Drip Setup

[TTBoy]

Can i set up 3 drip system functioning together?

1. Kalkwasser

2. Carbonate Alk

3. PH buffer

Can these 3 drip at the same time? Thanks.

[Achilles Tang]

NO!!!!

I believe you'll end up with a very unbalanced water composition and potentially a snow storm in your tank!

Let me explain....

Kalk will raise both PH quickly and to a lesser degree alk.

Carbonate alk and PH should be respectively dripped on their own alone first and then the other coz they both should balance each other. ie. high PH will be easier with a high alk level. You need to balance one component first before you add the other.

Overdosing one could see the other dropping quickly.

Dripping all three is a potential for disaster as the three different fluids will cause a unnaturally saturated mix where you could instantly precipate one component ie. a literal snow storm in your water.

I hope some other guru could chip in here and correct me if I am wrong about the chemistry of this... and whether this practice is advisable.

AT

[Tanzy]

AT is right. You cannot drip them together. The high pH of Kalkwasser mixed with the locally high concetration of carbonates will precipitate insoluble calcium carbonate, causing a white out. This will cause the calcium and alkalinity level of the tank to crash, bring pH down with it.

Unless there is something wrong with the alk level, there is no need to drip it when you are using kalkwasser. Kalkwasser will add calcium and carbonate in a 1:1 ratio.

Buffer should never be dripped regularly because the borates are not depleted in a system quickly. Dripping too much will raise thbe borate concentration to dangerous levels.

[Achilles Tang]

Some good links explaining PH, alk and other water chemistry stuff.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/may...ay2002/chem.htm

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/jun...ne2002/chem.htm

[bawater]

Not only PH buffer with Kalkwasser will cause a snow storm, PH buffer with any type of liquid calcium solution will do the same.

but if u rinse the dosing bottle after use, u can re-use the same bottle but dosing on different days.

[TTBoy]

Thanks guys