Please Help w/ Questions Re. Kalk Dosing...

Johnny C · 11/02/2009, 03:08 AM

Hey,

I have a 30G DT + 10G Sump that is a mixed reef with Zoos, LPS & SPS. My tank has been setup for just over a year, and I have always just relied on water changes. I'd like to start dosing, and being such a small system Kalk seems the way to go. Now... some questions I'm hoping you guys can help me with:

1. My return chamber (that gets topped off) is 1/3 of a 10G and tops off constantly. Will it be safe to topoff the kalk from my 5G R/O bucket w/o huge PH swings (I use an aqualifter to topoff by the way).

2. When I replenish the 5G bucket with RO every week, do I need to wash it out and replace the kalk?

3. Do you think this should keep my Cal/Alk in check if I still do 5G water changes every 1-2 weeks?

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I've been pondering this for awhile and don't like to make irrational decisions. I'm not really wanting to dose via two-part right now because I'm not home enough to test them constantly and it seems that kalk is better than nothing (which is what I'm doing at the moment).

Thanks for your help!

mahalamata · 11/02/2009, 03:26 PM

I have a similar sized setup to yours.
26G display with 10G sump. I also use Kalk to to-off. In my opinion Kalk is great for maintaining Alk/Cal but not so great if you need to increase your parameters. I always have a tub of Seachem Alk/Cal powder at hand to adjust things. The only time I seem to need to do this is when I perform a WC. The salt I use is a bit low in both (Seachem Reef Salt) so you might want to check the parameters of your WC water and buffer it accordingly.
I also have a 5G top-off bucket that connects to a float valve in my sump. I have never had PH swings but I guess that depends on the amount of water you evaporate and hence the amount of Kalk going into your system. My 5G bucket lasts a week or so. And slowly drips into the tank when the level drops in the return section of my sump. Since you are using an Aqualifter I don't actually think it can deliver enough Kalk in one go to affect your PH (never used them so could be wrong with this one).
The one thing you will have to watch with using Kalk is its tendency to create deposits on your equipment, or at least the equipment close to where it is dosed. As necessary (depending on build up) I clean the lines and the float in vinegar to make sure they don't clog up. This is usually needed once every two months. Also I make sure the Kalk drips as far away from my pump as possible to reduce build up on it.
As to cleaning out the bucket and replacing the Kalk, I am a bit lazy so I only do it every second fill. I have to admit that the second batch of Kalk is not quite as strong as the first but my tank does not have a huge demand so not a major concern. Best practise would be to try and find the sweet spot where your top-off water saturates and don't add any more Kalk powder and do this every time you fill your Kalk container. This should reduce the amount of slurry and general mess in the bottom.

Johnny C · 11/02/2009, 04:10 PM

Wow... thanks for the lengthy reply, I rly appriciate it!

What do you mean when you say "In my opinion Kalk is great for maintaining Alk/Cal but not so great if you need to increase your parameters"? I'll probably have the topoff go into chamber 2 (refugium) so its not too close to the skimmer or return pump.

PS- How much kalk do you add into the 5G bucket when filling? I'll try to find the sweet spot, but if you could give me a ballpark range I'd appriciate it!

Johnny C · 11/03/2009, 12:01 AM

Bump... anyone else?

salty55 · 12/03/2009, 06:53 PM

to achieve maximum saturation of the limewater us 2 teaspoons per gallon.

Playa-1 · 12/03/2009, 08:13 PM

1. My return chamber (that gets topped off) is 1/3 of a 10G and tops off constantly. Will it be safe to topoff the kalk from my 5G R/O bucket w/o huge PH swings (I use an aqualifter to topoff by the way).
Some people do it that way but you would be better off if you had a way to control the dosing and/or monitor the pH to control the dosing pump. I think the concept of constantly topping off will work just fine but the problem that you could run into is if the weather changes and you fine yourself going thru more Kalk or if the skimmer goes crazy and the pump od's the kalk solution. It's the unusual occurrence that you would need to watch out for. An inexpensive controller might be the insurance that you're looking for.

2. When I replenish the 5G bucket with RO every week, do I need to wash it out and replace the kalk?
You don't need to clean it all that often just set the pump so that it doesn't pull from the slurry at the bottom of the container.

3. Do you think this should keep my Cal/Alk in check if I still do 5G water changes every 1-2 weeks?
For many people a Kalk solution is all that is required along with regular water changes to manage the KH and Ca.

