Warm days, Cold nights

[Empress]

Fall is here and the outdoor temperatures are up and down like a roller coaster. I have my skimmer tube out the window when it's warm outside to keep my pH where it needs to be. But lately I've had to close all the windows and my pH has dropped to a dangerous low of 7.4. I can't keep the windows open nor can I drill a hole through the house.

Here's my question. I have an old media reactor that I'm not using. I thought I could use the BRS Kalkwasser powder that I always have, and fill that reactor up with it. I can't afford CO2 media right now. My tank is too big and I would go through too much of the
stuff.

So is it safe to use powdered "Kalkwasser" in a media reactor instead of CO2 media.

 

[themcnertney]

IMO, pH will fluctuate throughout the day. I don't think that 7.4 is necessarily dangerously low. If you check pH during different times of the day, you will result different values. The thing I tend to focus on is consistency. Try to do the same routine everyday. I however do understand that it is hard during this weird season change period.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Fall is here and the outdoor temperatures are up and down like a roller coaster. I have my skimmer tube out the window when it's warm outside to keep my pH where it needs to be. But lately I've had to close all the windows and my pH has dropped to a dangerous low of 7.4. I can't keep the windows open nor can I drill a hole through the house.

Here's my question. I have an old media reactor that I'm not using. I thought I could use the BRS Kalkwasser powder that I always have, and fill that reactor up with it. I can't afford CO2 media right now. My tank is too big and I would go through too much of the
stuff.

So is it safe to use powdered "Kalkwasser" in a media reactor instead of CO2 media.

It may not work well, hence the use of special media. It gets a crust of solid calcium carbonate that may prevent CO2 from penetrating much into the solid.

Passing the air through water saturated with calcium carbonate may work as a CO2 trap.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

So is it safe to use powdered "Kalkwasser" in a media reactor instead of CO2 media.

No.
You'd want a kalk sitter and dosing pump.

Adding saturated kalk to the ato is much easier. But just be sure to calculate the addition to your ca alk dosing numbers.