Dosing Kalk and Calcium

[nqh71]

HI Bro,

I am dosing my 2.5 ft tank Kalk and Calcium everyday alternately, about 1.5 litres per day... but I realised that the water level for the tank rises daily till almost overflow (which I have to stop dosing when it happen). The salinity also decreases with time... I have a chiller running which explains the low evaporation rate...

Question is

1) Can I use the saltwater from the tank to mix my Kalk or Calcium in a bottle before dosing it inside? Will it mix efficiently?

2) Is there any other ways, such that I will not compromise the salinity of the water in the tank while dosing?

PS: sorry for the mispelling at the title... Should be Dosing... Too fast.. Cannot edit...

[woonming]

HI Bro,

I am dosing my 2.5 ft tank Kalk and Calcium everyday alternately, about 1.5 litres per day... but I realised that the water level for the tank rises daily till almost overflow (which I have to stop dosing when it happen). The salinity also decreases with time... I have a chiller running which explains the low evaporation rate...

Question is

1) Can I use the saltwater from the tank to mix my Kalk or Calcium in a bottle before dosing it inside? Will it mix efficiently?

2) Is there any other ways, such that I will not compromise the salinity of the water in the tank while dosing?

PS: sorry for the mispelling at the title... Should be Dosing... Too fast.. Cannot edit...

Acctually when u dose kalk ur salinity level should either remain the same or increase and not decrease in anyway. Unless each time u dose kalk u drain out some water from ur tank.

No u cant use saltwater to mix ur kalk solution. Tap water is good.

Hope this helps.

[ah^siao]

another way s to put it to a drip.. this way..

then u can let the drip rate match the evaporation rate.. so your salinity wun change that much

[nqh71]

I am actually using the drip method... The problem is the rate of introduction of the drip is faster then the rate if evaporation. My allowance to the top is only one inch... And introduction of dosing is about 1.5litres per day.. Notice water level is up to the brim.. I got no sump for it...

[ah^siao]

control.. let it drip slower then?

[Morgan]

Stop and dosing and check your Calcium level....

Does your tank really need so much CA?

You got lost of sps and coralline growth?

Too much CA in the water will crash your tank.

[Joe_P]

Question is

1) Can I use the saltwater from the tank to mix my Kalk or Calcium in a bottle before dosing it inside? Will it mix efficiently?

2) Is there any other ways, such that I will not compromise the salinity of the water in the tank while dosing?

1) Nope... saltwater ain't gonna be much good trying to dissolve any part of kalk....

Some reefers here use white vinegar to increase the the calcium levels per dosing... but ain't recommended till you find out how's your reef Calcium levels and its consumption jus like what Morgan mentioned...

2) you can get the evaporation rate to increase by adding fans.... or utilise vinegar as a solvent...

That is if you are trying to get as much Calcium into the reef per dosing....

the other method is definitely a autotop-up combined with a Kalk Reactor..... which will assist in the maintanence of your salinity and water level....and also adds calcium to your reef. One of our sponsers here carries such products ...

you might like to contact him.

and yes, the Sponser is TUBBY alt.. contact cookiemunster...

[Achilles Tang]

Since you know that your dosing of kalk as topup exceeds your low rate of evaporation and affecting your salinity... logic dictates that you will have to speed up evaporation!! Use fans!

You can't use saltwater... you will cause chemical imbalance in your saltwater composition - causing precipitation of calcium and affecting alk!

[Joe_P]

You can't use saltwater... you will cause chemical imbalance in your saltwater composition - causing precipitation of calcium and affecting alk!

This is actually a pretty interesting point....

Why not mix saltwater with Kalk and only drip the the clear solution back into the reef..... there should not be any issue with calcium precipitation if the insoluble part is left behind.... and it does sound like a alternative to low evaporation rate.....

Only reason from my understand is due the high pH of saltwater.... any other points to consider?????

[nqh71]

This is actually a pretty interesting point....

Why not mix saltwater with Kalk and only drip the the clear solution back into the reef..... there should not be any issue with calcium precipitation if the insoluble part is left behind.... and it does sound like a alternative to low evaporation rate.....

Only reason from my understand is due the high pH of saltwater.... any other points to consider?????

I was thinking along this line actually... If I dose obly the clear part of the mixture, how? But the question is, will the Kalk powder readily mix with the saltwater... Anyway, my tank is filled with lps, sps and clam...

[ben]

Im with AT's view

[Tanzy]

If you mix kalk with saltwater, you will be able to raise calcium and alkalinity without changing the salinity but will quickly cause an ionic inbalance in the tank because magnesium and other metals will be precipitated out when kalk is mixed with saltwater and is not replaced by kalkwasser which is just calcium hydroxide. Overall, not a feasible idea.

[AquaRa]

y u say michael moore is a liar? who is he?

[Tanzy]

y u say michael moore is a liar? who is he?

If you don't know, it doesn't matter. It's nothing related to the topic anyway.

[nqh71]

y u say michael moore is a liar? who is he?

[Joe_P]

If you mix kalk with saltwater, you will be able to raise calcium and alkalinity without changing the salinity but will quickly cause an ionic inbalance in the tank because magnesium and other metals will be precipitated out when kalk is mixed with saltwater and is not replaced by kalkwasser which is just calcium hydroxide. Overall, not a feasible idea.

But the amount of precipitattion only happens with the saltwater mixed with the Kalk... ain't it???

The resultant clear solution release back into the reef wouldn't cause any inoic inbalance in the main reef...unless kalk is directly added into the reef.......

[Tanzy]

Don't forget that you are taking saltwater from the tank to mix your kalk and everytime you do that, you lose magnesium and stuff.

[Achilles Tang]

Joe_p, if you properly administer vinegar or some acid into kalkwasser to properly dissolve it.... you can use tank water instead of tapwater.

[Joe_P]

Don't forget that you are taking saltwater from the tank to mix your kalk and everytime you do that, you lose magnesium and stuff.

The Magnesium and so called stuff only get depleted from the amount of water used to mixed the Kalk... ain't it...

Dunno how much that is but reckon it won't offset the balance of the reef by much ........

I would assume then that Kalk be mixed with vinegar before saltwater is applied??? right??? so as to prevent precipitation...??

[Tanzy]

But if you keep doing it day in day out, you'll deplete the all the tank water of magnesium. Overdosing of kalkwasser even by dripping can deplete magnesium and you are simply speeding up the process.

[Achilles Tang]

Well... the money saved on tapwater... can be used to buy magnesium supplements....