drip rate for kalk

[ai[k²]wan]

eh have been dripping kalk for quite some time but still quite unsure what should be the drip rate. im afraid too fast a drip would increase ph too much. should it be like 1 drop per 10 second , whats the "standard" one to prevent too high ph or i can drip as fast as my evaporation speed, meaning dont care about ph.

[terryansimon]

I think its different drip rate for different tank size as the fluctuation of pH varies with volume of water.

[FuEl]

Yea...I stopped dripping kalk after I sold my canopy over. Now dosing it manually. Every 4-5 hours pour 4-5 capfuls into my tank.

[FuEl]

Forgot to add...alternatively you can dilute it further than the recommended amount. Test the pH. Dilute it till the pH is roughly the same as your tank. Then you can just pour everything in.

[Tanzy]

Forgot to add...alternatively you can dilute it further than the recommended amount. Test the pH. Dilute it till the pH is roughly the same as your tank. Then you can just pour everything in.

You can't do that. The large volume of freshwater entering the tank will cause a sharp change in salinity which can be stressful to the inhabitants. More importantly, only saturated kalkwasser should be used. The dilution will result in decreased amount of calcium that is in solution. Calcium hydroxide exists as an equilibrium in water, dependant on pH and is not like table salt where everything is dissolved.

The chart shows that as pH decreases, the amount of dissolved calcium falls sharply.

[FuEl]

Eh? hehe..

What i meant to say was pour in the same amount that evaporated from the tank.

Din know about the dilution thingy...heard somewhere about dilution with vinegar...so dilution with vinegar is recommended compared to dilution with water?

I'm abit lost here...

[Tanzy]

Dilution with vinegar is good as it will shift the equilibrium of the dissolution equaton and actually react with calcium hydroxide to form calcium acetate which is almost totally soluble in water. The problem is that when you add too much vinegar it can drastically affect your alkalinity and pH of the tank. Usually, vinegar is titrated into saturated kalkwasser solution until the pH is about 11.

[FuEl]

Okie..thanks..think I'll stick to manual dosing of saturated kalk.

Heard of horror algae blooms associated with acetate.

[ervine]

You can't do that. The large volume of freshwater entering the tank will cause a sharp change in salinity which can be stressful to the inhabitants. More importantly, only saturated kalkwasser should be used. The dilution will result in decreased amount of calcium that is in solution. Calcium hydroxide exists as an equilibrium in water, dependant on pH and is not like table salt where everything is dissolved.

The chart shows that as pH decreases, the amount of dissolved calcium falls sharply.

So how should one regulate a kalk reactor in tune with evaporative top up from a tubby?

[Cookiemunster]

Ervine,

the top up from a TUBBY into a kalkreactor to replace evaporated water with kalk solution is a slow and gradual process as evaporation is slow and gradual. You don't get a sudden 1litre or 2 litre evaporation in 1 sec.

There is actually no need to control the flow into the tank unless we are talking about small tanks of 2ft size, ie 80 litres or less.

A kalk reactor needs no regulating that makes it troublefree and maintenance free. And this is the main advantage of a kalk reactor. A calcium reactor on the other hand is another story. It can be a nightmare adjusting one to work well. But a calcium reactor is needed and far superior in terms of increasing calcium and dkh levels. But its only needed for tanks filled with clams, sps or hard corals.

[ervine]

Ervine,

the top up from a TUBBY into a kalkreactor to replace evaporated water with kalk solution is a slow and gradual process as evaporation is slow and gradual. You don't get a sudden 1litre or 2 litre evaporation in 1 sec.

There is actually no need to control the flow into the tank unless we are talking about small tanks of 2ft size, ie 80 litres or less.

A kalk reactor needs no regulating that makes it troublefree and maintenance free. And this is the main advantage of a kalk reactor. A calcium reactor on the other hand is another story. It can be a nightmare adjusting one to work well. But a calcium reactor is needed and far superior in terms of increasing calcium and dkh levels. But its only needed for tanks filled with clams, sps or hard corals.

But how much kalk to put into the reactor then?

[lightningstrike]

i drip my kalk using a diy kalk dripper which controls the flowrate to about 6 drips per minute for a 3 ft tank.....

[DrJekyl_MrHyde]

i am only use a container an gill a hole in it and put a tap in ....so that to control the dripping rate of (water + kalk) like 5 second 1 drop into my small 2 footer tank ..but i undose the kalk and mix with water and slowing drip into my tank.....i know that i not very good ....what can i do a kalkreactor is too x ....for me ....... and i also have a small tank ......

[ah^siao]

just drip the rate at abt the rate of evaporation for the water in your tank la/?

[ervine]

Sorry ah, but I'm still very much confused about how much kalk to dose...

Eg. I use the tubby attached to reactor...

How much kalk do I put in at the start? It's dependent on both my evaporative rate and calcium intake right?

So isn't it still a little bit of trial and error?

Donno leh, I've been reading up but I can't seem to understand it... esp the bit about using a reactor..

[ah^siao]

yesh.. it's like trial and error.. this type of tingy abit hard to read up..