How to keep alkalinity stable

[Jé123]

Hello, I am using Kalkwasser in my ato reservoir (1 tbs/gallon) and my alkalinity is still dropping by 0.4 dKH on average per day. Since I am dosing Kalkwasser, I thought it was supposed to help keep it stable but its still dropping.. Should I dose more Kalkwasser like 2 tbs per gallon of RODI top off water? It’s the only thing I dose in my system.

Thanks.

 

[Doctorgori]

short ans: yes ....but for scale, how big is your system? ..... eitherway, even for 100 gal, I’d guestimate try going about 1/2 Tsp per refill and see what gives
Edited to add: so, what changed? More purple showing up? New clam? Et ...

 

[Jé123]

short ans: yes ....but for scale, how big is your system? ..... eitherway, even for 100 gal, I’d guestimate try going about 1/2 Tsp per refill and see what gives
Edited to add: so, what changed? More purple showing up? New clam? Et ...

my system is approximately 20 gal. I like Kalkwasser because it keeps my pH up at around 8.3. I have mostly LPS and SPS corals and a few softies. I am already at 1 tbs per gallon of top off water and it’s still dropping...

 

[C. Eymann]

How much evaporation do you have? how many gallons is the system volume? are you mixing the kalk in the ATO reservoir?

The ability for kalkwasser's ability to keep alk stable will depend on evaporation rate and demand, dissolved CO2 level in the system can also play a part in kalkwasser's impact on a system.

 

[Jé123]

How much evaporation do you have? how many gallons is the system volume? are you mixing the kalk in the ATO reservoir?

The ability for kalkwasser's ability to keep alk stable will depend on evaporation rate and demand, dissolved CO2 level in the system can also play a part in kalkwasser's impact on a system.

the system has approximately 20 gallons of water. Yes I do mix kalkwasser in my ATO reservoir. There is a lid on the ATO container and it is tightly closed so I don’t think it would react with ambiant CO2 by its own (before going into the tank). The issue might be the evaporation rate that is not sufficient. my one gallon reservoir can last 2-3 days maybe, sometimes even more. What would you suggest I do? What would you recommend?

 

[Doctorgori]

You might wanna go ahead and dose it then ... I’d trust a cheap Jaebo for the task, its not something that requires German engineering .... Might get alil more bang for your buck disolving a lil vinegar with it, Randy has articles and guidance over in the Chemistry dept

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You can raise the concentration to saturation, but after that, you may need to add additional additives (like a two part) as kalkwasser cannot always keep up with demand.

 

[Jé123]

You can raise the concentration to saturation, but after that, you may need to add additional additives (like a two part) as kalkwasser cannot always keep up with demand.

Ok that’s what I will do, my next batch of ATO water I will put 1 1/2 tsp of Kalkwasser and see if it helps. If it doesn’t, I will consider two parts solutions.