alternate buffer?

[MarineFlake]

I have run out of my Kent SuperDKH and normally wait until Jan to make 1 big order for the year. I obviously under-estimated a bit...Anyone have something I can get readily available to use in the mean time? I have heard Ms Wiggles pickling lime before, byt have never seen it. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[MrRyanT]

Jay(neuroslicer) had some at the frag swap, so he probably knows where to get it. I would guess you can get it at the grocery store, but not sure.

 

[grannybj]

It is called Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime and it is available at Kroger in the canning section...2.49 for a 1 pound cannister. Look for fruit jars and sure jel..it will be with those items.
BJ

 

[neuroslicer]

All the Krogers where I shop still have Mrs. Wages. If you can't find any I can bring some to the xmas party (i stockpile the stuff). If you want to use the two part recipe, I have lots of calcium flakes (Dowflakes) and MagFlakes. The other ingredients (epsom salts and baking soda) are ubiquitous. Let me know.

 

[MarineFlake]

How much do you use of this stuff to raise dKh? Does anyone use it enough to know a 'rule of thumb' amount?

Thanks!

 

[neuroslicer]

Your answers found here:

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

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

 

[MarineFlake]

I guess I wasn't real clear with my question, so sorry! What I am asking is if anyone knows what amount to dose of the wages for raising alk. I am not making any 2 part formulas and the second article refers to baking soda...

Thanks!!

 

[scarson61]

Kalk drips are used to replace evaporated water from your tank. Say you lose a gallon of water in your tank a day. You would mix up a couple tablespoons in a gallon of water shake it up real good, let the rest settle and drip off the effluent (You have to drip it to not raise the pH too fast)and if you have a low demand for calcium in your tank this may fully meet your needs. You might experiment with how many tablespoons of the lime you need to reach saturation (you can tell by how much settles at the bottom) I used this technique in mostly softies tanks and it worked out real well with good coraline algae growth, SPS might need more supplimintation for growth. I do believe that Kalk directly raises dKS kind of like a calcium reator does. Jay might know more of the exact chemical reaction that happens.

 

[MarineFlake]

I think Im good in the ca dept. I posted Mrs Wages, what I meant was an alternative to raise ALK and ALK only. The issue with using lime water to raise ALK is that it also raises ca which depletes mg levels and starts a sort of downward catch-22. I picked up some sodium bicarbonate (Baking Soda) so I dosed using the same rule of thumb that I used for the Kent product. I am hoping this works as well without any nasty side affects. I just haven't had the time to order up some Kents, though if its the same, I'd just as soon use baking soda as its cheaper and more readily available. Thanks all for the advice.

Merry Christmas!

P.S. I noted that Mrs Wages contains ten percent iron as well. I do not know if that is a huge issue or not provided you change water as you should, but keep that in mind.