Alk & Calc... Again

[TheRealRuk]

I've had my tank up for about 5 month's (mixed reef). I've been dosing 2 part B-Ionic manually every morning (80-100ml), but am still having trouble keeping my Alk & Calc up. (Mostly due to being oot for a couple days here and there. If I miss one day the levels drop significantly.)

I've been looking into calc reactors, bubble magus pump (BM T01), or just dripping Kalkwasser (supplementing with a little B-Ionic...).

I'm leaning towards giving the Kalkwasser drip a go until I can get enough shells saved for a calc reactor.

I know this topics been beaten to a pulp, and I'm not trying to start a roaring debate. I've checked out as many posts as I could and am open to any suggested reading, or re-reading.

Locals rule... what are you guys (and gals) using/doing?

Matt

 

[mr.maroonsalty]

I mix 5 gallons of limewater and run 24/7 drip; I add both baking soda and calcium chloride too. I'm debating the use of vinegar, so I can squeeze a wee bit more out of the lime, but don't know how much I want to go the organic c dosing thing.

 

[daveml]

I use 2 BRS dosers to dose BRS alk and calcium. Pretty easy to dial in after initially geting the levels right. I now test every couple of weeks to see if I need to up my dosing.

I've been adding more and more SPS to my system so I have seen an increase in my dosing but haven't really thought about moving to a reactor.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I've tried just about every supplementation scheme or method out there. The one I keep coming back to is kalk. It can be cheap and easy, it doesn't run the risk of throwing off other ions longterm, and it's simple to integrate into an ATO, so you're killing two birds with one stone.

Some people complain that it's easy to "nuke" a tank if you accidentally over-dose with kalk, but the same is completely true with a calcium reactor or two-part. In any case, over-dosing is a result of poor implementation, not a factor of what you're dosing. The only real "negative" I've encountered with kalk is that it can be hard to keep up with a system that has very high demand since in most cases your kalk dose is limited by matching your evap rate. Kalk also raises pH, which some people complain about, but for the majority of systems, this will be a benefit, not a negative.

My biggest complaints with two-part are that it's a little more complicated, as you're dosing elements separately, and that there's potential to throw off the overall ionic balance of the system longterm, since you're dosing adjuncts. My biggest complaint about calcium reactors is simply that it adds a LOT of complexity and upfront cost vs. other methods, and it can be tough to balance the calcium/alkalinity supplementation with the effect a Ca reactor has on pH.

To each his own though, there is definitely not a one-size-fits-all solution to this problem. You need to determine your criteria:

1) complexity
2) upfront cost
3) space
4) amount of supplementation required
5) pH trends in your tank

and so on. . .

 

[cardiffgiant]

Wow, that was a really summary of options for calcium and alkalinity.

I use a combination of kalk in my auto top off and 2 part. I also use Drews dosers for 2 part. Mine run 10 times per day. I always does Ca and dKh 1 hour apart of each other.

 

[chrissu]

Are you monitoring/dozing Magnesium (epsom salt)? Mag has a huge poitive impact on alk/calc stability.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

jmo

jmo

everyone should topoff for evap with kalkwasser.

I also run a calcium reactor and make my own liquid supplements with BRS stuff.

If I were to rely on B-ionic (alone) for Ca, alk and Mg I'd have gone broke years ago.

 

[TheRealRuk]

I use 2 BRS dosers to dose BRS alk and calcium. Pretty easy to dial in after initially geting the levels right. I now test every couple of weeks to see if I need to up my dosing.

I've been adding more and more SPS to my system so I have seen an increase in my dosing but haven't really thought about moving to a reactor.

I was actually looking at the BRS 2 part starter kit as well.

 

[TheRealRuk]

Are you monitoring/dozing Magnesium (epsom salt)? Mag has a huge poitive impact on alk/calc stability.

I haven't been paying as much attention to my Mag levels as my Alk & Calc. As of the first post my levels were: calc 410, Alk 9.3, Mag 1350... I haven't gotten them up much higher. Keeping them has been the trick.

