Kalkwasser top-off method- I really need some help

Brian DeGolier

Brian DeGolier

New member
My CA levels are low, consistently less than 280 ppm, and I am using kalkwasser in my freshwater top-off. I want to detail my method and welcome any and as much input from the advanced reefers out there. My total water volume is only 60 gallons with no sps corals, the water parameters are as follows:
MG: 1300 ppm
PH: 8.3 always remains constant
ALK: 7.0 deg. dKH- low
SG: 1.023
NO: 0-5 ppm
Po: 0 (Have new phos-ban media)
Temp: 77-80 F
Strontium: do not add, already in supplements etc.
Iodine: I use 2 drops per month of Lugols

Here is my method: I use 2 tspns of 2 LITTLE FISHIES brand kalkwasser per gallon, I take a 1 gallon container with a lid, put 14 spoonfuls in, add 1 gal. of R.O. and shake vigorously, I then add it to my sealed 7 gallon container and add about 6 gallons of R.O. I should also mention that I clean out the 7 gal. top-off bucket about once per month of all the kalkwasser powder in the bottom. I top off the sump with about a full gallon of water so that the high water level will not activate the top-of controller for several hours, to let the kalkwasser saturation take affect and let the water in the top-off bucket clear up. When the water is topped-off in the sump via the controller, it may be a little murky and cloudy, but will not affect the clarity of the display tank.

I have a few more comments for background. I use Kent Turbo Calcium to attempt to raise the CA a few times a week. When I go to bed, I dose either Kent Purple-tech or Purple-Up per the directions, about a capful, (5-10 mL) The Alkalinity is always low, I use Kent Super-Buffer dKH to raise it, but does not really seem to go above 7 dKH.
I did a 50% water change about 1.5 weeks ago because I feel like I was cooking up chemical soup, and wanted the water to stabilize, but that did not really help too much. I can't believe how much CA and ALk buffer I am putting into the water, it's only 60 gallons. The MG is fine and stabile. Perhaps I should do another big WC, then maybe one more.

I poked around online and found a link where vinegar is used in the drip method, I will entertain the idea of vinegar but do not have the space nor the means to use a concentrated CA drip with a perilstalic pump.

I know this is a loaded question, please feel free to suggest another method of top-off with kalkwasser, a method that has worked for you. I have asked several questions about CA on this forum before and have been linked to other sites, but they really did not help a whole lot, and got way too technical and scientific, I am a simple man. My question really is.. is my method of kalkwasser top-off correct? Perhaps this method affects the ALK level, perhaps the sealed container does not allow CO2 into the water, (which I believe is what I am trying not to do). I have asked some of the LSF, they all suggested the big WC, they were scratching their heads, they really don't know. I might even hire a local maintenenace guy in the area who was elected tank of the month in 2004 who I have had over before as a consultant, not to do maintenance, he helped a lot.

I think I have covered everything, I wanted to put out as much info as possible for people to post an educated response. Other than this CA/ALK issue, everything looks great, healthy and growing.
Thank you.
 
I suspect your calcium test kit may be inaccurate. Calcium does not usually get that low, but if it is, a lot of calcium chloride is the only possible solution. With all the buffer dosed, it might be really that low, however.

Stop dosing the Purple Up. It is mostly useless aragonite which will not dissolve, and may lead to false high calcium and alkalinity readings.

The Alkalinity is always low, I use Kent Super-Buffer dKH to raise it, but does not really seem to go above 7 dKH.

Stop dosing buffers for now, and stick with just the limewater for a bit.

Once calcium is corrected (or the kit is changed), use the limewater to maintain alkalinity, and calcium will follow along fine unless a water change with a low or high calcium salt mix messes with it.

If limewater cannot keep up with the alkalinity, due to high demand from hard corals, then another method might be needed. Like a two part.

FWIW, limewater is all I've used in my tank for calcium and alkalinity for more than a decade. :)
 
Thanks Randy, I have actually been to all of these sites in recent months and your posted name sounded familiar, I really like your site. In the mail yesterday I did recieve a new Salifert CA test kit, I do suspect that could be the problem, although mine does expire in 2012, but I have heard that opening up regeant 3 several times, letting air in and putting the solution back into the bottle what's left in the syringe could eventually affect the results. I'll try out the new one and compare the 2 back to back. As far as my method of mixing Kalkwasser, do you think that it's okay? Am I making it a bigger issue than what it really is? I will test and see what happens. Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it.
 
