When you make Kalkwasser a small amt. may not disolve and end up on the bottom .. a crust may form after a while if your not using an air tight container.

When you take use Kalkwasser you want to draw water that isn't on the bottom (impurities) and obviously stay away from the crust (if you have one).

Kalkwasser will artificially raise the PH for a while ... thats why it is slowly dripped into the tank normally at night when the PH is low.

Kalkwasser is best used in a tank that is already balanced .. heres a good chemistry calculator that may help.

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

 

[mr_X]

thank you.

 

[Jakeski711]

when starting a kalk drip you want to have your calcium and alk levels where you want them to stay before you start dripping kalk. so use whatever additives to get your calcium to 450 stabilize it and then start the kalk drip. as far as the "crusty" layer on top don't worry about it imo. i had the same questions when i started my kalk drip. i would highly suggest a ph monitor if you do not already have one. if you drip to fast you can spike your ph really high. good luck and just be careful.

jake

 

[pcardone]

I don drip the kalk, Its kind of a pain I just use it in my top of water they have buffers to help with the ph. I never worry about the crust anymore. Its my understanding that you don"t want to mix more than you will use in a week or so.

 

[Kevin1000]

I don drip the kalk, Its kind of a pain I just use it in my top of water they have buffers to help with the ph. I never worry about the crust anymore. Its my understanding that you don"t want to mix more than you will use in a week or so.

Most people drip Kalkwasser because it can raise your PH ... those who want to add kalkwasser quickly to the tank often dissolve it using some vinegar where the acid will negate the PH rise normally associated with kalkwasser. There are a number of articles on line which will specify how much vinegar your should use.

 

[IslandCrow]

It sounds like most of your questions have been at least partially answered, but I'll give you my inputs anyway. . .

1) First of all, kalkwasser is much better at maintaining calcium and alkalinity levels than it is at raising them. In other words, follow Jake's advice and use something like Kent or ESV's 2-part calcium/alkalinity supplement to raise your levels, and then see if you can maintain them with kalk.

2) The crusty layer on the top and bottom is indeed normal. For the most part, that's just kalk that's hasn't dissolved. According to Randy Holmes-Farley's research, kalk does pull some impurities out of the water, but as long as you're using purified water, there won't be any heavy metals in the sediment since there are none in the kalk and none in the water. You still don't want it in your tank, but instead of going through the trouble of siphoning it, just make sure the siphon tube that's going from your kalk container to the tank/sump doesn't go all the way to the bottom of the kalk container. That way, it won't pull out any of the sludge.

Anyway, sounds like you're on the right path. Make sure you keep an eye on your PH when you start dosing kalk. It really doesn't take much to spike your PH. Start with 1 tsp per gallon of water and go from there. As Kevin1000 said, adding some vinegar will help reduce the rise in PH. If you go that route (I'd try without first), start with around 30ml per gallon. It has been known to cause algae blooms, though, so don't go crazy with it. I'd say 60ml per gallon max, but that's based more on a feeling than anything else.

 

[mr_X]

thanks again. i am only dosing very lightly anyway...not enough to make any sort of major impact.
here's my situation:
approximately 185 gallons total volume.
water changes with instant ocean salt at 30 gallons per week.
i have noticed that my Ca and Alk have both been a bit low lately, which is something new....not sure why.
i don't have alot of sps in the tank, but the few that i have are growing ever so slowly, and i've noticed that the coralline algae production has slowed as well....not that THAT is a bad thing...but the cause is the concern.
i have since purchased Kent "coral builder" and have administered the first dose today. i guess something like "B-ionic" might be what i should be using instead of kalkwasser until my Ca levels are better?

 

[pcardone]

use kents superbuffer instead of vinegar.

 

[mr_X]

update: i added the coral builder by kent. an hour later my DKH was 11.
now, after adding approximately 1/2 gallon kalk solution a day for 2 days to my relatively large system, my Ca reads 450. is this possible that the kalkwasser did this, or was my Ca test showing false due to low DKH?
i'm not complaining, but does anyone have an accurate explanation for this?

 

[Elegance coral]

Unfortunately most calcium tests aren't all that accurate. What brand of test kit are you using.
You can check out the thread in this forum called "dumb question that needs answering" I posted pics of how I dose my kalk in that thread.

 

[mr_X]

i use aquarium pharm test kits. even if it's not accurate, it was consistent since the beginning. one thing is for sure...there was less calcium, and now there is much more.

 

[Elegance coral]

I have no idea then. I have been using Kalk for at least 15 years and I have never seen one gallon mixed in 185 gallons over 2 days raise the calcium that much. Hopefully someone else here can figure it out.

 

[mr_X]

ok..that's good information then. atleast i know it wasn't the kalk.

 

[IslandCrow]

I know Salifert test kits are very accurate, but I have no idea about the one you're using (could very well be accurate). It seems very unlikely that 1/2 gallon of kalkwasser a day could make that large of an impact on a system your size. Your coraline may have something to do with the overall mystery, though. Coraline does consume a good deal of calcium, which could explain why your tank started using up more and your calcium levels dropped. I moved my tank not so long ago and killed off most of the calcium on the tank glass (the back glass was 100% encrusted). My tanks calcium consumption plummeted. Since you said yours is dying off a bit, this could lower your tanks calcium consumption, partially explaining the higher level you're seeing. Of course, I don't think this sufficiently explains the change you're seeing.

All that said, stay away from products (like using buffer alone) that raise only alkalinity or calcium. It's not a bad thing to do initially if your levels are out of balance, but as a day to day additive, you want to supplement both alkalinity and calcium equally. It's also important to use products that were meant to be used together, so the other ions are kept in balance.

Now, as you're making your decision on how best to raise calcium and alkalinity in your system, check out this calculator if you haven't already. You just input your tank volume (actual water volume), your current parameters, your desired parameters and the supplement you plan to use. It then calculates how much of that supplement you need to raise your current level to your desired level. . .very, very useful!

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

 

[pcardone]

I put 5 coffee size scoops of kalk an one buffer into five gallons of r/o. if i want to raise my calcium, I add a scoop of kents turbo calcium or add some two part.

 

[IslandCrow]

pcardone, are you saying you add all of this (kalk, buffer and turbo calcium) to the same bucket? I'm no chemist, but it seems like you'd have problems with many of the elements precipitating out of solution. Generally, calcium and alkalinity supplements shouldn't be mixed directly. Of course, there are obviously all-in-one supplements that raise both alkalinity and calcium (well, kalkwasser is one, actually), so I'm not saying you can't do this. I'm just curious.

 

[pcardone]

Sorry, I mix the kalk and buffer yes, I have for quite some time. 5 years. I add the two part or turbo directly to the tank.