Does Kalkwasser raise calcium or simply maintain calcium?

THEPHISHGUY · 03/22/2006, 10:45 AM

I have heard many different opinions on this. Any concrete answers? TIA THEPHISHGUY

impur · 03/22/2006, 11:05 AM

Kalk will supply your tank with alk and calcium. But it really depends on your tanks uptake of both to determine if it will raise it or simply maintain it. In my tank i dose kalk 24/7 and still must supplement calcium and alk to maintain levels.

Hal · 03/22/2006, 11:09 AM

It has to raise calcium.

Kalkwasser contains Ca in a usable form by our corals. Ergo, adding Ca to your tank increases Ca. Duh.

Why some people insist that it doesn't raise Ca is beyond me.

I could see it if were a buffering type chemical (where the chemical acts to resist change of some other property of the water, typically pH) but as far as I know Ca isn't a buffer.

I'm not a chemist, so I could be wrong. Any chemists want to chime in?

Weatherman · 03/22/2006, 11:12 AM

It can raise it, if the input of calcium exceeds the demand.

The problem is that it raises alkalinity much faster. For each 20 ppm increase in calcium, youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll get a 2.8 dKH increase in alk. Therefore, if you need to adjust your calcium level upward (while leaving alk the same), using something like calcium chloride is much better, since calcium chloride wonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t affect your alk at all.

MCary · 03/22/2006, 12:33 PM

Weatherman sounds like he has it right. I have never heard that Kalk didn't raise calcium. Seems like a stupid statement. I have heard that you should not use Kalk to raise calcium. That seems like a better arguement.

Travis L. Stevens · 03/22/2006, 01:17 PM

Weatherman is right regarding limewater (AKA Kalk, Kalkwasser, and Calcium Hydroxide) in normal tank conditions. It raises Alk and Ca in roughly equal proportions. Measurement of it is a little different depending on how quickly your tank takes it up. For example, an SPS tank will take up Calcium a lot quicker than Alkalinity. Therefore, it will seem that it raises Alk quicker.

Technically speaking, there is a situation where it will not raise Calcium beyond a certain point. A high Alkalinity, low Calcium issue being treated with limewater will raise your Calcium only to a certain level and then have it drop back down in time. The only way to correct this problem chemically is the addition of a Calcium Chloride additive such as Turbo Calcium or the Calcium additive of a two part dosing system such as B-Ionic.

So, there you have it. Both answers are correct depending on the situation. Limewater does increase Calcium in normal tank conditions equal to your Alkalinity. But, Limewater will not raise your Calcium beyond a certain point in other tank conditions.

Here is more information pertaining to Limewater and tank situations. (In no particular order) Enjoy reading!
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/200306182...io/default.asp
http://web.archive.org/web/200306182...io/default.asp
http://web.archive.org/web/200306081...io/default.asp
http://web.archive.org/web/200306081...=&RecordNo=181
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php

fishy-doc · 03/22/2006, 01:43 PM

yes definitely do the research before dumping some kalk into your tank too fast, otherwise, all you will have is time to read, because your tank may go south real fast!

Alaskan Reefer · 03/22/2006, 01:53 PM

It's kind of loaded question -- in my old tank (still tweaking the mix on my new one), kalkwasser maintained calcium but raised alkalinity, and it wouldn't raise calcium beyond about 460 ppm, even with a supersaturated mix including vinegar. In absolute terms (if there was tank with nothing that uses calcium that you were dosing), yes it raises both, but whether or not it "raises calcium" depends on a lot of other tank factors.

Agree that a good calcium only buffer is needed alongside a kalk drip.

cristhiam · 03/22/2006, 02:55 PM

I use limewater to maintain cal and alk. No enough to keep alk in my case (I have to add extra every two days). It all depends how much your tank needs. Just be careful dosing, you should do the drip method, if you over do it you might have a cal precipitation, check your PH it will raise very fast if not using vinegar and adding it too fast. You can read more about it in the chemistry forum.

