Alright folks... I am familiar with the 2 part system(sort of) being relatively new. However I was looking into dosing kalkwasser to avoid the daily rigmarole of 2part. is there any way of running or dosing kalkwasser without the use of a controller? I saw some people use jugs with those airline connections for a slow drip. if so does someone have a good source as to where i cant find out how much to start dripping per minute? I am completely lost and cant seem to find the thread im looking for about this. Right now I am only housing a single zoanthid frag but the only means of calcium and alk is being done with waterchanges. i imagine i would have to start this kalk stuff pretty soon before i put any hard corals in.
Kalkwasser!!! Help!
- Thread starter Anthonius
- Start date
More than you ever wanted to know about kalkwasser by Randy Holmes-Farley:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php
I used to have a 3 gallon plastic container with a screwed cap, basically drill a small hole in the cap and insert an airline, ensure its a very tight fit. Then put a clamp around the airline and put the container full of saturated ro-di water with about 2 spoonfuls of kalk (to start with) on its side on the sump or tank if you have no sump, and allow 1 drip every 3-5 seconds, this worked well for me before i added a controller, but it can be dangerous if regular testing is not carried out almost daily with ph and alk, eventually you will get a drip rate worked out to suit your tank, but again keep an eye on params.
Chris27
New member
You can set up a cheap dosing system using an Tom's Aqualifter ($20), water jug ($0 - $10), and a digital lighting timer ($10) found at your local hardware store. Fill the jug with kalk, plug the aqualifter into the timer, and then pump some Kalk in the tank for a min. every few hours.
Pardon the ignorance here, but I thought that the ATO with kalk for the topoff water was the easiest/safest way to go here? I intended to setup this on my home system and use kalk for topoff every other week or so as needed for Ca. I don't think I'll need to run it all the time as I'm going to be doing FOWLR for the next 6 months or so and the only thing I even need to Ca for is coralline growth.
Reverend Reefer
New member
i just started a kalk setup a couple months ago. the best and easiest way to do it is to put it in your top off water. how do you normally do top offs to replace water evaporation?
i have a float switch connected to a cheap aqualifter pump. when the float switch goes down (from water loss due to evaporation) it turn on my pump. i put the kalk powder in my top off resevoir water, swish it around a bit once in awhile, make sure the top of the resevoir is tight (you don't want the kalkwasser to be exposed to air), and done. it automatically doses kalkwasser in line with your rate of evaporation.
i have a float switch connected to a cheap aqualifter pump. when the float switch goes down (from water loss due to evaporation) it turn on my pump. i put the kalk powder in my top off resevoir water, swish it around a bit once in awhile, make sure the top of the resevoir is tight (you don't want the kalkwasser to be exposed to air), and done. it automatically doses kalkwasser in line with your rate of evaporation.
Palting
New member
Excellent suggestions from all, here, and I actually am saving this thread on my hard drive for when I need to start dosing.
One point I am trying to make or confirm, though, is that you do NOT have to actually start kalkwasser dosing BEFORE you put hard corals in. My understanding is that the hard corals and coraline will start consuming the calcium and alk, but that early on, the calium and alk replenishment with simple water changes with good reef salt, salt like ReeFCrystals or Oceanic, can keep up with the consumption. In fact, depending on the frequency and volume of your water chages and the quality of the salt that you use, you may not need to dose for quite a while. When to dose and amount to dose is not related to the simple presence or amount of hard corals, but is determined by the serially following the levels of calcium, alk, and magnesium in your tank. When they start dropping, and start getting close to low normal, then and only then do you start dosing. How much to dose then depends on how much do you actually need to maintain good levels of the big three.
At least, this is what I understood from reading a lot of articles, including Randy Holmes-Farley's, and from the feedback I've gotten from this forum. Please let me knw if I misunderstood what I've read, as I certainly don't want to give Anthonius bad advice.