11/02/2009, 03:08 AM	#1
Johnny C Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 4,140	Please Help w/ Questions Re. Kalk Dosing... Hey, I have a 30G DT + 10G Sump that is a mixed reef with Zoos, LPS & SPS. My tank has been setup for just over a year, and I have always just relied on water changes. I'd like to start dosing, and being such a small system Kalk seems the way to go. Now... some questions I'm hoping you guys can help me with: 1. My return chamber (that gets topped off) is 1/3 of a 10G and tops off constantly. Will it be safe to topoff the kalk from my 5G R/O bucket w/o huge PH swings (I use an aqualifter to topoff by the way). 2. When I replenish the 5G bucket with RO every week, do I need to wash it out and replace the kalk? 3. Do you think this should keep my Cal/Alk in check if I still do 5G water changes every 1-2 weeks? Sorry for the lengthy post, but I've been pondering this for awhile and don't like to make irrational decisions. I'm not really wanting to dose via two-part right now because I'm not home enough to test them constantly and it seems that kalk is better than nothing (which is what I'm doing at the moment). Thanks for your help! __________________ "...the sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonders forever" -Jacques Cousteau

11/02/2009, 03:26 PM	#2
mahalamata Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: UK,Portsmouth Posts: 244	I have a similar sized setup to yours. 26G display with 10G sump. I also use Kalk to to-off. In my opinion Kalk is great for maintaining Alk/Cal but not so great if you need to increase your parameters. I always have a tub of Seachem Alk/Cal powder at hand to adjust things. The only time I seem to need to do this is when I perform a WC. The salt I use is a bit low in both (Seachem Reef Salt) so you might want to check the parameters of your WC water and buffer it accordingly. I also have a 5G top-off bucket that connects to a float valve in my sump. I have never had PH swings but I guess that depends on the amount of water you evaporate and hence the amount of Kalk going into your system. My 5G bucket lasts a week or so. And slowly drips into the tank when the level drops in the return section of my sump. Since you are using an Aqualifter I don't actually think it can deliver enough Kalk in one go to affect your PH (never used them so could be wrong with this one). The one thing you will have to watch with using Kalk is its tendency to create deposits on your equipment, or at least the equipment close to where it is dosed. As necessary (depending on build up) I clean the lines and the float in vinegar to make sure they don't clog up. This is usually needed once every two months. Also I make sure the Kalk drips as far away from my pump as possible to reduce build up on it. As to cleaning out the bucket and replacing the Kalk, I am a bit lazy so I only do it every second fill. I have to admit that the second batch of Kalk is not quite as strong as the first but my tank does not have a huge demand so not a major concern. Best practise would be to try and find the sweet spot where your top-off water saturates and don't add any more Kalk powder and do this every time you fill your Kalk container. This should reduce the amount of slurry and general mess in the bottom. __________________ 30g nano dispaly tank 10g sump/fudge Eheim return (3000 lph) 4x24w t5 luminare(2x14K marine white,1xactinic,1x 10k) Tunze DOC 9002 skimmer Koralia 1 Current Tank Info: 30g nano

11/02/2009, 04:10 PM	#3
Johnny C Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 4,140	Wow... thanks for the lengthy reply, I rly appriciate it! What do you mean when you say "In my opinion Kalk is great for maintaining Alk/Cal but not so great if you need to increase your parameters"? I'll probably have the topoff go into chamber 2 (refugium) so its not too close to the skimmer or return pump. PS- How much kalk do you add into the 5G bucket when filling? I'll try to find the sweet spot, but if you could give me a ballpark range I'd appriciate it! __________________ "...the sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonders forever" -Jacques Cousteau

11/03/2009, 12:01 AM	#4
Johnny C Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 4,140	Bump... anyone else? __________________ "...the sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonders forever" -Jacques Cousteau

12/03/2009, 06:53 PM	#5
salty55 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: where the wind comes sweeping down the plains Posts: 509	to achieve maximum saturation of the limewater us 2 teaspoons per gallon.

12/03/2009, 08:13 PM	#6
Playa-1 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA Posts: 7,497	1. My return chamber (that gets topped off) is 1/3 of a 10G and tops off constantly. Will it be safe to topoff the kalk from my 5G R/O bucket w/o huge PH swings (I use an aqualifter to topoff by the way). Some people do it that way but you would be better off if you had a way to control the dosing and/or monitor the pH to control the dosing pump. I think the concept of constantly topping off will work just fine but the problem that you could run into is if the weather changes and you fine yourself going thru more Kalk or if the skimmer goes crazy and the pump od's the kalk solution. It's the unusual occurrence that you would need to watch out for. An inexpensive controller might be the insurance that you're looking for. 2. When I replenish the 5G bucket with RO every week, do I need to wash it out and replace the kalk? You don't need to clean it all that often just set the pump so that it doesn't pull from the slurry at the bottom of the container. 3. Do you think this should keep my Cal/Alk in check if I still do 5G water changes every 1-2 weeks? For many people a Kalk solution is all that is required along with regular water changes to manage the KH and Ca.