UPDATE- Adding Vinegar to my calc drip...

If Im not mistaken, the vinegar should only be helping dissolve additional solids from your kalk into the water you are dripping. It will not be acting as a carbon dosing source if it is reacting with the Calcium Hydroxide. As far as I know vodka does not work the same way as vinegar when used with kalk... You really should be monitoring your PH more closely Todd when dripping a substantial amount of kalkwasser. It is very easy to set your tank off balance this way...

 

Thanks Norg, checked it, stays about 8.0- 8.1. Never been over 8.2ish

 

Todd, do you run any form of carbon dosing on your tank? I'm thinking no.

 

You are testing with an API test kit. Thats not doing you very much Todd. Did you start dosing for magnesium properly?

 

Over a year ago, I was dosing some Vodka in the DT. Never really saw a difference, so I quit. So no

I think if my Ph was too high, my API would show higher, things would not be doing well, etc. if my Ph was really high.

Properly? Must be because last readings yeaterday.
Ca 450, Alk 10, Mg 1430, Ph 8.1

 

If your test kit is bad, which happens, they expire. Or often times they arent very good when they arent expired, IME they offer little to no help at all. I had one read the exact same reading despite my ph probe giving me a different number. If you continue to dose with magnesium sulfate, epsom salts, you will cause a sulfate imbalance and can kill your tank this way. DIY is not always the best way to go Todd...

 

I thought I had explained that I use MgCl- BRS, and a little - epson salts

It's all good. Ready for Bozo, frags? Bozo is doing well btw

 

Putting vinegar into your drip does not "consume" it, it is still there and still acts like a food source.

 

... Reread the first post... If the vinegar was acting as a carbon source instead of being "consumed" in the reaction with the CaOH the skimmer would be going crazy removing the motile bacteria the carbon dosing is fueling... And even then, carbon dosing many times is only as good as the skimmer removing the motile bacteria. Kalk is a great tool when used properly, however some hobbyists who go about this method without a realtime PH monitor can experience some issues. Vinegar helps drop the PH and make the drip safer in a way, but PH should still be monitored closely. Thats my point. API test kits simply dont do the job for this IMO.

 

As someone that teaches university Biology, and has graduate courses dealing with organic acids... the "acid" component is what is reacted. That's a proton. The rest is still biologically available. It IS a food source.