How to keep alkalinity steady with Kalk

bubbaque · Dec 20, 2016

I am thinking of starting to use kalk to help keep my ph up. I am wanting to add it to my top off water but my concern is keeping alk steady. When evaporation rates change I see it using more sometimes than others, which would lead to fluctuations. How are you keeping your alk steady using kalk?

Mpierce · Dec 20, 2016

Kalk does not have a big impact, if anything it may help it stay more stable with the slow dosing through out the day. What do you dose currently? You will have to cut back with the kalk dosing. You may have to make some seasonal changes as your indoor humidity changes.

Flippers4pups · Dec 20, 2016

I use kalkwasser in my ATO only as a calcium supplement. I dose baked baking soda as needed to adjust DKH. This isn't all that necessary in my system as I dose magnesium as well. Keeping magnesium in check helps keep the others more stable, unless your tank is full of hard coral and they deplete it quickly. Then dosing two part would be required.

If your ph is within the limits, then don't chase it. If it drops too low, CO2 might be high in your house. Fresh air will help, DIY CO2 scrubber or outside air line into you skimmer air intake would help.

lou dog420 · Dec 20, 2016

I use Mrs wages pickling lime, basically the same, with a dripper that I made. Cheap, works great, and won't shorten the life of your ato pump.

Elementalj · Dec 20, 2016

Flippers4pups said:
I use kalkwasser in my ATO only as a calcium supplement. I dose baked baking soda as needed to adjust DKH. This isn't all that necessary in my system as I dose magnesium as well. Keeping magnesium in check helps keep the others more stable, unless your tank is full of hard coral and they deplete it quickly. Then dosing two part would be required.

If your ph is within the limits, then don't chase it. If it drops too low, CO2 might be high in your house. Fresh air will help, DIY CO2 scrubber or outside air line into you skimmer air intake would help.

I second the opinion of not chasing pH. It's much more stable on its own. If you're having troubles with stability of pH I'd suggest a scrubber as well.

They're not expensive compared to our other equipment, I believe you can purchase one through BRS

bubbaque · Dec 20, 2016

I do not even know what my ph is. I havnt tested ph in a few months but since I live in Florida and my house is sealed tight I am sure it's low. I use to run a hose from my skimmer to my garage but about a month I ago I got rid of it since I am sure whatever was in my garage was not good going into the tank. Also, I am wanting to try and go skimmerless, so figured best way to keep ph up is kalk but wasn't sure how steady the evaporation would be since sometimes I open the windows in the winter for the few days a year it feels nice enough to.

Flippers4pups · Dec 20, 2016

lou dog420 said:
I use Mrs wages pickling lime, basically the same, with a dripper that I made. Cheap, works great, and won't shorten the life of your ato pump.

I use Mrs. wages as well it's very cheap. But I haven't had any problems with my pump since it doesn't run at any one time long enough to cause any damage. Running a couple of years now with no problems.

Mpierce · Dec 21, 2016

If you don't k know what your ph is, then certainly don't try and chase a new, unknown ph level. I would use kalk if you need to supplement your tanks ca/alk and just enjoy the higher ph that goes along with that. Do you dose any ca/alk?

bubbaque · Dec 21, 2016

I went and bought a salifert ph test yesterday and my ph is low. Hard to tell exactly what it is since I feel the color card is complete garbage, since the ranges on it are very far apart. The reading is with a hose connected to the outside.

Mpierce · Dec 21, 2016

Do you have corals? Are you currently dosing any Ca or alk?

bubbaque · Dec 21, 2016

Sps but I am not dosing much two part.

Mpierce · Dec 21, 2016

I would just stop the 2 part for now. Add kalk to your ATO and see if you can maintain your ca/alk that way. You will still have to occasionally add magnesium just like you would with the 2 part.

bubbaque · Dec 21, 2016

I worry about different evaporation rates causing alk fluctuations with kalk. I am actually thinking the ph kit is faulty. I tested a fresh batch of saltwater I mixed up and it is giving me a ph of 8.0 when the known analysis of my batch of salt is 8.41

kashman100 · Dec 21, 2016

I put covers on tank and sump and evaporation stays steady throughout the year

Keenan · Dec 21, 2016

You mixing up the salt in your CO2 rich house could cause that to drop

Mpierce · Dec 21, 2016

Ph is affected by co2 levels, so your fresh salt mix certainly could be 8.0. I wouldn't use covers because it will contribute to a lower ph because the lowered gas exchange. Yes the evap rates will change throughout the year but kalkwasser wont swing your alk like 2 part can.

So when your evap rates are less you may have to add a little 2 part to keep your ca and alk levels where you want them. But it isn't like your alk levels will suddenly plummet or go sky high with kalkwasser.

bubbaque · Dec 21, 2016

Keenan said:
You mixing up the salt in your CO2 rich house could cause that to drop

My wife would kill me if I actually mixed salt up inside the house.

bubbaque · Dec 21, 2016

Mpierce said:
Ph is affected by co2 levels, so your fresh salt mix certainly could be 8.0. I wouldn't use covers because it will contribute to a lower ph because the lowered gas exchange. Yes the evap rates will change throughout the year but kalkwasser wont swing your alk like 2 part can.

So when your evap rates are less you may have to add a little 2 part to keep your ca and alk levels where you want them. But it isn't like your alk levels will suddenly plummet or go sky high with kalkwasser.

I think it is a bad test kit. I checked my ph a few months ago, while still using the hose from the skimmer outside and my ph was 8.2. I can't imagine it has dropped to 7.4-7.5. That number doesn't even seem realistic to me.

revhtree · Dec 21, 2016

Nice article here as well: https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/a-step-back-a-step-forward-kalkwasser-dosing.49/

AdamNC · Dec 21, 2016

revhtree said:
Nice article here as well: https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/a-step-back-a-step-forward-kalkwasser-dosing.49/

Really good article. Had me wondering why my Alk and Ca keeps bouncing up/down and why I'm constantly adjusting my dosing pumps. I use the kalk in my ato but have a small power head constantly running in the reservoir to keep it from getting slurry.