Reverend Reefer
New member
what palting said is very true. you don't have to worry about kalkwasser at the moment but it is a good idea to start researching now. when i first realized i needed to do it, i was also looking into getting a kalk reactor or a calcium reactor. after getting a lot of opinions here on RC, i decided to just stick with kalkwasser and 2 part dosing. i automated my two part dosing also by getting a 2 pump reefdoser so i never have to worry about that either.
i was a bit nervous about the float switch but in the end, i bought a good madison float switch from autotopoff.com. kalkwasser is very high in alk so you don't want to overdose! its worth the money to get a good dual float switch that is high quality.
i was a bit nervous about the float switch but in the end, i bought a good madison float switch from autotopoff.com. kalkwasser is very high in alk so you don't want to overdose! its worth the money to get a good dual float switch that is high quality.
well i did a test of freshly changed water today using io reef crystals and i was shocked to see my calcium was only at 350 and my alk was 7!!! not where i want to be... id like to be 400+ ca and atleast 9 dKh - so i need to get it correct with 2 part and then start ato with kalkwasser correct? and i use an ATO system right now and if i use kalkwater to top off all of it can be kalk? and i believe i have read you dont want the "slurry" kalkwater to be dosed so you need a couple timers to allow the fresh mixed stuff to settle back to the bottom of the ato container? right now i ato about 1-2 gallons a day so in theory a 5g bucket should last me about 2 days(assuming i dont fill the thing to the brim and the valve isnt on the bottom but close to the bottom). Do i constantly dose kalkwasser? or do i do it every other ato fill up? does anyone have some more photos of their setups using an aqualifter?
thanks all for all the posts they are very helpful especially to a first time kalk doser like myself. technically im not even first timer yet but im catching on and its not looking to be as hard as i made it out to be. sure as heck beats measuring out part 1 and 2 every single day thats for sure.
thanks all for all the posts they are very helpful especially to a first time kalk doser like myself. technically im not even first timer yet but im catching on and its not looking to be as hard as i made it out to be. sure as heck beats measuring out part 1 and 2 every single day thats for sure.
quick note because I have not seen it mentioned on the thread but i'm sure it's in Randy's report. Kalk is much better suited for keeping levels in balance versus raising them. It's a good idea to get your calk/alk to where you want them and then you can use kalk to keep things steady. once your demand for cal/alk is greater then what kalk can keep up with through top off you need to look into 2 part or reactors. I use Mrs. Wages pickling lime from the local grocery store. Much cheaper then the same product with an aquarium brand label on it. the same goes for baking powder and alk buffer. do some research and you can find how to keep these things working and not put a huge dent in your bank account
shifty51008
12-5 Chiefs record
they will both cause a rise in pH but the lime won't be as bad.
allsps40
New member
I used a 5 gallon water jug and one of those none cooled and heated water coolers, cant really call it a cooler cause is was not. Hope you get what I am talking about. I siliconed an air line to the water spout and ran it to a 3 way air valve for drip adjustment, then ran a line into my sump. Kalk was mixed in the water jug and gravity did its thing. This worked well to top off evap and to keep alk, ph and ca in check. Plus the water was taken from about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the cooler/dispenser so none of the white stuff would end up in the tank. Before I had this I had a small PenPlex Critter Cage from Petco that fit over the sump I used. I drilled a hole for an air valve in the bottom and glued it in place. Then all I needed to do was fill it up and set it on top of the sump. Sump was a 10 gallon and Critter Cage was 3 gallons. This worked to keep up on top off for 3 day before refilling. I need to get an ATO for my tank but will need to get a real one like a JBJ and a 5-10 gallon top off tank.
cubsare1
New member
Pickling lime is for kalk, calcium chloride is for adding calcium. Here is how to make your own, or buy it from bulk reef supply:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php#5
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store...ium-and-alkalinity-total-package-small-2.html
Palting
New member
That's what I did. Then re-check Ca and alk.
I follow this like a bible: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php
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