So This Is Weird

FlyinggFish · 08/27/2009, 02:53 PM

I have two heads of living aptasia in my main display. I couple weeks ago I decided to go get some aptasia kill from my LFS. Instead of spending the price on the bottle the LFS owner, who is my personal aquarium guru, recommended that I should try a small mixture of kalkwasser and water, make it like a paste.
Well...I hadn't tried it until today when I was looking at the one thriving aptaisa head that was getting huge. So...I squirted the kalkwasser paste (very very little kalkwasser) on the head of the aptasia. I think it instantly melted. I figured that nothing too bad would happen as I was doing research on kalkwasser paste for aptaisa and didn't see anything too bad although there are so risks.
When I squirted the kalkwasser, I'm guessing it burned the aptasia to death and whatever else was living on the rock because little white fragments were laying on the rock and floating around the area.
The only concern I have is the kalkwasser being strong and affecting my pH, or harming my beautiful huge frogspawn that was semi-close to the nuisance aptasia, which I made somewhat close before I started killing.
Does anyone have any comments. Even if they think I did something wrong or shouldn't have done it. I was wondering if anyone else tried this method and saw it effect the tank's health.

Thanks

luther1200 · 08/27/2009, 03:11 PM

The white particles is the kalk itself. It will slowly disolve or just get lost in the tank. Its such a small amount of kalk that you would have to really overdo it to cause any pH problems, IMO.

aquaman67 · 08/27/2009, 03:12 PM

It's fine.

Unless you squirted a turkey baster full in your tank it will be fine.

What I do, when I go aptasia hunting, is to wait until waterchange time.

I squirt what I need to, wait about 30 minutes and then suck up what I can with my waterchange hose.

FlyinggFish · 08/27/2009, 03:15 PM

Yeah, I probably figured that I should do I water change; which I will do tomorrow because I don't have water right now to do a substantial water. Thanks for the uplifting input you two.

BeanMachine · 08/27/2009, 03:16 PM

I wouldn't worry about it.

Many of the Aptaisia removing products are pasty like that, particles float around. I've used the stuff many times with no ill effects.

If anything, do a quick check of your calcium, alk, and ph just to be sure you are cool.

Alaska_Phil · 08/27/2009, 03:16 PM

I had to dose my 50 gal tank with 1 tsp of kalk each night for a week to raise the pH from 8.3 to 8.6. the little bit you used won't be noticable.

Phil

FlyinggFish · 08/27/2009, 03:33 PM

Thank you very much.

seapug · 08/27/2009, 04:48 PM

As long as you didn't squirt 5 cups of Kalk paste in the tank and didn't cover your other corals with blobs of it they will be fine. Even then, i've had blobs land on corals and leave small "burn marks" but if they are otherwise healthy there's no long term damage.

That said, it's a good idea to shut off your pumps and powerheads for a 1/2 hour or so to keep the paste from blowing around.

sanababit · 08/27/2009, 04:54 PM

a little kalk wont affect your tank

sana

sahin · 08/27/2009, 05:06 PM

Little squirts are fine. As long as its not capfuls as already mentioned. I've killed Aiptasia in the past this way and it worked for me. Some may come back, but you just hit em with kalk paste again!

FlyinggFish · 08/27/2009, 06:46 PM

Awesome!

. But I brushed the kalk paste off after I squirted it - I'm seeing I probably should have left it on there - because I didn't think it was the paste, I thought it was stuff being burned immediately after squirting the area.

sahin · 08/27/2009, 10:22 PM

I used the leave the kalk paste in place. This meant that if the aiptasia was still alive it would have to push out the kalk paste. So being near death already, that probably would have caused them to die eventually.

Any kalk that floats and lands elsewhere just siphone it out.

08/27/2009, 02:53 PM	#1
FlyinggFish Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 1,042	So This Is Weird I have two heads of living aptasia in my main display. I couple weeks ago I decided to go get some aptasia kill from my LFS. Instead of spending the price on the bottle the LFS owner, who is my personal aquarium guru, recommended that I should try a small mixture of kalkwasser and water, make it like a paste. Well...I hadn't tried it until today when I was looking at the one thriving aptaisa head that was getting huge. So...I squirted the kalkwasser paste (very very little kalkwasser) on the head of the aptasia. I think it instantly melted. I figured that nothing too bad would happen as I was doing research on kalkwasser paste for aptaisa and didn't see anything too bad although there are so risks. When I squirted the kalkwasser, I'm guessing it burned the aptasia to death and whatever else was living on the rock because little white fragments were laying on the rock and floating around the area. The only concern I have is the kalkwasser being strong and affecting my pH, or harming my beautiful huge frogspawn that was semi-close to the nuisance aptasia, which I made somewhat close before I started killing. Does anyone have any comments. Even if they think I did something wrong or shouldn't have done it. I was wondering if anyone else tried this method and saw it effect the tank's health. Thanks __________________ Most women buy clothes, I buy corals Current Tank Info: Biocube 29

