Can Someone School me on Using Kalk?

[User1]

There's this new radical dosing method called.....

Water Changes



.

Depending on where you live or the size and maturity of your tank that may not be enough or even cost prohibitive. But yes, it is a valid point. Then there are additive based systems that do not do water changes...but now we are going off into the weeds. In my case water changes are enough and when they are spaced out because of me being lazy I can dose two part and bring the numbers back inline. My system isn't using enough so the water change solution you noted works. I am not speaking for any one else. I just liked the thread because it was talking about kalk

 

[Swingline77]

As a newbie, and after reading a bit about this, tell me if I'm getting this right.

As I understand it, to use kalkwasser with an ATO, I simply have to mix up some kalkwasser, and have a pump draw it (from the clear fraction) to replace water that has evaporated. It seems that doing this is not a precise way to measure the amount of kalkwasser that's going into the aquarium. I guess precision isn't necessary, though.

I will have a very low population of exoskeleton-producing animals in my tank. Is there a possibility that I might overdose on kalkwasser by doing this? Should I add manually instead? If so, should I add all at once, or space over a day or so? I've read that pH changes as a result of the addition of CO2 are a different matter than pH changes as a result of differing KH.

Another possibility is to have an ATO that adds fresh water, and a separate system that slowly adds kalkwasser at a set rate via peristaltic pump. With this system, I can measure pH and alkalinity every day to every few days, and adjust the rate of kalkwasser dispensation via adjusting the speed of the pump. This method seems safer, since it seems like there's less chance of a constantly-dispensing system malfunctioning as there is of an ATO malfunctioning.

What do you think?

 

[fish farmer]

Another possibility is to have an ATO that adds fresh water, and a separate system that slowly adds kalkwasser at a set rate via peristaltic pump. With this system, I can measure pH and alkalinity every day to every few days, and adjust the rate of kalkwasser dispensation via adjusting the speed of the pump. This method seems safer, since it seems like there's less chance of a constantly-dispensing system malfunctioning as there is of an ATO malfunctioning.

What do you think?

This way.

 

[Swingline77]

thanks