Vinnie71975
New member
Hey all i just picked up some Mrs.Wedges Pickling lime to make Lime water and i was wondering How much i should use and in how much water? And how much should i dose in my tank(both for a 20g tank and a 55g tank)?
Mrs.Wedges Pickleing lime(Lime Water)
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Vinnie71975
New member
Oh ya i wouldnt put the powder in my tank lol and thanks for the ratio!
What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm
SuperNerd
New member
I'm no expert but if you're utensily challenged like me you can also use a little digital scale and an online teaspoon to gram converter (I guess assuming the digital scale is accurate).
OT: By the way if the volume of kalk-ro can't keep up with the amount of carb and calcium your tank consumes would increasing the evaporation in order to increase the volume of kalk-ro you add be one of the solutions?
OT: By the way if the volume of kalk-ro can't keep up with the amount of carb and calcium your tank consumes would increasing the evaporation in order to increase the volume of kalk-ro you add be one of the solutions?
Actually, don't depend on kalk to RAISE your levels, although they may come up a bit.
First set your magnesium at 1300-1400 by hand-dosing. [Tech-M is good]
Next set your calcium at 420.
Then set your alk at 8.3-9.3.
THEN start your kalk as topoff regime...Kalk is not particularly good at raising levels, which is why it's pretty safe. It WILL hold your levels at the set-point until the magnesium runs out or the kalk runs out.
It's also a good idea to have some plain bar sodawater in house in case you screw up and dump the whole load in at once [topoff accident]. Usually nothing will die as a result of this, but it's a wild few hours' ride with the ph, and the soda water is the remedy---administered very, very cautiously just to moderate the spike a bit. In a kalk screwup, the ph first spikes wildly up, then drops rapidly back to normal: if you over-correct it can be just as hairy a problem as you started with, but in the other direction. So have the sodawater on hand [seltzer water] but hopefully you'll never screw up and never need it.
First set your magnesium at 1300-1400 by hand-dosing. [Tech-M is good]
Next set your calcium at 420.
Then set your alk at 8.3-9.3.
THEN start your kalk as topoff regime...Kalk is not particularly good at raising levels, which is why it's pretty safe. It WILL hold your levels at the set-point until the magnesium runs out or the kalk runs out.
It's also a good idea to have some plain bar sodawater in house in case you screw up and dump the whole load in at once [topoff accident]. Usually nothing will die as a result of this, but it's a wild few hours' ride with the ph, and the soda water is the remedy---administered very, very cautiously just to moderate the spike a bit. In a kalk screwup, the ph first spikes wildly up, then drops rapidly back to normal: if you over-correct it can be just as hairy a problem as you started with, but in the other direction. So have the sodawater on hand [seltzer water] but hopefully you'll never screw up and never need it.
Larah, remember this is FRESH WATER you're putting the kalk into: you can't go dumping a gallon of fresh water into your tank: you dose it in only as topoff, to make up for evaporation.
That's why the kalk dose rate ends up pegged to your evaporation rate. Some tanks evaporate nicely [mine loses a gallon a day: it's a 54g] and some evaporate so slowly relative to their calcium demand that they can't use a kalk drip successfully and need a calcium reactor.
That's why the kalk dose rate ends up pegged to your evaporation rate. Some tanks evaporate nicely [mine loses a gallon a day: it's a 54g] and some evaporate so slowly relative to their calcium demand that they can't use a kalk drip successfully and need a calcium reactor.
Larah, what you need first is an ATO: an autotopoff system.
This connects from a bucket of ro/di water with a pump in it---to a little unit that plugs into the wall [power for the pump, and a switch that---connects to what's called a float switch, which rides in your tank/sump and detects any small rise and fall in water level. When water level falls, the float switch kicks the Unit, which turns on the pump in the bucket. It squirts maybe a tablespoon of fresh water into your tank [via a hose] and keeps the level of water exactly the same all the time. This means, consequently, it keeps your salinity exactly the same all the time, because while water evaporates fast when warmer than the room, salt never evaporates at all. The salt always stays in your tank, and the more evaporation, the saltier your water would get, until it resembled the Dead Sea, if you don't 'top off' with fresh water. An ATO just does that for you.
A kalk drip is nothing more than just mixing kalk powder into your ATO freshwater reservoir, usually an old salt bucket.
HTH.
BTW, I got my ATO unit at autotopoff.com and it has been reliable.
This connects from a bucket of ro/di water with a pump in it---to a little unit that plugs into the wall [power for the pump, and a switch that---connects to what's called a float switch, which rides in your tank/sump and detects any small rise and fall in water level. When water level falls, the float switch kicks the Unit, which turns on the pump in the bucket. It squirts maybe a tablespoon of fresh water into your tank [via a hose] and keeps the level of water exactly the same all the time. This means, consequently, it keeps your salinity exactly the same all the time, because while water evaporates fast when warmer than the room, salt never evaporates at all. The salt always stays in your tank, and the more evaporation, the saltier your water would get, until it resembled the Dead Sea, if you don't 'top off' with fresh water. An ATO just does that for you.
A kalk drip is nothing more than just mixing kalk powder into your ATO freshwater reservoir, usually an old salt bucket.
HTH.
BTW, I got my ATO unit at autotopoff.com and it has been reliable.
Topbloke72
New member
HTH = hope that helps
Agu
Premium Member
