Kalk vs. 2 part ?

[unionredskin22]

Hey all,

I was wondering if theres any major differences between using Kalk or dosing 2 part supplements in my reef tank to keep alkalinity and calcium up. I have an ATO so that's not a problem. Is one noticeably cheaper? They both just as effective? Just wanting some opinions/personal experience.

Thanks!

 

[mane]

I was just going to post this, Im going to tag along =)

 

[Toddrtrex]

Kalk will maintain the levels, 2 part will increase them. And you will find, that once your corals start to grow, you will not be able to use Kalk alone. I dose 2 part (( nearly )) every night, but still drip Kalk -- mainly as a poor man's ATO.

 

[mike_cmu04]

I also have to use both to maintain my levels.

 

[unionredskin22]

Is there a specific brand of Kalk that you find works best? Or are they all pretty much the same?

 

[mane]

I also have to use both to maintain my levels.

So you use both kalk and 2 part?

 

[d0ughb0y]

the problem with using kalk in an ATO is the amount dosed is dependent on the amount of evaporation. so in that sense, it is not good, as you want to dose about the same amount each day. in my case, my summertime evaporation is twice than that during winter. plus it will make a really messy top off water reservoir after a while (I like to keep everything clean).

use 2 parts and you can control the exact amount dosed each day.

 

[Chris27]

Kalk is much much cheaper, a can of Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime at the grocery store will run you about $3.50. Put a few scoops of it in you ATO reservoir, give it a stir, and you're good to go. If you have a good deal of calcium loving corals it may not be enough, but it's worth giving it a shot first before you go with 2-part.

 

[m2434]

Kalk is much much cheaper, a can of Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime at the grocery store will run you about $3.50. Put a few scoops of it in you ATO reservoir, give it a stir, and you're good to go. If you have a good deal of calcium loving corals it may not be enough, but it's worth giving it a shot first before you go with 2-part.

At worst, it will greatly cutback on required 2-part. Often you can keep up with ca/alk even in a heavily stocked tank using kalk, especially if you do regular water changes.

 

[travis32]

+ kalk. I use 2 part just to raise alk / ca as needed. Also, I was reaching the limit of what kalk could do me, I was on the verge of spending $200.00 for dosing pumps for dosing 2 part at small amounts. However, I don't know the full effect as it's only been 3 days, but, using vinegar mixed with the lime water allows the water to hold onto higher concentrations of Ca and Alk. Instead of 2 tspoons of kalk per gallon, the vinegar allows for 3 tspoons per gallon. This was just enough to keep my numbers remaining steady. I may have to dose 2 part once a week or every 2 weeks at this rate.

I was on the verge of having to dose 2 part daily. Which, wasn't in my original plans.

 

[Gold Stripe]

I have my top-off running through a Kalk reactor with Mrs. Wages and I have 2 (soon to be 3) dosing pumps with Cal and Alk (and soon Mag) dosing each day. Dosing very little right now but as corals grow I have had to increase by a minute or two several times over the last few months to keep levels steady. Probably overkill but I test once a week and levels are good. SPS love it.

 

[Reef Bass]

I have lots of growing sps and dose alk, ca and mag 4x daily via dosing pumps and a controller. Aside from the incredible convenience of not having to do it manually and the stability of levels, I can fine tune each of those three levels by tweaking the time each pump runs individually. You don't get that kind of control just dosing kalk. Of course, without lots of sps, you may not need it.

 

[unionredskin22]

Just thought of this, will I need a powerhead in the ATO reservoir to keep the kalk mixture mixed up in it?

 

[Toddrtrex]

Just thought of this, will I need a powerhead in the ATO reservoir to keep the kalk mixture mixed up in it?

No, you want to mix it once, and then let it settle -- should have some white powder at the bottom of the container. If you are using a powerhead to deliver the Kalk it needs to be off the bottom of the container.