08/27/2009, 03:11 PM	#2
luther1200 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NJ, shore Posts: 4,376	The white particles is the kalk itself. It will slowly disolve or just get lost in the tank. Its such a small amount of kalk that you would have to really overdo it to cause any pH problems, IMO. __________________ Matt, 65G reef tank Current Tank Info: 65g reef, mix of sps, lps, few softies. Hoping to upgrade within the year.

08/27/2009, 03:15 PM	#4
FlyinggFish Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 1,042	Yeah, I probably figured that I should do I water change; which I will do tomorrow because I don't have water right now to do a substantial water. Thanks for the uplifting input you two. __________________ Most women buy clothes, I buy corals Current Tank Info: Biocube 29

08/27/2009, 03:16 PM	#6
Alaska_Phil Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: North Pole Posts: 986	I had to dose my 50 gal tank with 1 tsp of kalk each night for a week to raise the pH from 8.3 to 8.6. the little bit you used won't be noticable. Phil __________________ Don't be afraid to fall - if you're not falling down once in a while, you're not trying anything new and probably not having much fun. Current Tank Info: 50 gal mixed reef, 65 gal freshwater planted.

08/27/2009, 03:33 PM	#7
FlyinggFish Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 1,042	Thank you very much. __________________ Most women buy clothes, I buy corals Current Tank Info: Biocube 29

08/27/2009, 03:12 PM	#3
aquaman67 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Tennessee Posts: 7,629	It's fine. Unless you squirted a turkey baster full in your tank it will be fine. What I do, when I go aptasia hunting, is to wait until waterchange time. I squirt what I need to, wait about 30 minutes and then suck up what I can with my waterchange hose.

08/27/2009, 03:16 PM	#5
BeanMachine Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Orange, CA Posts: 11,200	I wouldn't worry about it. Many of the Aptaisia removing products are pasty like that, particles float around. I've used the stuff many times with no ill effects. If anything, do a quick check of your calcium, alk, and ph just to be sure you are cool.

08/27/2009, 04:48 PM	#8
seapug Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: 4980 ft. Posts: 7,954 Blog Entries: 1	As long as you didn't squirt 5 cups of Kalk paste in the tank and didn't cover your other corals with blobs of it they will be fine. Even then, i've had blobs land on corals and leave small "burn marks" but if they are otherwise healthy there's no long term damage. That said, it's a good idea to shut off your pumps and powerheads for a 1/2 hour or so to keep the paste from blowing around. __________________ insert clever saying here. Current Tank Info: 200 gallon custom Marineland DD peninsular tank. LPS dominated mixed reef. Previous 90 gallon mixed reef TOTM April 2009.

08/27/2009, 04:54 PM	#9
sanababit Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Uranus Posts: 3,094	a little kalk wont affect your tank sana __________________ Senior Member of the "Hardly any Water Changes, Temp Swinging, T5ing, No Qtining, Frag Exchanging for Fish Food Current Tank Info: 90RR inwall, Octopuss Skimmer, 2 MP40 wQD, 1 MP10 WQD, 2 Radions G4 Pro, Apex Doser, Apex Controller, 400w heater, 30 Gal Sump, Biopellets, Carbon, Gfo, Macroalgae

08/27/2009, 05:06 PM	#10
sahin Ultimate Reefer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: London, UK Posts: 8,540	Little squirts are fine. As long as its not capfuls as already mentioned. I've killed Aiptasia in the past this way and it worked for me. Some may come back, but you just hit em with kalk paste again!

08/27/2009, 06:46 PM	#11
FlyinggFish Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 1,042	Awesome! . But I brushed the kalk paste off after I squirted it - I'm seeing I probably should have left it on there - because I didn't think it was the paste, I thought it was stuff being burned immediately after squirting the area. __________________ Most women buy clothes, I buy corals Current Tank Info: Biocube 29

08/27/2009, 10:22 PM	#12
sahin Ultimate Reefer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: London, UK Posts: 8,540	I used the leave the kalk paste in place. This meant that if the aiptasia was still alive it would have to push out the kalk paste. So being near death already, that probably would have caused them to die eventually. Any kalk that floats and lands elsewhere just siphone it out.