I will be purchasing LPS corals in about another month or so and would like to have the needed Alk for this. If I decide to drip the Kalk, is this a certain ammount needed per day or do you continually drip the kalk 24-7? Trying to get all the dosing knoledge ahead of time. Thanks so much you all have been a huge help!
Kalkwazer
- Thread starter Doobie65
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Randy Holmes-Farley
Reef Chemist
Staff member
Super Moderator
Excellence Award
Expert Contributor
Article Contributor
R2R Research
My Tank Thread
The amount needed, and thus the amount doses, needs to be tailored to the demand in the aquarium. Monitoring alkalinity, you can determine what the consumption of alkalinity seems to be, and then you can use a calculator like this one to determine how much limewater (kalkwasser) will roughly offset that demand.
Awesome !thanks. So if say, my alk is stable at 1 teaspoon of kalk then this will only be dosed once a day correct? In other words after the solution is dripped then im done for that day?
Randy Holmes-Farley
Reef Chemist
Staff member
Super Moderator
Excellence Award
Expert Contributor
Article Contributor
R2R Research
My Tank Thread
You want to spread out the dosing, not dose all at once. But yes, once the dripped amount is in, you are done for the day.
The Hanna alk checker seems OK.
Uncle99
10K Club member
I make Kalk the same each and every time, I use the amount dosed to control ALK level.
Hanna tester is simply the best for Alk....good choice.
Now, do your normal weekly water change.
Measure and record ALK.
Let’s say that’s 8.5 dkh. We really don’t want changes in dkh more than .5 dkh, the less, the better.
Wait 24 hours.
Measure and record ALK. If it remains 8.5 dkh do nothing this round. If it has dropped, start your slow drip of kalk.
Wait 24 hours.
Measure and record ALk.
If it’s bang on 8.5dkh, just continue to monitor daily or a bit.
If it’s higher, decrease drip, lower, increase drip.
It takes a bit of adjustment to get it bang on and remember as you add Stoney corals AND grow, their will be a need to increase Drip.
Alk (and salinity) are two components I watch very carefully.
In the end, I switched to a doser and an ATO which automated everthing and brought super stability.
Hanna tester is simply the best for Alk....good choice.
Now, do your normal weekly water change.
Measure and record ALK.
Let’s say that’s 8.5 dkh. We really don’t want changes in dkh more than .5 dkh, the less, the better.
Wait 24 hours.
Measure and record ALK. If it remains 8.5 dkh do nothing this round. If it has dropped, start your slow drip of kalk.
Wait 24 hours.
Measure and record ALk.
If it’s bang on 8.5dkh, just continue to monitor daily or a bit.
If it’s higher, decrease drip, lower, increase drip.
It takes a bit of adjustment to get it bang on and remember as you add Stoney corals AND grow, their will be a need to increase Drip.
Alk (and salinity) are two components I watch very carefully.
In the end, I switched to a doser and an ATO which automated everthing and brought super stability.
I really appreciate it and what an awesome tank you have! One day lolI make Kalk the same each and every time, I use the amount dosed to control ALK level.
Hanna tester is simply the best for Alk....good choice.
Now, do your normal weekly water change.
Measure and record ALK.
Let’s say that’s 8.5 dkh. We really don’t want changes in dkh more than .5 dkh, the less, the better.
Wait 24 hours.
Measure and record ALK. If it remains 8.5 dkh do nothing this round. If it has dropped, start your slow drip of kalk.
Wait 24 hours.
Measure and record ALk.
If it’s bang on 8.5dkh, just continue to monitor daily or a bit.
If it’s higher, decrease drip, lower, increase drip.
It takes a bit of adjustment to get it bang on and remember as you add Stoney corals AND grow, their will be a need to increase Drip.
Alk (and salinity) are two components I watch very carefully.
In the end, I switched to a doser and an ATO which automated everthing and brought super stability.
Jamesrup0411
Well-Known Member
I just started in my ato, keep the pump off the bottom. Started at .5 tsp per gal and slowly made my way to 1 tsp. Tank is gliding great
Jamesrup0411
Well-Known Member
Doing*
How low should it have to be that I will not be able to use kalk and have to raise with a 2 part or something else? I understand that the kalk is for keeping it stable and not to raise alk.I make Kalk the same each and every time, I use the amount dosed to control ALK level.
Hanna tester is simply the best for Alk....good choice.
Now, do your normal weekly water change.
Measure and record ALK.
Let’s say that’s 8.5 dkh. We really don’t want changes in dkh more than .5 dkh, the less, the better.
Wait 24 hours.
Measure and record ALK. If it remains 8.5 dkh do nothing this round. If it has dropped, start your slow drip of kalk.
Wait 24 hours.
Measure and record ALk.
If it’s bang on 8.5dkh, just continue to monitor daily or a bit.
If it’s higher, decrease drip, lower, increase drip.
It takes a bit of adjustment to get it bang on and remember as you add Stoney corals AND grow, their will be a need to increase Drip.
Alk (and salinity) are two components I watch very carefully.
In the end, I switched to a doser and an ATO which automated everthing and brought super stability.
M
member 99594
Guest
You can start with Kalk or you can start with 2 part. Kalk can take you a long way as far as I know and pretty sure you just use more and drip more.
IMO I started with two part manually and just moved to a doser to make it easier. I found 2 part to be easier to dial in. BUT, that is because the ato method relies on how much you evaporate in a day. Like someone said, try to get a reactor for it.
IMO I started with two part manually and just moved to a doser to make it easier. I found 2 part to be easier to dial in. BUT, that is because the ato method relies on how much you evaporate in a day. Like someone said, try to get a reactor for it.
Uncle99
10K Club member
That’s a bit hard to say as consumption varies widely.
You can always make small corrections with something like Seachem Fusion 2, so I would not worry.
I dripped for about 6 months, but wanted to have less work and more accurate dosing.
In the end, it was just easier to use a cheap 4 head doser, so I could automate all 3 of the calcification additives (MG, CA, ALK) plus my Nopox dose.
I have been dosing 2.5 the holding jars once per month.
Randy Holmes-Farley
Reef Chemist
Staff member
Super Moderator
Excellence Award
Expert Contributor
Article Contributor
R2R Research
My Tank Thread
I used only limewater (kalkwasser) for 20 years.
