kalk ???? confused

[funkmaster]

i was thinking about starting to use kalk but i wasnt sure does any one know the pros and cons do doing this.....i was goin to set it up and drip it ...i was told i will not have to use a-b products nor add cal,mag,and alk ....any thoughts
E

150 gal reef ,30 gal sump 20gal fuge ,uv on drip ,pro. skimmer and carb. reactor

 

[e.muehlbauer]

Unless you have an extraordinary amount of evaporation, and replace all of it with kalk, you will still have to supplement. When I tried kalk alone, my alkalinity and Ca dropped way down.

 

[rgun2515]

It really depends on what you have in your tank. I do fine with kalk. I add about 1 gallon every 3 days. Don't think it would work for a sps dominated tank. But a mixed reef, it's fine.

 

[rickytsui]

Unless you have an extraordinary amount of evaporation, and replace all of it with kalk, you will still have to supplement. When I tried kalk alone, my alkalinity and Ca dropped way down.

+1 i just use kalk had a tap off also but i still use 2 part

 

[geldof]

I use kalk and two part. Actually I use pickling lime, it's way cheaper. The kalk helps to keep the PH up and phosphates down. The two part supplements any Alk Cal shortage.

 

[funkmaster]

is any one using a kalk reactor or is everone just dripping it

 

[32Bit_Fish]

I use kalk and two part. Actually I use pickling lime, it's way cheaper. The kalk helps to keep the PH up and phosphates down. The two part supplements any Alk Cal shortage.

I thought the pickling lime adds Cal and Alk to the tank. Why there is a need to use two part?

 

[e.muehlbauer]

It doesn't add enough by itself.

 

[Master Shake]

for funkmaster reactors are usually only worth the trouble for large tanks like 300+, sometimes its just easier to drip

 

[cali_reef]

for funkmaster reactors are usually only worth the trouble for large tanks like 300+, sometimes its just easier to drip

Why do you said that? I had/have a kalk reactor on every reef tank I owned, from 80G to 300G.

Bast way to keep the PH stabilize and supplement the Ca and Alk requirement in a none-stony coral dominated tank.

 

[funkmaster]

i decided to start with the kent kalk drip >>>it is very easy and i can monitor the levels ....maybe down the road ill get a reactor

 

[dmr2000]

build one it's easy

 

[geldof]

I use a Reeftek Reactor

 

[SevTT]

i was thinking about starting to use kalk but i wasnt sure does any one know the pros and cons do doing this.....i was goin to set it up and drip it ...i was told i will not have to use a-b products nor add cal,mag,and alk ....any thoughts
E

150 gal reef ,30 gal sump 20gal fuge ,uv on drip ,pro. skimmer and carb. reactor

Kalk's a great way to supplement calcium and carbonate. If your system has too much demand to be handled by kalk alone, it's still great since it's cheap and reduces your use of more expensive two-parts.

However, kalk is awful if you're not using it with an ATO system with a pH control. Trust me, I did it manually long enough. Manual dosing sucks and so do drip systems, which always get clogged with kalk. You also need to engineer your system so that, in case of an equipment failure, all of your remaining kalk isn't dosed into your tank, and you need to know what happens if you -do- dose too much kalk in your tank. (Don't panic. Slowly add white vinegar or soda water until you get the pH under control, don't sweat the fact that the water's milky.)

It's also important to make sure that your mag is at a good level (I like about 1250,) if it's too low, it'll hamper your ability to maintain carbonate levels. If it's too high, it'll allow your pH to rise too much.

I sometimes have to supplement my carbonate when I'm using kalk, usually after some WCs when I've forgotten to chech my Mg, but I practically never have to supplement Ca. I do use vinegar to increase the kalk saturation, though.