kalk or 2 part?

Good stuff and observation about needing less 2-part when using kalk. I forgot about that.

I have 30 gallons of water volume (determined with 3reef calculator) so kalk and water changes works. Much less stress for me.

 

I am dosing through a drip system, through my ATO. I have an aqualift pump hooked up to my ATO and a restriction valve to reduce the flow to a drip. Probably about 2-3

It's preferable to always dose kalk at a drip rate so that it has a chance to mix into your water fully, before causing precipitation or worse a tank crash. Also, having a drip allows the limewater to react with CO2 in the air before hitting the water, this reduces the pH some and further helps to prevent precipitation and the possibility of a crash.

Some people dose using a fast pump but this is risky and generally counterproductive.
In many cases kalk can start to precipitate if the pH rises above about 8.6 or so for even a few minutes. When kalk precipitates, if substantial enough, the particles in the water can act as a seed crystal for other particles and it can actually drip you ca and alk down lower than where you started.

In my own system, dosing at a drip rate of about 2-3 drips per second, into a 20g sump compartment, with 220gph throughput, I find my pH can rise by .4 units in less than 10 minutes Generally even at a drip rate however, my ATO does not turn on for that long at any given time. The controller does shut it off once in a while when the lights are on though, as the pH tends to be higher.

 

I've been thinking of adding vinager to boost the saturation, but I'm already dosing vodka... So, I'm not sure how much organic carbon I want to add. It would definitely be nice if I could get away with kalk alone. Maybe I should have stuck with soft corals LOL.

 

I hear ya. My tank is full of acros though this round. They are growing, just not as fast. They are getting denser though. I kind of like it. Anyway, one unsaid thing here that could derail the thread is salt-mix - I use Red Sea Coral Pro which really spikes the punch. Worth mentioning (hopefully without derailing!)

 

BTW, I mentioned noticable precipitation occurring around pH 8.6, but mentioned my set point was 8.2. The reason for the difference is because I can't measure every inch of my system. There could be eddies and currents forming in certain places, where the effluent may collect. These areas could be higher pH than at my pH probe. So, there is safety factor. Also, there can be some minor precipitation at lower levels, so it dosn't hurt.

 

Definitely, worth mentioning... The salt and water changes can make up quite a bit of ca and alk. There are a lot of variable, I'm just poiting out my system, everyones is different.

 

I drip Kalk separate from an ATO. It works well for my set up. I have a 35 gallon system with low demand. The Kalk is enough to keep up with the demand. It's also cheap and easy to use.

Here is a thread about my experience dripping Kalk

 

First off I have only used 2-part in the few years I have had a reef so I can only relate to one side of the coin here. However, my experience thus far has been a pleasing albeit expensive one and have only encountered some trouble getting my ca lvls to where I wanted them when I first started dosing (b4 I understood the need for mag as well). If I did not have an auto doser I really dont think my corals would be as healthy as they are today but a good auto doser will run you $200 minimum to dose 1 & 2-part (mine cost $400 and it was worth every penny to me).
As I learned more about dosing methods and pH swings ect.. I learned that dosing alk throughout the day and night will help stabilize params and is less stressful on livestock then dosing all at once. It is mainly for this reason why I got a doser that could dose throughout the day and has really taken the burden off of me and has helped my tank grow.
Dosing requires you to test and test at the beginning so you can dial in your ca demands and then requires you to test monthly at a minimum as your ca demands will grow as your corals spread. Although it has gotten to the point for me that I tell when I should test my ca if my Hammer is not its normal lush self.
As far as salt goes I use a mix of IO and Reef crystals (Kent is expensive so I cut it with IO to easy my wallet )
Thats been my experience FWIW.

 

Hi m2434

I have also researched this subject and learned that
8 mils of Vinegar is equal to 1 mil of 40% Vodka in terms of what it adds in an inorganic carbon source
thus the normal ratio when using vinegar of 30 mils of Vinegar to 2 and 3/4 teaspoons Kalk per gallon of water (the vinegar allowing more Kalk to dissolve into solution by approx 1 extra teaspoon per gallon)

thus it depends on how much top off you would be doing
if you topped off 1 gallon per day, you would be adding the equivellent of
almost 4 mils of Vodka
if you added half a gallon per day - it would equate to 2 mils of vodka

with that knowledge you could look at super saturating your Kalk mix and then reducing you vodka to compensate, so that your still only adding the same amount in terms of organic carbon to your system
just a thought

Steve

 

My thoughts Nitty

in terms of simplicity Kalkwasser wins IMO
1 powder, made into a solution, decanted to remove the powder from the base and the crust from the top
and then adding the resulting liquid to replace evaporated water
and in doing so, adding both calcium and carbonates to your system

simple and effective
and as you say, and can see from above, many people have used this with great success , and many still do

I went auto doser and 2 part solutions because that gives me the ability to continue dosing even when air temp and water temp are equal and thus reduced evaporation ( which means less Kalwasser would be delivered)
the climate I keep my reef in means my evap rate is not consistent
and there are days, when I dont have to add any RODI to replace evaporated water thus trying to maintain my parameters under those conditions would have proven inconsistent

Steve