Question about kalkwasser

[Tayreef93]

I usually dose 2 teaspoons in 1 gallon. However, my question is if i use 1 tsp in 1 gallon will that dose less alk to the tank. I mainly use kalk to bring my ph up, if using less powder doses less alk will it also make tge ph not go up as much or require more to be dosed than it would with the 2 tsp? Hopefully this makes sense, I appreciate any input. Im mainly asking because the kalk is really helping with the ph but my alk is hanging around 13-14 so i was wondering if i mixed less powder in one gallon if it would still raise the ph like before but raise my alk less so its not so high all the time

 

[Mrtakeoff53]

Don’t chase Ph…ever. It will naturally fluctuate throughout the day. It’s low in the morning and high in the afternoon. It’s perfectly normal.

Alk at 12-13 is too high. Only dose kalk when you need to raise both calc and alk at the same time. The best part of all is that it replenishes calc and alk in the same ratios corals use them up. Let your alk drop. I like 8-9.5 for my alk and 400-450 calc. The rise in pH due to alk is a beneficial byproduct of using it, but it should be understood it’s a byproduct of needing to raise calc and alk.

 

[Tayreef93]

Don’t chase Ph…ever. It will naturally fluctuate throughout the day. It’s low in the morning and high in the afternoon. It’s perfectly normal.

Alk at 12-13 is too high. Only dose kalk when you need to raise both calc and alk at the same time. The best part of all is that it replenishes calc and alk in the same ratios corals use them up. Let your alk drop. I like 8-9.5 for my alk and 400-450 calc. The rise in pH due to alk is a beneficial byproduct of using it, but it should be understood it’s a byproduct of needing to raise calc and alk.

Ya I’ve been told this in the past. I’ve been trying to raise my ph because before dosing the kalk, my ph was like 7.7 in the am and 7.9 before lights out. I understand this is within the low range of things, however ive read articles about coral acidification and that corals are overall healthier with higher ph. My tank is only 20 gallons and im not using a skimmer, so my options to raise my ph is very limited

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I usually dose 2 teaspoons in 1 gallon. However, my question is if i use 1 tsp in 1 gallon will that dose less alk to the tank. I mainly use kalk to bring my ph up, if using less powder doses less alk will it also make tge ph not go up as much or require more to be dosed than it would with the 2 tsp? Hopefully this makes sense, I appreciate any input. Im mainly asking because the kalk is really helping with the ph but my alk is hanging around 13-14 so i was wondering if i mixed less powder in one gallon if it would still raise the ph like before but raise my alk less so its not so high all the time

Putting 1 tsp in 1 gallon is identical to dosing half as much fluid at 2 tsp per gallon.

In the end, it is the amount of dry (and later dissolved) calcium hydroxide that makes it into the tank that matters, not how it got there.

Adding half as much will have half the alk boost and half the pH boost.