Help with Mrs Wages Limewater

[Sith2095]

Ok. So I have been doing a good bit of reading on here and just want to make sure I am doing this right before I make a terrible mistake.

I currently have a 58gal reef. Mostly LPS, but a few SPS. Since adding the SPS I have been having to dose more for Ca and Mag. I ahve read alot about using Mrs Wages and recently purchased some. I would like to add it to my top off water, but want to make sure I am doing this correctly.

I do not have an ATO so my plan is to add, 2 tsps I think is what I read, for each gal of top off water. I keep my top off water in the 5 gal buckets that I use to transport my water from the LFS. The whiteish clear ones that I am sure we have all used at some time or another. I would like to just add the mix to this and then pour the top off into my tank each day. Is this going to be ok?

My understanding is that the limewater will help keep my parameters in check.

I currently have them at 8.7 dkh, 440 ca, 1325mag. This is after dosing last night.

If I am understanding this process and the above is correct then will I still have to dose or should this keep things in check? Obviously I am still going to be testing, I just want to make sure I know what I should expect.

Any help or thoughts would be great......thanks

 

[jerpa]

Limewater will cause an unhealthy spike in PH unless it is dripped, or pumped VERY slowly into the tank.

Many people start with 1 tsp per gallon and add more if their consumption isn't met yet. Whether limewater will be able to meet the demand of the tank will depend on various factors. You will have to figure out a safe way to dose it before you mover farther though.

 

[Sith2095]

I would guess my tank losses 1/4 to 1/2 gal a day to evaperation....so adding this without it be dripped would be to much?

 

[jackde]

Don't pour it in, not a good idea. You don't want to add the slug that sits on the bottom. I use a 2 1/2 gal. container with air line tube and valve to drip. My evaporation is about 1/2 gal. per day and with a drop about every 4 sec. it stays close to my full line.

 

[Sith2095]

To be clear I wasnt going to pour it all in. I know you shouldnt add the sludge at the bottom so I was going to avoid that. What type of vavle are you referring to and where can I get one? I assume LOWES probably has them?

Just trying to find an easy way to do this without having to purchase an ATO.

Thanks

 

[bertoni]

You'll need some sort of drip setup. There are some commercial products available, and sometimes there are surplus IV drip setups that are inexpensive.

 

[Jake007]

Suggest setting up an ATO. It is one of the best things you can do. It removes the daily issue of manually adding water, keeps all of your chemistry more stable since the salt concentration is more stable, and will provide you a better way to add kalk. Kalk works great in an ATO setup, I have been doing it for a long time with great success.

 

[RA]

You can just place the container that you have the kalk in above the water level. Then using a piece of airline tubing place the one end about 2" from the bottom of your top off water. Start a siphon on the tubing and use a simple knot in the tubing to control rate of flow.

 

[567234ta]

You can just place the container that you have the kalk in above the water level. Then using a piece of airline tubing place the one end about 2" from the bottom of your top off water. Start a siphon on the tubing and use a simple knot in the tubing to control rate of flow.

This is the simplest answer ^^

If you want to be really fancy get an air valve to regulate the drips. basically a micro ball valve.
I use this (pic) for dosing when i need to, small hole thru cap that airline tubing goes in, hole in bottom to fill right amount with a funnel.

I would suggest you mix a 5 gallon bucket of pickle water, mix really good and let set for a day, siphon out the clean water into your container from the 5 gal bucket. don't stir it up and keep the siphon just below the surface, should be a crust like a layer of ice on top, careful not to get that or the powder at the bottom while siphoning.
Keep 2 containers full for use so you never run out.

If you know the amount to add daily of top off use a container a little bigger than that with the drip line and hole in bottom like in pic for easy refilling.

I make 40 gallons of pickle water every 2 weeks and mix it with a submersible pump for a couple hours before i let it sit.

 

[Humu Humu]

I use a 5 gallon bucket and Mrs. Wages as well. I used to just simply use the limewater as top off, but didn't like the uncertainty due to varying evaporation rates with the seasons. Now I use a BRS dosing pump and my very old Neptune Aqua Controller to dose 5 minutes of limewater every 2 hours. This works for my 125 gallon system. You would have to adjust the dosage to suit your demand. The balance of replacement water for evaporation is RO/DO water and an Eshopps float switch. With this setup, I dose limewater consistantly, and can adjust by regulating the time it doses.

Also, if you use a bucket and tubing, place the hole for the tubing about 2 inches above the bottom of the bucket. That way, the solids that didn't dissolve, will not be pumped into your display. You wash the bucket out every time you fill it. I put 4 heaping tablespoons of Mrs. Wages into a 5 gallon bucket. Only so much lime will dissolve, the rest settles out. The reason I don't stir the lime is that it can pull Phosphates and heavy metals out of the water column. All that stuff is sitting at the bottom of the bucket. You don't want to stir it up and dose it into your display. Just dose the clear portion of the limewater.

Hope this helps...

 

[Jstn]

Do a search on my thread, my tank is similar to your and I only use 1 tbsp per five gals to maintain my levels. IMO it's better to start slow.

 

[Humu Humu]

Jstn,

The reason I saturate the limewater is to max out the concentration of the solution. I dose it at its maximum concentration and adjust the amount of dosage. That way I am always dosing the same concentration. The rest of the lime just settles out. I find that for a 5 gallon bucket, about 4 heaping tablespoons of Mrs Wages leaves me about one or two tablespoons of residue at the end of the bucket. This I dump out and make a new batch. You can reduce the loading by simply reducing the length of dosage. I test Ca and Alk and adjust as necessary. Randy's articles about precipitating out Phosphate and heavy metals led me to use this method.