to Kalk or not to kalk that is the question?
- Thread starter Mosier99
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Bioprospector
I have a Kalk Stirrer on the way. If done properly Kalk is a great method for keeping all parameters where they need should be. I have dripped Kalk in the past and it does fine but with the price of a Kalk Stirrer you can't go wrong.
florida reef
Well-Known Member
I use kalk and my params are always on spot at 8.1-8.3ph 8dkh and 400+calcium. It was a great move for me.
Salty Dog
Valuable Member
I have a dual chamber Calcium Reactor, along with a Liter meter dosing B-Ionic two part to keep me in check, I would like to add a Kalkwasser system but if I do do I need to slow down the calicum reactor or just use the Kalk as a top off
spscrazy
Well-Known Member
my corals are growing faster & have more color using kalk vs 2 part less testing also since ph calcium & alk are always right where they should be I DIY my dripper for less than 10 bucks & works great
pwachsmuth
New Member
What kalk stirrer are people going with?
Well you say nothing about your tank so its very hard to say... Kalk (calcium hydroxide) is used to maintain calcium levels and dkh not raise them. Kalk can be very hard to use on smaller tanks because it can raise ph pretty fast. Kalk has a very high ph value. If your tank runs at a high ph you would not want to use kalk. For higher ph tanks kalk can sometimes be dripped at night because ph is usually lower at night and is sometime used to help level off ph levels so as not to fluctuate as much. But dripping at night can be a problem too if your tank slowly rises during the day and you start at a higher ph by the end of the day you can be too high.
If you have a low ph tank kalk is the best way to go....
Kalk is a very useful but you need to look at your tank it may not be right for you, each tank is different.
Dave Polzin
If you have a low ph tank kalk is the best way to go....
Kalk is a very useful but you need to look at your tank it may not be right for you, each tank is different.
Dave Polzin
Last edited:
efrain torres
Active Member
We use ATO for our Kalk dossing and works super! The best for us! We tried several methods before!
kuyatwo
Well-Known Member
+1 my dkh is always 8. ca is 400+ and dkh is 9
Onedesign1
Active Member
I made a kalk reactor with a MJ400 to stir it several times a day via a timer. Its fed via my ATO. When it kicks in my RO/DI tank pushes water into the kalk reactor which in turn tops off my tank. Works very well. Calcium is 450. PH has been spot on. I usually have to dose Alk and mag once in a while still...maybe once per month.
As someone said tanks vary. Not only does it raise your PH but if you start growing a lot of calcium consuming corals eventually the kalk may not keep up with the demand in which case a switch to a dosing pump is needed. Using a dosing pump you can't go wrong. Start up and use of kalk is a lot cheaper than a pump.
As someone said tanks vary. Not only does it raise your PH but if you start growing a lot of calcium consuming corals eventually the kalk may not keep up with the demand in which case a switch to a dosing pump is needed. Using a dosing pump you can't go wrong. Start up and use of kalk is a lot cheaper than a pump.
Coral Whisperer
New Member
Kalk is the way to go. Kalkwasser (calcium hydroxide) does a lot more than just maintain calcium and alkalinity. It also raises your pH which makes your protein skimmer work better. Because your protein skimmer works better at the higher pH you have a tendency to have lower DOCs and a "cleaner" running tank. Kalk also helps to precipitate PO4 which as we all know is no good for anything calcareous in the tank and also contributes to filamentous algae. I have used pretty much every type and brand of Ca(OH)2 out there, from Kent to BRS to even pickling lime and have found the Two Little Fishies stuff to give the best results. Go with the kalkwasser and just use the two part when you need to bump up the calcium. I promise you will be happy you did.
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