As long as the limewater is stirred briefly after all the lime and water have been mixed, it should be fine. Even pouring the water over the lime likely will do the mixing.
 
I'll try out the new one and compare the 2 back to back.

Sounds fine. Make sure you are reading the syringe correctly. Many people read it backwards with the Salifert kit. Let us know what you find.

Good luck. :)
 
Hi Bertoni- What I do when it is time to add water to the top off bucket weekly, I'll leave the bucket under the stand. I put 14 tspns of kalk in 1 gal. of r.o. and shake it vigorously and funnel it into the top-off bucket, which will have perhaps a few weeks of previously used kalk. I use a pump and blast about 5 gal. of r.o. into the top-off bucket, which stirs up the kalk and let it all settle for up to 24 hrs. From what I have gathered, this should be good enough, probably a good oppertunity to add vinegar to extract more CA from the kalk. Thanks for your input.
 
Thanks Randy, the more I have been poking around, the more the search engines send me to your web sites, you have a lot of information. The new Salifert kit reads a little higher, although I did add vinegar into the mix which I'm sure is contributing to the results. I'll get a new Tetra dKH kit and see if that helps, not sure how old mine is. I'm testing frequently, journaling and trying to find the patterns. Thanks.
 
If your calcium is that low I think slowly raising your sg to 1.026 over a period of several days will help. What salt mix are you using?
 
Thanks Randy, the more I have been poking around, the more the search engines send me to your web sites, you have a lot of information.

Thanks. Good luck and let us know what you find with the new kit. :)
 
If your calcium is that low I think slowly raising your sg to 1.026 over a period of several days will help. What salt mix are you using?

Tom, I am using Instant Ocean Marine salt, not reef salt, although I plan to check out reef specific type of salt when the bucket is done. I added a little more salt water on Tuesday and the SG is up a little now 1.025. The CA is still the same at around 300, the is ALK about 6 Degrees, but I still need to get a new dKH kit, although I honestly do not think there will be too much of a difference with the test kit I have now, I sure it's 9 months old or so.
Do yo think I should try a reef salt? I've heard good and bad about them, supposedly they have big swings in ALK and CA. I'll poke around on RC, see what I find. Thanks. Brian
 
Check the parameters of the new salt water when you make it up. Water changes will not help unless the new water has the correct parameters.
 
Maybe the kalk is precipitating out too quickly. I just wonder if I am mixing the kalk wrong, sometimes when it tops off, it looks as if heavy milk was dumped in the sump. Only after a few days of the still kalk top-off water has sat, that it clears up.
This time I tried vinegar, maybe I should try 3 teaspoons per gal of kalk and forget the vinegar.

I have not added any dKH buffer since Saturday.
Perhaps I should also add a Part A & B in addition to the top-off?

Should I wait it out another week?

Thanks.
Brian
 
Check the parameters of the new salt water when you make it up. Water changes will not help unless the new water has the correct parameters.

Hi Carolina- I just make sure it's SG is 1.023 before it goes in the tank. I seem to have a pretty steady SG. I should add that the water temp is 77.4F now and tonight when the lights are on, it will be 79.0 or so. Thanks. B
 
Maybe the kalk is precipitating out too quickly. I just wonder if I am mixing the kalk wrong, sometimes when it tops off, it looks as if heavy milk was dumped in the sump.

That's not good. How much are you adding at once?
 
Hi Randy. I'm adding 2 teaspoons per gallon.

What I do when it is time to add water to the top off bucket weekly, I'll leave the bucket under the stand. I put 14 tspns of kalk in 1 gal. of r.o. and shake it vigorously and funnel it into the top-off bucket, which will have perhaps a few weeks of previously used kalk. I use a pump and blast about 5 gal. of r.o. into the top-off bucket, which stirs up the kalk and let it all settle for up to 24 hrs. From what I have gathered, this should be good enough, probably a good oppertunity to add vinegar to extract more CA from the kalk. Thanks for your input.
 
So for those of you who are using limewater as your top off, how are you introducing it to the system? I would prefer not to use a gravity drip. Do you use a dosing pump that you can program?

According to the calculator, my needs exactly coincide with how much water I evaporate, so that would work out well.
 
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