Dosing kalk??s

ReefOG311 · Jun 12, 2019

So I dose limewater via dosing pump throughout the day to compensate for my top off. I do about 1 to 2 lbs per gallon. I have a 5 gallon jug that I top off every 2 days. Therefore it never gets to bottom of 5 gallons. I've noticed a bunch of lime at bottom which mixes in everytime I drop the 2 gallons in. Is this bad? Should I let it to within a gallon and wash out 5 gallon jug and start over?
I'm struggling with algae on my SPS and some browning as well. Nutrients are really low. Lights are on for 7 hours at 72% blue and 20% whites. Here are some pics... can u tell me what could be happening?

Coralreefer1 · Jun 13, 2019

I suspect that your water parameters are out of wack which is causing your corals to bleach and die. What are your water parameter readings? Have you tested them recently? It seems like your alkalinity may be too high.

ReefOG311 · Jun 13, 2019

Alk 9.9
Ca 420
Mg 1290
Nitrates 10
Phosphates. 3

KStatefan · Jun 13, 2019

ReefOG311 said:
I do about 1 to 2 lbs per gallon.

That is going to create lots of undissolved powder at the bottom of your container.

ReefOG311 · Jun 13, 2019

Yes I know and does that cause any issues with dosing?

jtl · Jun 13, 2019

Seriously?? 2 lbs per gallon or 2 tsps per gallon. The max saturation for kalkwasser is 2 tsps per gallon of RODI anything more is a waste.

Fiesty · Jun 13, 2019

jtl said:
Seriously?? 2 lbs per gallon or 2 tsps per gallon. The max saturation for kalkwasser is 2 tsps per gallon of RODI anything more is a waste.

Haha. I was just thinking/ wondering the same thing! Im guessing typo?

TexasReefer82 · Jun 13, 2019

No matter what strength/concentration of kalk you're adding to the tank... have you used a pH meter to observe the effect the kalk is having on the tank pH over the course of a day? ...or at least over the course of a single standard kalk addition cycle? If every time you add kalk to the system pH raises by more than a couple tenths of a pH point then you're adding too much volume or the kalk is too concentrated.

serwobow · Jun 13, 2019

I think you should try to minimize the undissolved KALK. Imagine that there is a small amount of a water-soluble contaminant (copper for example) in the KALK powder. Normally, if one used 2 tsp KALK/gallon RODI, only 2 tsp worth of the contaminant would end up getting dosed each dosing. However, if one used 1 pound of KALK per gallon to make their mix, then 1 pound worth of contaminant would enter the tank each dosing. Therefore, it is possible that you are adding some extra poison to your tank by using excess KALK powder.

ReefOG311 · Jun 13, 2019

jtl said:
Seriously?? 2 lbs per gallon or 2 tsps per gallon. The max saturation for kalkwasser is 2 tsps per gallon of RODI anything more is a waste.

Definitely a typo duh

ReefOG311 · Jun 13, 2019

So I understand the contaminate possibility. As for pH, It's pretty stable at 8.0 to 8.3 and connected to doser to power down when above set point. So the question is...for those of u who dose kalk, do u wash our ur reservoir on a frequent basis or just dump in more freshly mixed kalk water?

serwobow · Jun 14, 2019

I dump out the remainder and make fresh in my 4 gallon reservoir every 10-12 days - it is almost empty at that point. One thing I do wrong is that my doser tube goes all the way to the bottom of my reservoir so I do dose some undissolved KALK. According to a BRS video, the undissolved KALK powder could contain bad stuff and it shouldn't be dosed.

ReefOG311 · Jun 14, 2019

Thanks for reply. Makes sense.

Flippers4pups · Jun 14, 2019

The calcium hydroxide that remains undissolved at the bottom of the container has no concern and is typical.

It's the clear dissolved liquid is what you want dose.

What brand of calcium hydroxide are you using? I use mrs. Wages pickling lime from Walmart with no problems.

ReefOG311 · Jun 14, 2019

I use mrs wages too

Flippers4pups · Jun 14, 2019

Mrs. Wages is food grade calcium hydroxide and is very safe to dose. I've been using it for years.

Here's a good read on kalkwasser, if you haven't read it already.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php

ReefOG311 said:
So I dose limewater via dosing pump throughout the day to compensate for my top off. I do about 1 to 2 lbs per gallon. I have a 5 gallon jug that I top off every 2 days. Therefore it never gets to bottom of 5 gallons. I've noticed a bunch of lime at bottom which mixes in everytime I drop the 2 gallons in. Is this bad? Should I let it to within a gallon and wash out 5 gallon jug and start over?
I'm struggling with algae on my SPS and some browning as well. Nutrients are really low. Lights are on for 7 hours at 72% blue and 20% whites. Here are some pics... can u tell me what could be happening?

Last picture definitely looks like RTN/STN.

Flippers4pups · Jun 14, 2019

Sorry about the link. Got distracted.

Iván Olalla · Jun 17, 2019

https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/KalkContribution.php

This calculator is very accurate and can help you crunch your numbers with ease. The sediment is normal when full saturation takes place, also the ph on the solution helps with the precipitation of some unwanteds if the water used has them!