Considering kalkwasser

[RaymondNoodles]

I am contemplating using kalkwasser in my mixed reef which is a Fiji "cube" 57g with 20g sump. This is my second tank; I also have a 20g mixed reef which is 2 years old. The new tank is 8 months old and I have been dosing Brightwell alkalin 8.3 (6ml/day) to maintain alkalinity and pH for a few months now. I am using a single BRS 2 part dosing peristaltic pump attached to my Hydros system which slowly drips the Brightwell alkalin 8.3 about 8x per night to combat the nightly pH drop and maintain steady alkalinity levels. This method has worked well and I have maintained alkalinity of 8.5dKh and daily pH between 8.03 - 8.13 but my tank is starting to use more calcium as I have some LPS and recently ventured into SPS corals. I purchased the ATI essentials 2 part to try it out. Two months ago ago, before adding the SPS, my calcium was at 350 and magnesium 1350. I used the ATI part 2 solution to raise calcium to 400 which brought magnesium up to 1380. 20ml of part 2 raised calcium 25ppm and magnesium 15ppm. I did not dose ATI part 1 (alkalinity) as I have been using the Brightwell Alkalin 8.3 instead, so for the meantime I was just using the ATI part 2 to try and get calcium up. Wondering if I should keep using the ATI part 2 to get calcium up around 450 but this will also bring magnesium up to 1410 (which is marginally high depending who you ask). With the calcium depleting faster than the magnesium, these levels are sure to get out of balance over time. I guess this is the problem with 2 part dosing. Hence considering kalkwasser. Water changes have been minimal for the first 8 months of this reef as I had low nitrate and phosphate resulting in dinos at first. But the dinos are under control and nitrate and phosphate look good at 3ppm nitrate and .03 phosphate. So pretty soon I will be doing more water changes which will help with the low calcium. Using Fritz RPM salt. Not sure which direction to go. Looking for advise. TIA.

 

[haitian_reefer]

Dosing Kalkwasser is going to be one of the best thing you will do for your reef tank. I wish I had done this in the beginning. I'm dosing Kalkwasser a night via a Avast Marine and Versa pump. Since doing this along with a CO2 reactor my ph has been solid at 8.3-8.5. I can also see my acros growth on a weekly basis.

 

[exnisstech]

Sounds like your adding a lot of different stuff to a fairly young tank and chasing numbers a bit. I would recommend choosing a method and stick with and not bounce around with different bottled stuff. I have 4 tanks. One I do nothing with. 2 of the others I dose small amounts of alk. My larger tank, around 220g total I drip kalk 24/7 with a brs doser dripping 45 minutes on 5 minute off and I dose 30ml of alk. I was dosing both alk and calcium (bionic 2 part) in all tanks but calcium became elevated so I know longer dose that, at least for now. I started trying different bottled stuff and things quickly went south. Keep it simple but also consistent and try not to get to obsessed with numbers. JMO
EDIT: my alk runs 8-8.5 on all of the tanks. I don't monitor pH and test for it very very rarely. It's always changing through out the day and night so I don't bother.

 

[RaymondNoodles]

Dosing Kalkwasser is going to be one of the best thing you will do for your reef tank. I wish I had done this in the beginning. I'm dosing Kalkwasser a night via a Avast Marine and Versa pump. Since doing this along with a CO2 reactor my ph has been solid at 8.3-8.5. I can also see my acros growth on a weekly basis.

A knowledgeable guy at my LFS recommended the Avast Marine kalk stirrer and I have been doing some research on it. Balancing the kalk solution's alk, mag and calcium seems like the biggest challenge.

 

[RaymondNoodles]

Sounds like your adding a lot of different stuff to a fairly young tank and chasing numbers a bit. I would recommend choosing a method and stick with and not bounce around with different bottled stuff. I have 4 tanks. One I do nothing with. 2 of the others I dose small amounts of alk. My larger tank, around 220g total I drip kalk 24/7 with a brs doser dripping 45 minutes on 5 minute off and I dose 30ml of alk. I was dosing both alk and calcium (bionic 2 part) in all tanks but calcium became elevated so I know longer dose that, at least for now. I started trying different bottled stuff and things quickly went south. Keep it simple but also consistent and try not to get to obsessed with numbers. JMO
EDIT: my alk runs 8-8.5 on all of the tanks. I don't monitor pH and test for it very very rarely. It's always changing through out the day and night so I don't bother.

Thanks for the input. Trying to not be "that guy." I haven't changed anything on my 2 yr old system in over a year, just dosing alk and water changes. I want to get to a similar place with the new tank and I feel like kalk could be the answer.

 

[exnisstech]

Thanks for the input. Trying to not be "that guy." I haven't changed anything on my 2 yr old system in over a year, just dosing alk and water changes. I want to get to a similar place with the new tank and I feel like kalk could be the answer.

