Kalk Dosing

[fishybizzness]

Hi! I have a question. I am planning to start dosing kalkwasser through my ato. I was not looking forward to mixing every few days as I evaporate about a gallon a day on my 55 due to it being summer in the Caribbean. I have a 20 gallon brute. I just came across your response about putting a plastic bag over the top and then putting on the cover. Do you think that I will be ok mixing up a 20 gallon batch at a time and just cleaning out the brute every 20 or so days and then adding the fresh mixture? Do you think that the kalk will degrade in potency or would I be ok? Btw, I plan on starting with about a teaspoon for every 5 gallons as I don't have any spa, just lps and softies but plan on adding sps in the future. My main goal is to maintain levels between weekly water changes. Thanks

 

[fishybizzness]

Not spa, sps...

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If the brute is closed and I stirred, it will be ok. I dosed over a month or more.

 

[fishybizzness]

By closed, do you mean with just the standard cover or covered with a sheet of plastic and then the cover? Thanks

 

[fishybizzness]

Also what do you mean by stirred?

 

[dragon99]

I think he meant "isn't" stirred. If you leave the container covered and still, the limewater will be fairly stable over time. If the container is stirred the CO2 in the air will react with the limewater and lower it's potency.

On my nano I use a 5gal bucket of limewater for the ATO that only gets refilled every ~3 weeks with only a little drop in potency. The lid does't seal great, but it works well enough.

 

[fishybizzness]

I think he meant "isn't" stirred. If you leave the container covered and still, the limewater will be fairly stable over time. If the container is stirred the CO2 in the air will react with the limewater and lower it's potency.

On my nano I use a 5gal bucket of limewater for the ATO that only gets refilled every ~3 weeks with only a little drop in potency. The lid does't seal great, but it works well enough.

Thanks for the clarification! I really appreciate the help because I really want to get this right!