When Do You Dose Kalkwasser

[Poseidon03]

I am sure this has been discussed before, but I wanted to get a pole of the Kalkwasser users...

Are you more concerned about PH stability and letting the Alk swing more by dosing only at night, Alk stability and causing an elevated PH during the day by dosing only during the day, or do you just dose it every hour to make sure neither have a larger swing?

I currently dose mine 24/7 (every hour), but have considered dosing only right before my lights turn on and during the day to keep PH elevated during the growth time of the corals and making my Alk stable.

Have you tested multiples and seen a different Alk consumption/coloration/growth? What is the max Alk and PH swing or peak you allow on your tank? Also, feel free to include your average range of parameters and what corals you keep since that probably determines a lot.

 

[fish farmer]

I dose mine for calcium and alkalinity addition.

 

[Poseidon03]

I dose mine for calcium and alkalinity addition.

I do the same, but use it to also raise my PH rather than dosing 2 part. Do you dose it 24/7 or just daily?

 

[fish farmer]

24/7 with a BRS 1.1 lpm doser hooked to a pin style light timer which goes off every 15 minutes for 5 minutes. 1tsp per gallon in my kalk container.

I rarely check pH, is is usually 8.2, alk mid 8's, but has crept up into the 9's, calcium 400 to 450. I test weekly.

 

[theMeat]

I use kalk in my auto top off water. Have been for over a decade. Work fine for me

 

[Lionfish hunter]

Dose kalk to maintain alk and not to exceed evaporation rate. That is the correct answer.

Ph is important 100%. But this notion that alk and calcium don’t matter in an attempt to achieve a stable ph is terrible advice peddled by Chris at ACI aquaculture.

 

[Fish Styx]

24/7 via a ph dependent script written for Apex, courtesy of @Sean Clark. I have two pmups in my ato res that handle topoff. One doses fresh water to the sump's return, and the other routes to the Kalk reactor. When ph is low, it doses Kalk. When it is within set parameters, it doses fresh water. Works like a charm!

Thanks again, Sean!