03/22/2006, 10:45 AM	#1
THEPHISHGUY Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Baltimore Posts: 386	Does Kalkwasser raise calcium or simply maintain calcium? I have heard many different opinions on this. Any concrete answers? TIA THEPHISHGUY

03/22/2006, 11:05 AM	#2
impur Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Eugene, OR Posts: 4,262	Kalk will supply your tank with alk and calcium. But it really depends on your tanks uptake of both to determine if it will raise it or simply maintain it. In my tank i dose kalk 24/7 and still must supplement calcium and alk to maintain levels. __________________ Great spirits often encounter violent opposition from mediocre minds. Current Tank Info: 75gal, 20gal sump, 6-54w T5 TEK

03/22/2006, 01:17 PM	#6
Travis L. Stevens Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Perry, OK Posts: 13,946	Weatherman is right regarding limewater (AKA Kalk, Kalkwasser, and Calcium Hydroxide) in normal tank conditions. It raises Alk and Ca in roughly equal proportions. Measurement of it is a little different depending on how quickly your tank takes it up. For example, an SPS tank will take up Calcium a lot quicker than Alkalinity. Therefore, it will seem that it raises Alk quicker. Technically speaking, there is a situation where it will not raise Calcium beyond a certain point. A high Alkalinity, low Calcium issue being treated with limewater will raise your Calcium only to a certain level and then have it drop back down in time. The only way to correct this problem chemically is the addition of a Calcium Chloride additive such as Turbo Calcium or the Calcium additive of a two part dosing system such as B-Ionic. So, there you have it. Both answers are correct depending on the situation. Limewater does increase Calcium in normal tank conditions equal to your Alkalinity. But, Limewater will not raise your Calcium beyond a certain point in other tank conditions. Here is more information pertaining to Limewater and tank situations. (In no particular order) Enjoy reading! http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm http://web.archive.org/web/200306182...io/default.asp http://web.archive.org/web/200306182...io/default.asp http://web.archive.org/web/200306081...io/default.asp http://web.archive.org/web/200306081...=&RecordNo=181 http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php __________________ Travis Stevens Current Tank Info: Restarting 28g Bowfront

03/22/2006, 01:53 PM	#8
Alaskan Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Eagle River, Alaska Posts: 2,360	It's kind of loaded question -- in my old tank (still tweaking the mix on my new one), kalkwasser maintained calcium but raised alkalinity, and it wouldn't raise calcium beyond about 460 ppm, even with a supersaturated mix including vinegar. In absolute terms (if there was tank with nothing that uses calcium that you were dosing), yes it raises both, but whether or not it "raises calcium" depends on a lot of other tank factors. Agree that a good calcium only buffer is needed alongside a kalk drip. __________________ Unattended children will be given double shot espresso and a free puppy. Current Tank Info: 125g FOWLR -- Conversion Back To SPS In Progress

03/22/2006, 02:55 PM	#9
cristhiam Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Groveland, FL Posts: 3,099	I use limewater to maintain cal and alk. No enough to keep alk in my case (I have to add extra every two days). It all depends how much your tank needs. Just be careful dosing, you should do the drip method, if you over do it you might have a cal precipitation, check your PH it will raise very fast if not using vinegar and adding it too fast. You can read more about it in the chemistry forum. __________________ 2 yellows tail damsels, yellow watchman goby, tail spot blennie, purple pseudocromis, starry blennie, 2 clowns, 1 black clown, mandarine & Yellow tang Current Tank Info: 125 AGA, 3 40W 6500K, 3 110W URI Actinics, running on 2 IceCaps 660, CSS125

03/22/2006, 11:09 AM	#3
Hal Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Longmont, CO Posts: 1,889	It has to raise calcium. Kalkwasser contains Ca in a usable form by our corals. Ergo, adding Ca to your tank increases Ca. Duh. Why some people insist that it doesn't raise Ca is beyond me. I could see it if were a buffering type chemical (where the chemical acts to resist change of some other property of the water, typically pH) but as far as I know Ca isn't a buffer. I'm not a chemist, so I could be wrong. Any chemists want to chime in?

03/22/2006, 11:12 AM	#4
Weatherman Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FL Posts: 1,619	It can raise it, if the input of calcium exceeds the demand. The problem is that it raises alkalinity much faster. For each 20 ppm increase in calcium, youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll get a 2.8 dKH increase in alk. Therefore, if you need to adjust your calcium level upward (while leaving alk the same), using something like calcium chloride is much better, since calcium chloride wonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t affect your alk at all.

03/22/2006, 12:33 PM	#5
MCary Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hardin, Montana Posts: 3,142	Weatherman sounds like he has it right. I have never heard that Kalk didn't raise calcium. Seems like a stupid statement. I have heard that you should not use Kalk to raise calcium. That seems like a better arguement.

03/22/2006, 01:43 PM	#7
fishy-doc Moved On Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 85	yes definitely do the research before dumping some kalk into your tank too fast, otherwise, all you will have is time to read, because your tank may go south real fast!