Kalk. Dissaster

[treesmoker]

I just got my order of kalk from TWO PART SOLUTION(as per James recommendation) and I guess I used too much cause it turned the tank all white and made a guey mess all over my sps frags(this was in my frag tank) and basically fried 'em all! So, how much should I use for a 5 gallon bucket? should I drip it in or just syphon it out fast?

[sulcata1619]

For a five gallon bucket you should use about two cups. Let it sit for atleast three or four hours and then drip it in as topoff. Five gallons is way too much you couldn't use it up fast enough. You only want to make up what you can use in about 48 hours. I make mine every morning on the way off to work and drip it that night.

[northbay-reefer]

You suppose to let it settled after mixing it and only use the clear part of the solution

[treesmoker]

I know about letting it settle, usually about 4-5 hours, and then only use the middle section, avoiding the powder at the bottom and the crusty top layer. I've never had a problem before, but then again I was only doing a quart at a time.

Thanks guys

[coralfarmer]

You should SLOW drip into your system enough to make up for evaporation. and make a fresh batch every couple of days.

[PITSTOP]

Mix vigorously and then let settle for 1-2 DAYS until the water is crystal clear - DO NOT RUSH THIS - you want to transfer some of the clear liquid to a drip device - you can make a DIY drip system from a plastic juice bottle - do a quick search for this - my DIY srip bottle I have been using for 3 years - drip slowly and not too much....

[treesmoker]

ok. well then, back to the quart size containers it is. until now I've just been syphoning it all out at once(fast) without problems but I guess I'll adjust my method. so how much should I be using for a quart, I was using 2-3 tablespoons.

[northbay-reefer]

Smoker, if you dump kalk into the tank too much too fast, it will precipitate, raise your PH realy high and make your tank cloudy. So drip each night just enough to maintain a calcium level and stick with that until you add more corals then you will have to make adjustment to accomodate the new corals. Do testing before and after dosing to see the increase in calcium to the level that you want but making sure not to raise calcium more than 20ppm a day.