Kalkwasser useage in nano tanks?

[xiholdtruex]

I have been thinking on how much of a impact it would have to use kalkwasser on a nano system when you eater change. I currently have a 12g nano that has 8g of water volume. I was reading on supplementing calcium and alkalinity and a ton of people swear by kalkwasser. Has anyone had any bad experiwnce with use and swinga from watwr changes affecting the tank?

I was thinking of using it in my ato.

I water change about 2.5g a week. I could match calcium and alkalinity but im sure my ph would be higher using kalk in my display.

Any input is welcome. Currently dosing .5ml a day of esv b ionic two part.

 

[GoVols]

Has anyone had any bad experiwnce with use and swinga from watwr changes affecting the tank?

As long as your new water matches your display water in cal and alk, you should be just fine.

Kalk by means of an ATO is a good way to go.

 

[GoVols]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

Hey Randy,
Hope the medical field is serving you well.

Regarding (kalk) lime water and ph.

You have always said two things regarding ph

1) Alkalinity
2) Co2 in the water

So, does kalk help keep Co2 from entering, the display's water, thus being able to climb to an higher ph, while maintaining the same alkalinity?

Thank you

 

[CNDReef]

From what I get out of it is when calcium hydroxide mixes with co2 it creates carbonate/bicarbonate ( not sure which)and this increases the ph since it’s eating up the co2. It’s also kind of temporary unless you’re dosing a lot.

 

[Hemmdog]

If you’re already dosing 2 part, what are your reasons for wanting to switch to a less accurate and most risky dosing method?

 

[X-37B]

I have a 18x18x18 nano 25 gal. I use 1/4 teaspoon in my 4 gallon ato tank. I dose 4 mils esv-b 1&2 also. I use it to help keep ph above 8. Start low as it does not take much kalk to drive your alk sky high. I also dont do water changes but thats another story.

 

[xiholdtruex]

If you’re already dosing 2 part, what are your reasons for wanting to switch to a less accurate and most risky dosing method?

used two part for a week to slowly raise my alk and calk to my desired level. which is currently at 420 ca and 10.2 dkh which is what my water mixes to with instant ocean. Was wanting to use kalk to maintain the level with my ato.

 

[xiholdtruex]

I have a 18x18x18 nano 25 gal. I use 1/4 teaspoon in my 4 gallon ato tank. I dose 4 mils esv-b 1&2 also. I use it to help keep ph above 8. Start low as it does not take much kalk to drive your alk sky high. I also dont do water changes but thats another story.

how much water does you ato replace a day?

 

[X-37B]

I tried it in my 25 but found it to hard to dial in. A little to keep the ph up and 2 part for me is simple and very stable.

 

[X-37B]

how much water does you ato replace a day?

1/2 gallon a day

 

[GoVols]

If you’re already dosing 2 part, what are your reasons for wanting to switch to a less accurate and most risky dosing method?

If you understand how to dose kalk the proper way, the risk is minimal, and you can achieve and maintain a higher ph.

At some point kalk might not be able to keep up with demand, but it's still an great option to consider.

In my area, all we had was calcium reactors and or kalk, at one time.

Hope that helps

 

[kasso187]

I dosed kalkwasser thru my ato on my Fluval 12 gallon nano for about a year. The only ill effects I had was when life got in the way (birth of my baby) and stopped adding kalk for a couple of months.

On it, the tank did great, just look up how many teaspoons per gallon of RODI you should use.

 

[GoVols]

Welp this is a good video



And got my question answered in there too.

 

[Chac317]

Make sure your ato pump stays clean. I used kalk in a Nuvo 20 gallon and it worked great until I woke up in the middle of the night with my ato pump stuck on and it dumped the whole ato container into the tank.

 

[GoVols]

Make sure your ato pump stays clean. I used kalk in a Nuvo 20 gallon and it worked great until I woke up in the middle of the night with my ato pump stuck on and it dumped the whole ato container into the tank.

Yeah,
The video says it's an good idea to run an ph monitor / controller to shut off the pump if it gets stuck in the on mode

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

Hey Randy,
Hope the medical field is serving you well.

Regarding (kalk) lime water and ph.

You have always said two things regarding ph

1) Alkalinity
2) Co2 in the water

So, does kalk help keep Co2 from entering, the display's water, thus being able to climb to an higher ph, while maintaining the same alkalinity?

Thank you

Kalkwasser actually consumes CO2 to produce bicarbonate and carbonate:

OH- + CO2 --> CO3-

It boosts alkalinity when added. You need to add it at a rate that offsets the demand.

 

[GoVols]

Kalkwasser actually consumes CO2 to produce bicarbonate and carbonate:

Thanks, Randy

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks, Randy

You're welcome.

Happy reefing.

 

[xiholdtruex]

I used 1/2 teaspoon per gallon in my 5g ato bucket. I have been monitoring alk for three days and it is slowly rising. Started at 10.8 dkh and after 3 days it is now at 11.2 dkh. Would it be ok to dilute the solution more with out having any issues with the kalkwasser precipatating out?

 

[GoVols]

Would it be ok to dilute the solution more with out having any issues with the kalkwasser precipatating out?

Yeah, it should be just fine to lower your strength.

You might want to try 1/4 to 3/8 teaspoon per gallon, to gauge how that does.

I'd dump it and start over so know what you dialed in at.

Just make sure your pump is not sucking in the slurry at the bottom of your ATO container.