 

[TheRealRuk]

everyone should topoff for evap with kalkwasser.

I also run a calcium reactor and make my own liquid supplements with BRS stuff.

If I were to rely on B-ionic (alone) for Ca, alk and Mg I'd have gone broke years ago.

Gary, I caught up on your build threads.. Fantastic. Yes, the cost of the B-ionic is the second motivating factor...

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

At the VERY least, switch from B-ionic to a "bulk" powdered 2-part. More or less the same thing, but way cheaper.

 

[TheRealRuk]

At the VERY least, switch from B-ionic to a "bulk" powdered 2-part. More or less the same thing, but way cheaper.

For sure. I like the idea of adding Kalk in my ATO that way if I go out of town for the weekend, my levels don't drop as much. I don't have much in the tank yet. I've just heard some people urge against for the reason you named.

 

[sg1838]

everyone should topoff for evap with kalkwasser.

I also run a calcium reactor and make my own liquid supplements with BRS stuff.

Gary,

Can you elaborate? I know close to NOTHING about Kalk. I'm currently dosing about 50ml of BRS Ca and Alk solutions every other day, and topping off probably about a gallon of water (RO/DI) per day. If I can easily mix the Kalk and add it to my topoff water I will if there is enough of a benefit. Unfortunately, I don't have room in my current sump to add any type of ATO or calcium reactor, and doing a basement sump isn't in the cards ($$$) at the moment.

I'm currently looking at obtaining a 2nd 55 gal drum for mixing up my saltwater, so if I did that I'd have my existing bin to mix up Kalk (if required, I have no idea what's required to mix up Kalk).

Looking forward to your response...

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

limited time to reply right now.


here's a good read on limewater

 

[sg1838]

OK, what I got from that read was that you really can't top off with Kalk unless you have some type of ATO or drip method (i.e. I couldn't pour in 1 gallon of Kalk solution all at once into the sump like I do now with RO/DI).

So, for me this will have to wait...

 

[cardiffgiant]

You might still have some options. Could you keep an ATO reservoir in the basement below your system and run a small tube to your tank to top off kalk? If you have the space, you could also consider hiding a reservoir next to the tank.

I had my old system on the 2nd floor, so basement sump wasn't an option. I built a bench seat that hid two 5 gallon buckets for ATO. The bench seat actually got a lot of use by guests and family that wanted to look at the tank.

Personally, I like the first option, because it's like a baby step to a basement sump The second option looked good, but it was a challenge to manage without getting lime water everywhere.

 

[pascal32]

two part BRS with bubble magus dosing pump. starting to do 1 gallon kalk per day (bubble magus again) - fixed amount to match roughly my evap & maintain control of how much i dose.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

OK, what I got from that read was that you really can't top off with Kalk unless you have some type of ATO or drip method (i.e. I couldn't pour in 1 gallon of Kalk solution all at once into the sump like I do now with RO/DI).

So, for me this will have to wait...

J- to add kalk I use a clean plastic gallon milk jug with a hole poked 2" above it's bottom. Let 'er rip... I mean drip. Know what I'm saying?

 

[victorcan]

Ruk,, BRS was a good move... the esv is awesome stuff but definitely agree w/ the consensus here that its just too damn much for what kalk does for pennies... I dose with an old school needle valve set to a slow drip like 1 drip every second to 1 1/2 seconds.. Been at it for over a month in my setup, calcium runs 480 dkh a bit high @ 10.5 but I can live w/ it and mag @ 1380 w/ same needle valve drip method.. I have 3 1 gallon milk jugs (free) 5' of aquarium 1/4" tube (2.00), 2 needle valves (2.00) 1 gallon BRS kalk (which will last close to a year 9.00)

What $13.00 a year how do you go wrong?? esv $20 p/mon or more ? ($240 p/yr+)
Ya done gawn dunn a good thang
5 months..... your ahead of the curve