Negative Long term effects of Kalk

[chrowski]

Hey all,
I was at my LFS the other day and a knowledgeable salesman, the guy who owns the store, told me that people who run SPS tanks for a long time with dripping Kalk as a buffer in the tank will eventually undergo a tank crash. IDK if he was trying to get me to spring for a Ca.reactor or if he was just being helpful. Anyone have any insight as this is making me skeptical b/c I'm underway setting up my first SPS tank.
Thanks in advance.
--tom

 

[BLKTANG]

I know a guy whos IWAKI seized up,& when we took it apart the impellor was a solid block.

 

[frank2926]

I have been dripping kalk for 4-5 years. No crashes. knock wood.

 

[tazmanian_cowboy]

A friend of mine has been dripping Mrs. Wages for almost 14 years with no problems

 

[Marshall]

I think a lot of those crashes are due to the automation of kalk top off going crazy. It doesn't take much kalkwasser to raise the pH in your tank to meltdown levels. I personally know of 2 people that came home to a white tank because their top off valve got stuck on and the sump filled up with gallons and gallons of 12+ pH top off.

 

[chrowski]

Thanks for the imputs, now does anyone have suggestions as to which is most benifical, dripping kalk or using the 2 part bionic additives to maintain Ca. levels?

 

[frank2926]

Your best bet is to do both. Kalk alone usually does not keep your numbers up very long. However dripping kalk at night will keep your ph up and more consistent. So drip kalk at night and dose the 2 part as needed.

 

[Marshall]

I would say get a calcium reactor and not drip kalk at all. Although my pH is 7.9-8.1 (lower than I would like) it is rock solid there. With kalk it was fluctuate a lot depending how much top off was going in, if I needed to add kalk to the reactor, etc.