Mixing Kalwaksser

[maroun.c]

Hi all.
I mixed Kalk for the first time to add it to my tank and need to clarify the following:
-The solution left a very thick concentrate that settled in teh bottom, while this is described as normal I'm wondering how much yo uleave it to settle before dripping it in the tank?
-Does it have to be crystal clear at the time of dripping or will it still be a bit cloudy?
-After dripping the 1 gallon I still had the thick concentrate in the bottom, do I have to take all this out and clean the bucket before the second addition or is it Ok to just add water and another full dose of kalk mix and drip again and again without having to clean it each time.
-when you use kalk stirrers, do these shut down before you drip the solution? is it ok to mix the kalk with any water pump for some time then let is settle down and drip it in the tank?
Thanks for your help

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Allowing it to settle overnight is adequate settling time. It may be cloudy or clear at this point. Keep it covered and it is more likely to be clear.

Depending on how much lime you added, the solids may be good to saturate some more fresh water. Saturation takes about 2 level teaspoons per gallon of fresh water.

A drawback to use limewater reactors is that settling and saturation are often opposing forces, and you cannot often get both to happen fully. Consequently, I prefer dosing from a settled reservoir.

This has a lot more info:

What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm

[1628mna]

i have read somewhere on here that is also bad to let the air get to the limewater as it turns to something less potent to use. i mix my reactor up with a maxi400 a 1/2 hour each time 5 times a day .


mike

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes, it is desirable to try to limit air entering the limewater, so especially stirring it when open to the air or having an airstone in it is going to deplete it rapidly. A trash can with a lid as an unstirred reservoir is perfectly fine.

[1628mna]

i read something last night that you wrote about using vinegar to help disolve the kalk a little better. i have a two gallon kalk reactor , is the measurement 1 teaspoon of vinegar per gallon or should i just not be lazy and clean it out every other week? maroun.c sorry for the highjak!


mike

[maroun.c]

no prob
its all usefull info

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It is tricky to use vinegar with a reactor, and I'm not sure how you'd accomplish it short of a dosing pump sending vinegar into the reactor. I would not mix vinegar into a holding reservoir of RO/DI as bacteria may convert it into CO2, which will deplete the limewater.

The measurement given is the amount that will dissolve in how much fresh water. In a reactor you have a big supply of undissolved lime, so you always have more than the stated ratio.

[primer7]

Any specific details on how you set up the large volume storage tanks i.e. 40gal Rubber Maid trash cans, I'm currently mixing 1 gal containers, but the 40gal can would be much better. Is a pump needed to circulate the Lime, and for how long.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Once it is mixed (I use a powerhead, but others use paddles or other things, not an airstone), then it is best to just let it sit still until it is empty. It may only need 5-10 minutes of initial stirring, but overnight is OK.

[primer7]

So go with the two teaspoons/Gal, where can you purchase enough lime to complete 40gal's worth?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Where?

Walmart
www.mrswages.com
most reef supply companies like ESV or Seachem, etc.

I would only use 2 teaspoons per gallon if you need that much. I use less for my mixed reef.

[1628mna]

randy is there really a diffrence in the pickling lime or the esv,besides price? im also reading in the c-sea club forum that some people are using the kalk reactor and the calcium reactor i thought the kalk reactor was the cheap version of the cal. reactor?


thanx for all the info randy
mike

[maroun.c]

Randy could please elaborate more on the use of Vinegar with Kalk? Benefits, Dosage of Vinegar per Galon, any difference with mixing it with water before or after adding the Kalk?
we're talkig white vinegar right?
Sorry lots of questions and thanks for all the info.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I cover the effects of vinegar (yes, white vinegar) in the linked article above. It helps more lime to dissolve (if you need that) and can help limit the pH rise in the aquarium (if you want that). 45 mL of vinegar and 3 level teaspoons lime per gallon of freshwater is a popular recipe.

im also reading in the c-sea club forum that some people are using the kalk reactor and the calcium reactor i thought the kalk reactor was the cheap version of the cal. reactor?

Folks run both to get the pH boost from limewater and the big boost to calcium and alkalinity a CaCO3/CO2 reactor can provide.

IMO, any food grade calcium hydroxide or oxide is fine.

Vinegar has drawbacks however, such as driving bacterial growth and potential reduction in O2.

[1628mna]

randy thanx for your time and info. the most valuable thing is wisdom. with that just one more ques and you will have cleared the fog that was in my head or actually it will still be foged up from trying to figure out my kidz. i thought that running a kalk reactor is a cheap replacement of the calcium reactor . the kalk reactor will give you calcium of a diffrent kind? i dont think i said that right !

thanx again for your wisdom mike

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The three biggest ways that folks dose calcium and alkalinity are with CaCO3/CO2 reactors, limewater/kalkwasser, and with two part systems. All have plusses and minuses, and none should be considered only because it is less expensive.

One should not view limewater as a poor mans CaCO3/CO2 reactor. It has real advantages over a CaCO3/CO2 reactor, such as the pH boost you can get. But a CaCO3/CO2 reactor can deliver higher quantities of calcium and alkalinity, so in a heavy SPS tank, limewater alone will not be adequate. Many people run both together to get the advantages of both.

I choose to use only limewater on my system, and have done so for more than a decade.

I do not especially like limewater reactors, and prefer dosing from a settled reservoir of limewater. But if you have limited space, a limewater reactor is an OK option.

[1628mna]

randy i see no real diffrence on the reactor and doing it with a settled reservoir. is there a diffrence? i thought it wasnt good to have it in a settled reservoir and to have it in a air tight reactor.



thanx mike

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes, there are important differences.

In a settled reservoir it is just that; settled to allow impurities to settle out. In a reactor, one cannot often get it settled before it is dosed.

It is also harder to control potency in a reactor, at least if you want to allow any settling at all. Many folks find their reactors do not produce saturated limewater as they initially configure them.

It is also hard to use vinegar with a reactor, although I do not do that anyway.

i thought it wasnt good to have it in a settled reservoir and to have it in a air tight reactor.

A trash can full of limewater does not degrade appreciably. I show that in articles linked from the one above.