Agreed. I didn't realize you had an established tank so sorry if I came across wrong. I spent too much time reading about all of the miracles in a bottle so of course I had to go down that road and the results were hair algae then cyano etc. I know a lot of folk run tanks that way but they are probably more knowledgeable than I. Also I think its best to choose a path and just stay with that path. The hardest thing for me is not trying new stuff. I'm retired and have too much time on my hands I think. My oldest tank is 8 years old and is finally doing better than it ever has. I attribute that to getting back to the basics drip kalk, dose a little alk and do very small daily or every other day water changes to keep trace elements up

 

[Garf]

Dosing Kalkwasser is going to be one of the best thing you will do for your reef tank. I wish I had done this in the beginning. I'm dosing Kalkwasser a night via a Avast Marine and Versa pump. Since doing this along with a CO2 reactor my ph has been solid at 8.3-8.5. I can also see my acros growth on a weekly basis.

You’ve already got a dosing pump, just a bucket, kalkwasser (calcium hydroxide powder), a big spoon and you’re set.

 

[RaymondNoodles]

You’ve already got a dosing pump, just a bucket, kalkwasser (calcium hydroxide powder), a big spoon and you’re set.

I don't think the 1.1mL dosing pump that I am using currently would be enough and isn't intended to run continuously. So I think I'll need a new pump if I switch to kalk.

 

[Garf]

I don't think the 1.1mL dosing pump that I am using currently would be enough and isn't intended to run continuously. So I think I'll need a new pump if I switch to kalk.

Probably wise. You can calculate how much alkalinity you can add through kalkwasser in the link below, as long as you know what your evaporation is;

Kalk Contribution Calculator

Aquarium calculator; Estimate the contribution of a kalk solution towards the calcium and alkalinity of a system.

www.hamzasreef.com

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

A knowledgeable guy at my LFS recommended the Avast Marine kalk stirrer and I have been doing some research on it. Balancing the kalk solution's alk, mag and calcium seems like the biggest challenge.

It's not challenging to do this in most situations. Dose the kalkwasser to maintain alk. Any other changes (very slow calcium rise and very slow magnesium fall) will be very slow and may be offset by water changes alone.

 

[Naturalreef]

I also agree that Kalkwasser will be the best thing you do for your tank! Many benefits! I have a Geosreef Kalk reactor on a Lagoon 25 managed by Hydros using dynamic dosing with great results. You will start seeing positive changes almost immediately.

 

[WestMI-Reefer]

my reef is immature at only 4 months old with a few mushrooms but I have been dosing kalk through a stirrer at evaporation via apex and it’s been great so far! Elevated ph is great, my alk and cal are in the sweet spot and seem to be raised in balance. I’m glad I went with kalk over 2 part.

 

[Garf]

my reef is immature at only 4 months old with a few mushrooms but I have been dosing kalk through a stirrer at evaporation via apex and it’s been great so far! Elevated ph is great, my alk and cal are in the sweet spot and seem to be raised in balance. I’m glad I went with kalk over 2 part.

The tank on your build thread? If so that can’t be fully saturated kalk, unless it’s precipitating out.

 

[WestMI-Reefer]

The tank on your build thread? If so that can’t be fully saturated kalk, unless it’s precipitating out.

it just stirred so it cloudy. Im not sure i even had it running in the build thread pics. I just add to the stirrer weekly, after seeing that 5 grams per gallon is approximately max saturation, I felt even better about how i had been dosing.

 

[areefer01]

You’ve already got a dosing pump, just a bucket, kalkwasser (calcium hydroxide powder), a big spoon and you’re set.

How big of a spoon? Wooden, plastic, or?

Teasing of course.

 

[bobnicaragua]

I dose 2 ml a min kalk constantly with a versa doser. I also have a small ATO running to keep my water level constant. Most of the evaporation is replaced with the kalk.

 

[RaymondNoodles]

I think I'm ready to pull the trigger with kalk dosing. I was considering using this kit from BRS.

Pharma Kalkwasser Starter Package

Everything you need to maintain calcium & alkalinity in your reef tank! BRS Kalkwasser is not your typical calcium hydroxide. It is made from an ultra-pure source that contains extremely low amounts of aluminum and compared to traditional kalkwasser you can actually see the difference. If you...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Should I forego the magnesium mix, calcium chloride and sodium bicarbonate and just use straight up kalkwasser as long as I am starting with balanced levels of calcium and magnesium? In that case would this be a good product?

Pharma Kalkwasser (Calcium Hydroxide)

Ultra-pure Kalkwasser for Reef Tanks! BRS Pharma Kalkwasser is not your typical calcium hydroxide. It is made from an ultra-pure source that contains extremely low amounts of aluminum and compared to traditional kalkwasser you can actually see the difference. If you are adding Kalk to your ATO...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'd start with the calcium hydroxide only, and then see over time what else you need. Any USP or food grade material is good. USP is not better than food grade, despite claims otherwise. I show the actual requirements for these grades here:

What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

The second BRS material is likely fine. I've used it. But so are cheaper things like Mrs Wages Pickling lime from a place such as amazon or walmart.