Lime -v- Kalk

[elegance coral]

What is the difference between the white powdered lime you can get at your farm and garden store for your yard and the Kalk we get at our LFS? Is it safe to use this lime as Kalk?

 

[gregg@AMS]

they're both calcium hydroxide, but there may be other inert ingredients in the garden variety stuff that you don't want in your reef.

 

[J. Montgomery]

Mrs. Wage's Pickling Lime is a popular alternative to the expensive kalkwasser powder sold at the LFS.

 

[tperk9784]

I met a guy the other day that uses Damp Rid as his calcium supplement.

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10487746#post10487746 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gregg@AMS
they're both calcium hydroxide, but there may be other inert ingredients in the garden variety stuff that you don't want in your reef.

Do you think the stuff you buy at the LFS is anything different?


If it was pure/lab grade, it would be WAY more expensive.

 

[Randall_James]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10486972#post10486972 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by elegance coral
What is the difference between the white powdered lime you can get at your farm and garden store for your yard and the Kalk we get at our LFS? Is it safe to use this lime as Kalk?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10487746#post10487746 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gregg@AMS
they're both calcium hydroxide, but there may be other inert ingredients in the garden variety stuff that you don't want in your reef.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10492204#post10492204 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RichConley
Do you think the stuff you buy at the LFS is anything different?


If it was pure/lab grade, it would be WAY more expensive.

Garden Lime and Pickling lime are not usually the same...

most commonly referred to "garden" (agricultural) Lime is actually ground lime stone and not calcium hydroxide, beware of "garden lime" (there are some that are calcium hydroxide but are not food stuff safe and should not be used anyway)

Pickling lime (Edible Lime, Hydrated Lime, CaH2O2) is calcium hydroxide and is not that much more pricey than lab grade..

Lab grade calcium hydroxide can be had for about $5 per 500G
Ms Wages runs about $3.85 for 485G

so the cost is not that much more for lab grade calcium hydroxide

(lumberyard lime, industrial lime are not good substitutes as they are not food grade)

 

[elegance coral]

Thanks for the info. I found a 50lb bag of garden lime in a house I'm restoring, and thought it may save me some money. I guess I'll stick with the kalk from my lfs and trash the lime. Thanks again.

 

[yoitsme]

Best price I found was twopartsolution. It is food grade.

 

[Randall_James]

you can usually find pickling lime locally in your own town and skip the freight...

 

[reefworm]

Mrs. Wages is not lab grade, but certainly close enough for what we do with it. You can find it at Wal-mart in housewares with the canning jars.

 

[Randall_James]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10514192#post10514192 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefworm
Mrs. Wages is not lab grade, but certainly close enough for what we do with it. You can find it at Wal-mart in housewares with the canning jars.

Is exactly what I use, anything suitable for human consumption is likely ok for the tank

 

[miwoodar]

^^^ +1. I've been using Mrs. Wages on an as-needed basis for years.

 

[MCsaxmaster]

When is lime not lime? Randall_James is correct--pickling lime is calcium hydroxide, which is what kalk is. Garden lime is ground limestone--calcium carbonate, which is what your corals, clams and everything else calcified in the tank is made of . This won't dissolve significantly without lowering the pH (alla calcium reactor). Pickling lime is useful to the aquarist, garden lime is not.

cj

 

[elegance coral]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10521271#post10521271 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MCsaxmaster
When is lime not lime? Randall_James is correct--pickling lime is calcium hydroxide, which is what kalk is. Garden lime is ground limestone--calcium carbonate, which is what your corals, clams and everything else calcified in the tank is made of . This won't dissolve significantly without lowering the pH (alla calcium reactor). Pickling lime is useful to the aquarist, garden lime is not.

cj

I read the bag a little closer and you are 100% correct. Completely useless stuff.

 

[Trnman32]

dont mean to hijack this thread just looking for some help,do you add lime to your topoff or directly into your sump,and how much per gallon my ph is around 7.8 need to bump it up a little?

 

[miwoodar]

Here's an article about using calcium hydroxide (aka lime or kalkwasser):
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php

Here's an article about fixing low pH.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.php

 

[Randall_James]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10603471#post10603471 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Trnman32
dont mean to hijack this thread just looking for some help,do you add lime to your topoff or directly into your sump,and how much per gallon my ph is around 7.8 need to bump it up a little?

I dose kalk over night while the lights are out.

2% total tank volume is about the top limit of how much you can add over the lights out period IME. The tanks I dose kalk on are topped off with 100% saturated kalk (2 teaspoons per gallon of RO/DI) and this is usually takes care of all the top off needed for evaporation as well.

 

[Trnman32]

Thanks Miwooder and old Yeller I tried the search b ut once again it did'nt work! Thanks the low ph article is great I saved itand I will try dosing kalc tonight!

 

[Randall_James]

http://reefcentral.com/search.php

http://myreeflinks.com/directory/532.html

 

[Wryknow]

Also, if you live near a Fiesta Mart store you can buy food grade lime labelled as 'Cal Mexicana" for $.99 for a 4oz bag.