Kalkwasser, best invetion ever!!!ª

[gar732]

The max saturation is 2 teaspoon in one gallon of water, if you use vinegar it allows you to use more than the 2 teaspoons per gallon. However you have to be careful if you go that route because the vinegar can have a negative impact on your system.

I think some kind of reactor is the way to go, I've been looking at the avast stirrers.

 

[gar732]

so if i do this no more dosing every day? i am not getting it help

Depending on how much Cal and Alk is used up it your system you may have to still dose two part. I can't get away with just the kalk. It does allow me to use less two part (kalk is cheeper) and I also drip at night as to try and stabilize my PH.

 

[Paul_N]

I've been looking at the avast stirrers.

That's exactly the one I want. My DIY one was based on the GEO with the recirc pump and I kept breaking blades on the impeller.

 

[mike_dani]

ok so I dose alk, cal and mag at 220 ML per day over a 24 hour period in the 300. So if my tank uses 220ML of CAL and ALK and I mix 2 teaspoon in one gallon of water do I do away with the BRS two part and dose XXXML per day to maintain stability? Is Kalk a complete replacement for Calcium and Alkalinity as we know it from BRS or just a add on to help out or maybe I should say can I get rid of my twp part and replace it with Kalk?

 

[SPSkeeper]

Is Kalk a complete replacement for Calcium and Alkalinity as we know it from BRS or just a add on to help out or maybe I should say can I get rid of my twp part and replace it with Kalk?

I dont think so, it also depends on your tank, water changes, how many corals you have, other stuff too. I wouldn't replace a reacter with it, but I am new to it to lol.

 

[Murfman]

I just started dosing Kalk, to keep my alk levels up. I run a Ca reactor and my pH was staying around 7.8. I used two part alk to raise it up to 8.3 and now use my DIY kalk stirrer to top off with my ATO. My kalk stirrer is a 1 gallon orange juice jug with inlet and outlets. It sits on a magnetic stirrer that mixes 4 times a day, for 30 minutes each. As the ATO tops off the tank, it pushes the saturated water in to the tank and gets topped off with fresh RO water. I Just started this so we will see how it goes. My boss has a 2 1/2 gallon pretzel jar that I am going to get and increase the volume of kalk available.

 

[Acroholic]

I use a Nilsen Stirrer.

 

[mike_dani]

I dont think so, it also depends on your tank, water changes, how many corals you have, other stuff too. I wouldn't replace a reacter with it, but I am new to it to lol.

I wasn't talking about a Calcium reactor, I was talking about Bulk Reef Supply Two Part that you dose.....

 

[korndogg091]

ware is the best place to find kalk? I heard some grocery stores have it as pickling lime. do places like walmart or meijer have it in the grocery isle?

 

[VegasRick]

You can find it at most Walmarts, some just carry it seasonally. Its near the mason jars usually closer to hardware than groceries.

Don't throw away your 2 part though. For some tanks with softies and lps, kw may be all you need depending on your evaporation rate and amount of ca/alk needed. It also helps keep phosphates down. Nothing wipes out a hair algae bloom faster. Back before 2 part and calcium reactors its what everyone used, usually having to supplement it.

I usually just dump a bunch in my 55 gallon drum i use for top off. It gets mixed when I add more water to it and stays saturated enough to work well. What doesn't get mixed this time will get mixed the next time I add water to it. The only bad thing about the milky part is that it will make cal carb build up in your system, usually wehre there is lots of water movement and heat, like pumps. I have overdosed my tank (top off getting stuck on) causing a white out more times than I can count and never lost a single coral from it.

 

[Adam76]

Great thread as I am considering starting to dose kalk also. My question is I manually top off my tank around 3 times a day buy opening a valve from my top off bucket to the sump, if I added kalk to the topoff water would it be to much kalk going into the system at a time. I have about 1 gal of evaporation a day. Tank is a 75. I currently dose 2part so how much will the kalk change the amount of 2 part needed. Thanks

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

So...definitive answer....is kalk a replacement for two part dosing?

I would be interested to put a very small amount in my top off water to see if I could increase SPS growth.

 

[Adam76]

No it wouldn't replace the two part just wondering if I add some to my topoff water if I would be adding to much. Or if I dilute the solution down would it still have positive results.

 

[VegasRick]

So...definitive answer....is kalk a replacement for two part dosing?

I would be interested to put a very small amount in my top off water to see if I could increase SPS growth.

There is no definitive answer because no 2 systems are the same. If you have sps then no. It will cut the amount of 2 part you have to use though.

No it wouldn't replace the two part just wondering if I add some to my topoff water if I would be adding to much. Or if I dilute the solution down would it still have positive results.

I would advise against it. If you can open you valve so it just drips. The biggest problem with adding that much at once is the build up on your pumps and equip of ca carb. It really shortens the life of powerheads unless cleaned frequently. The pH spike from adding so much at once while not good is not very harmful. Diluting it will still see benifits, but not as much

 

[gar732]

Great thread as I am considering starting to dose kalk also. My question is I manually top off my tank around 3 times a day buy opening a valve from my top off bucket to the sump, if I added kalk to the topoff water would it be to much kalk going into the system at a time. I have about 1 gal of evaporation a day. Tank is a 75. I currently dose 2part so how much will the kalk change the amount of 2 part needed. Thanks

I drip about a half gallon of kalk water in my 75gal every night using a dripper intended for reptiles. I use about half as much 2 part as I used to. You would just have to test to see how much 2 part you still need to add.

 

[SPSkeeper]

Just bringing this back from the dead, it's been almost 2 months since dosing kalk and my corals are growing like crazy!!! I am doing a 1 gallon a week water change and have no need to dose anything anymore. Can't say it enough, wish I had found this stuff sooner lol.

 

[wicked demon]

LOL!!! You guys, are so funny! I cannot believe it took so long to figure this out, like the oldest and most basic reef dosing supplement I can think of, apart from buffer, and MANY books recomend it.
Side note~I have never used 2 part untill recently when I won some in a raffle, and I have seen absolutly no difference in a month of dosing it, but I notice if I miss a dose of kalk.
(actualy its a 3 part with alkalinity, but same thing)

 

[FiReBReTHa]

remember folks, its a salt. keep an eye on your salinity, mine got bumped up to 1.30 when I first started using kalkwassaaaaaaahhhher

(its a fun word to say)

 

[ruppertb]

I read this thread, and i have some pickeling lime, used for killing aptasia. now i want to try this. i dont dose 2 part but have some, all i dose is a little alk buffer every week or so. cal says pretty stable with water changes. i have a very zoa/lps dominated tank, but have some sps.

i have a top off bin that holds about 10 gallons and i fill it every 3 or 4 days. My total water vol is about 100 gal.
What would be my best bet for starting dosing kalk. In my top off water, if so how?

 

[Murfman]

I read this thread, and i have some pickeling lime, used for killing aptasia. now i want to try this. i dont dose 2 part but have some, all i dose is a little alk buffer every week or so. cal says pretty stable with water changes. i have a very zoa/lps dominated tank, but have some sps.

i have a top off bin that holds about 10 gallons and i fill it every 3 or 4 days. My total water vol is about 100 gal.
What would be my best bet for starting dosing kalk. In my top off water, if so how?

since you don't dose, what are your parameters?