Tropic Marin All-for-Reef plus Kalkwasser?

[Shaka_Reefer]

Anyone ever dose all-for-reef with kalkwasser? I’m currently dosing all-for-reef with excellent results but I would like to dose kalkwasser at night to stabilize pH.

I have a Neptune Dos.

 

[chefjpaul]

Your tank looks great, I'd leave it alone.... kalk could do more harm.
I personally don't look at PH much, and use all for reef with excellent results so far.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Anyone ever dose all-for-reef with kalkwasser? I’m currently dosing all-for-reef with excellent results but I would like to dose kalkwasser at night to stabilize pH.

I have a Neptune Dos.

There's no problem using these two methods at the same time.

You do not mean combining them into the same liquid solution, do you?

 

[Shaka_Reefer]

There's no problem using these two methods at the same time.

You do not mean combining them into the same liquid solution, do you?

Ok, thanks! Yes, not combining them, sorry for the confusion.

 

[Waynerock]

Anyone ever dose all-for-reef with kalkwasser? I’m currently dosing all-for-reef with excellent results but I would like to dose kalkwasser at night to stabilize pH.

I have a Neptune Dos.

If it ain’t broke don’t touch it!!!! Your tank looks dope don’t change anything

 

[Shaka_Reefer]

If it ain’t broke don’t touch it!!!! Your tank looks dope don’t change anything

Thanks! After thinking about it, I’ve decided not to. However, I’ve been doing some research on the new Red Sea AB+ coral food and would like to use my other Dos head.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ok, thanks! Yes, not combining them, sorry for the confusion.

No problem. Lots of folks mix limewater (kalkwasser) dosing with two part or CaCO3/CO2 reactor for the same reason you suggest.

 

[Waynerock]

Thanks! After thinking about it, I’ve decided not to. However, I’ve been doing some research on the new Red Sea AB+ coral food and would like to use my other Dos head.

I have been using AB+ for the last month and half and I have no complaints. Dose 8ml everyday

 

[Shaka_Reefer]

I have been using AB+ for the last month and half and I have no complaints. Dose 8ml everyday

What size tank?

 

[Waynerock]

What size tank?

65 gal

 

[Shaka_Reefer]

65 gal

Thanks

 

[JohnMzreef]

I dose kalk with a two little fishies kalk reactor and a timer at midnight, 3am, 6am, 9am, and noon. I adjust the run duration so that my 29 gallon tank stays at the same water level. Then I manually dose TropicMarin carbocalcium at 6 pm.
Tank does great. And I very seldom add two part.
And my pH stays real high. (although I never calibrate)

 

[Waynerock]

What size tank?

Here is a recent picture for reference

 

[14A]

There's no problem using these two methods at the same time.

You do not mean combining them into the same liquid solution, do you?

Randy, would combining them into the same liquid solution (ATO) be a problem?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Randy, would combining them into the same liquid solution (ATO) be a problem?

Yes, it’s a problem. Among the things that will precipitate are magnesium hydroxide.

 

[14A]

Yes, it’s a problem. Among the things that will precipitate are magnesium hydroxide.

Fair enough, I asked Tropic Marin and they answered: " In All-For-Reef solution we think it could cause precipitates but we have not tried it yet."

I'm trying to prevent my pH from dropping at night. Could you help me understand the difference between dosing a certain amount all at once, at intervals and dosing it continously?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Fair enough, I asked Tropic Marin and they answered: " In All-For-Reef solution we think it could cause precipitates but we have not tried it yet."

I'm trying to prevent my pH from dropping at night. Could you help me understand the difference between dosing a certain amount all at once, at intervals and dosing it continously?

If you hydroxide all at once, dosing 1.4 dKH (0.5 meq/L) will instantly boost pH by about 0.6 pH units. Then it will drop back as the tank pulls in CO2 from the air. After some number of hours, it back very close to where it started.

If you dose the same amount spread out over those same hours, the spike is not as high, but the value at the end of the period will be higher than if you spike dosed.

As to interval dosing (say, once per hour or 30 min) vs continuous (like a drip), I think the differences are very minor.

 

[AVVITT]

No problem. Lots of folks mix limewater (kalkwasser) dosing with two part or CaCO3/CO2 reactor for the same reason you suggest.

I'm a bit confused. So all for reef is a balanced mik of calcium, alk and magnesium with the rest of the trace elements right? So it's designed to keep all the levels at the correct ratio (generally speaking)
But surely then if you dose kalkwasser, you are adding alk and calcium which then unbalances the whole triangle?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'm a bit confused. So all for reef is a balanced mik of calcium, alk and magnesium with the rest of the trace elements right? So it's designed to keep all the levels at the correct ratio (generally speaking)
But surely then if you dose kalkwasser, you are adding alk and calcium which then unbalances the whole triangle?

Correct, It does not add those extra elements. If you find you need them, you can always use a supplement to add them, such as TM A and K.

 

[Oldreefer44]

I have used both for about a year for the same reasons. Took a while to dial in but since then have had no issues.