Kalk and vinegar

heathd.hd · Feb 17, 2015

So the more I'm reading the more I think I have to rethink my process. I was thinking I could just put vinegar in with my kalk water I dose through ato.

Right now I make 15 gallons at a time in a tub. 1 cup of vinegar and 15 tsp of lime.

Working great for my alk and calcium but.....

Is it working for my vinegar dosing though? Or Is the vinegar depleting before it hits the tank because it's sitting that long?

My tank is using about 1.5 gallons of ato a day slowly added with a ato switch and a lift pump.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Feb 17, 2015

That's quite a bit of vinegar for that amount of lime.

Can you measure the pH of the solution? That will determine the stability of the vinegar.

heathd.hd · Feb 17, 2015

I have been adding more and more vinegar over the last 2 months so I can get up 2 what I thought was 45 ml per day dosing through my ato water. I should have about 120g of water in my system ato using about 1.5 gallons of water per day.

Yes I can throw my ph probe for my controller over into the ato tank and see what it's at.

My goal here is to dose vinegar for a carbon source. Just by adding it to the kalk ato water and kill 2 birds with one stone.

Or am I just creating bacteria in my kalk ato water lol.

heathd.hd · Feb 17, 2015

So for basic numbers I did the math like this. 100g system 1g of ato water added a day with 45 ml of vinegar in with however much kalk I need to stay at 9dkh alk.

My system has more water and uses more than 1g of top off water but in theory should work like that yes?

Unless the vinegar depleted in the water sitting for a week at a time in my mixing container or in my ato container.

Idk am I causing a problem or am I over thinking it....?

I'm working until later but I'll give you the ph of my kalk later.

My tank ph stays between 8.15 and 8.27 daily.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Feb 17, 2015

If the pH is low enough (above 12 is ok, but I don't know where the cutoff really is), it could easily deplete and actually degrade the limewater itself by making CO2 that might convert the calcium carbonate into calcium carbonate

heathd.hd · Feb 17, 2015

Ah. That's why u were saying it's alot of vinegar for the amount of lime.

So what is a good ph to shoot for and how much of a swing is too much? .1 I'm sure is fine.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Feb 17, 2015

I'm not worried about the aquarium pH being swung around too much, but the low end is my concern. Your aquarium pH values seem fine.

heathd.hd · Feb 17, 2015

Ok.

Well I'm really just dosing the vinegar to help with my phosphates in my tank. My nitrates seem to stay in line but my phosphates are a bit high. Small amount of cyano I've been fighting with for months.

heathd.hd · Feb 17, 2015

Well this plan just makes it the easiest to get the best of everything. Without more equipment. Lol.

heathd.hd · Feb 18, 2015

Ok well the ph is 10.8. If my ph probe is right. Which I think it's close.

TJ's Reef · Feb 18, 2015

Heath, I am and have been doing something very similar for past several months trying to keep up with Cal/Alk demands. Above and beyond my 2-part dosing through Doser have been using vinegar to cut saturated Kalkwasser down to safer PH values and helps keep ATO line from clogging up plus the added benefit of carbon dosing. Shame on me but have been winging it by adding approx a cup of vinegar with approx half cup of Calcium Hydroxide into 15-ish gallons of RO-DI in reservoir. I'm still using my 2 year old TEMPORARY ATO through an Eshopps float valve until I break down and setup the new tank with JBJ ATO through a Kalk Stirrer.

Cheers, Todd

heathd.hd · Feb 18, 2015

It seems to be working for me right now. Ph stays happy and my alk has been pretty dang stable. Idk. Maybe randy will tell us were dumb and know something we don't. Lol.

TJ's Reef · Feb 18, 2015

No, Randy is to nice a guy to say that...... think maybe.... lol

Cheers, Todd

heathd.hd · Feb 18, 2015

Well I'm throwing a bit more lime in my next batch of kalk water anyways Idk if that will help what he's worried about because my alk seems to wanna hang around 8.6 which is fine I just wanna see a touch above 9.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Feb 18, 2015

Most bacteria won't thrive at pH 10.8, but I'd measure it again near then end of that ATO batch to be sure it hasn't dropped any more. If it does drop more than could be from bacterial growth.

heathd.hd · Feb 18, 2015

Ok ty randy! Appreciate your time as always!

beaslbob · Feb 18, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
If the pH is low enough (above 12 is ok, but I don't know where the cutoff really is), it could easily deplete and actually degrade the limewater itself by making CO2 that might convert the calcium carbonate into calcium carbonate

HUH?
I presume I missed something here.
I always thought it didn't take much co2 or anything else to convert calcium carbonate into calcium carbonate.
wild guess here should one be bicarbonate?