Afraid of kalk

[degibson84]

I recently bought kalk and want to start dripping since I have been adding sps frags but afraid to drip it too fast and kill off all of the frags.

My alk seems to hover between 7-8 and calcium is between 400-460. 460 is usually the day after water change 400 is usually day before water change. Is it possible im using more calcium than alk? If so should I just dose calcium instead?


In so confused on how to do this properly as I'm not very scientifically smart. All I know is I don't want to kill all these frags

 

[degibson84]

Just tested this morning using API kits. Today is water change day and this is what I got


Alk somewhere between 6-7
Calcium 420-440.

I guess i should invest in some better tests. I hate the drops.

 

[jgalen0025]

I recently bought kalk and want to start dripping since I have been adding sps frags but afraid to drip it too fast and kill off all of the frags.

My alk seems to hover between 7-8 and calcium is between 400-460. 460 is usually the day after water change 400 is usually day before water change. Is it possible im using more calcium than alk? If so should I just dose calcium instead?


In so confused on how to do this properly as I'm not very scientifically smart. All I know is I don't want to kill all these frags

Dont be afraid of kalk just do your research and implement carefully. I would first say it seems that you might be able to get by with small weekly water changes. If your afraid of dripping kalk, do what I did in the beginning with little demand, I got a brs dosing pump and used that to dose small amounts of saturated kalk water throughout the day to keep levels stable. You can put it into your ato container at different strengths but that is a little more unpredictable.

 

[degibson84]

I'm doing small weekly water changes and it seems to be doing ok. But for some reason my alk is low in the new water. I'm using seachem reef salt and I tested this morning after mixing and it was somewhere between 7-8. Again the damn drops don't give an exact reading.

I have been thinking of dripping at half saturation

 

[bigbuckdown]

Get rid of the API kit. Not a good kit to test alk. It's ok for starting your tank to check ammonia,nitrites but will not give you a true reading of alk. Get a salifert kit. I test everyday and it lasts me a month or 2 and it is pretty cheap. You can find it online for about 15 bucks

 

[mr. pluto]

there is nothing wrong with the API kit. i've used it for years.
how many gal. is the tank? your tank seems to using only 1dkh a week.
look at this:
http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html

 

[degibson84]

220 gallon display 30 gallons in sump

 

[degibson84]

After I submit with that link it just gives me a blank screen

 

[mr. pluto]

try this
http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chem_calc3.html

 

[fishguy597]

get rid of the api kit. Not a good kit to test alk. It's ok for starting your tank to check ammonia,nitrites but will not give you a true reading of alk. Get a salifert kit. I test everyday and it lasts me a month or 2 and it is pretty cheap. You can find it online for about 15 bucks

+1

 

[Reefvet]

A 250 gal system is pretty stable. You'd have to do something pretty extreme with KW to create any real problem.

While some my be comfortable with the API test kits it's not much of an investment to improve on them. Salifert or Red Sea will give you more confidence in what you're doing by giving you more accurate results.

Use the online calculator after you've got real numbers to go by. Then test every day for a week and dial in how much KW you tank needs.

I've been using the stuff for a couple of decades. It's a great way to add stability to your water chemistry.