new to reef ,,need help

[khoivo1]

hi,,i read some thread and found out that using two part is a good way to go so i have a 90g show tank with 60g sump,,
i want to start some softy and maybe hard stonny later
what should i start dosing right now?/ and how do i do that ?? any intruction?? i order some test kit and will test very soon here,,any advice ??thanks

[Bebo77]

what are your water parameters right now?

[khoivo1]

ok i tested this
amonia0
nitrite0
nitrate 0
ph 8.0
cal 350
kh/alk 390
what else should i need to test for?
thanks

[Snarkys]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10919725#post10919725 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by khoivo1
hi,,i read some thread and found out that using two part is a good way to go so i have a 90g show tank with 60g sump,,
i want to start some softy and maybe hard stonny later
what should i start dosing right now?/ and how do i do that ?? any intruction?? i order some test kit and will test very soon here,,any advice ??thanks

A tank like this is considered to be a low consumption tank and wont use a ton of calcium or alkalinity. I'd personally use kalkwasser to maintain your cal/alk . Benefits of kalk it is is super easy to use and raises your PH.

Kalk can either be dripped into the tank or just added to the auto top off water ( my preferred method)

http://www.twopartsolution.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=10&zenid=2fea68677d76d44b2088e58fbaf3a1a1

[khoivo1]

would it be ezer to buy kalk reactor?? any advice what brand name or some thing that i would look for?? but i will drip drop for now and how many drop per min do you know?? thanks

[Snarkys]

maybe, just a different way to get the same thing done.

doesn't get much easier than a bucket of water with some kalk in it and a float switch activated pump.

[khoivo1]

is this your new address??
Aquatic Sales Solutions
672 Mendelssohn ave N
Golden Vally , MN 55427
Fax# 763-546-1720
i live in shakopee mn
can i just stop by to pick it up or i have to order online? i may need some other stuff too,,also t5 light fixture,,thanks

[Snarkys]

You can pick up orders between 9-3 Monday- Friday.

you might find local shipping to be cheaper than driving (gas+time) . UPS will be overnight service to there.

[khoivo1]

ok i got the kalkwasser today here is my test
cal 350
meq/l 5.14
what should i do please,
how do i know how much to dose? and when should i dose ,,i am new thanks

[Snarkys]

Kalkwasser is best used to maintain calcium and alkalinity on a daily basis. Most people set up an auto top off system for replacing evaporated water . This will commonly consist of a container for the water , a small pump and a couple float switches. The easiest way to dose kalkwasser is to simply add two tablespoons of kalk per gallon of fresh water to this top off container. You can also make or purchase a container to drip kalk and water into your tank, these are super cheap but get clogged and ultimately people generally move away from this option for something with less work. The kalk reactor is another option.

Keep in mind that kalk is only used for maintaining calcium and alkalinity. Because it raises your PH so much you can’t add enough at one time to raise the levels. To do the initial raising you should use Calcium Chloride for the calcium and Sodium bicarbonate for the alk. Once the levels are raised to where you want them , the kalk will do a perfect job of maintaining them.


For magnesium you will need a separate additive such as magnesium chloride. Without getting too in depth it is the presence of magnesium that allows us to keep such high alk and cal levels. Luckily this can be added once a month or so.

[Snarkys]

How to Select a Calcium and Alkalinity Supplementation Scheme
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm

Reef Aquarium Water Parameters
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.htm

[Snarkys]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10949171#post10949171 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by khoivo1
ok i got the kalkwasser today here is my test
cal 350
meq/l 5.14
what should i do please,
how do i know how much to dose? and when should i dose ,,i am new thanks

you calcium is low at 350 . read the article above and decide where you would like to keep it , 420-450 is common and your alk is high. only way to lower it is time or water changes. The most common reason for alk to be high like that is the over use of ph or alk "Buffers".

[khoivo1]

so i shouldn't dose kalk now just because my level is off ,or dosing it anyway??,,i have to get calcium above 420 first and then kalk down under.4.25
i just tested again seem like cal up to 380 and kalk 4.8 now

[Snarkys]

when you say kalk i assume you mean alk ?

[khoivo1]

no,,,i mean kalkwasser,that i got from two part a day a go...

so should i still drip kalk anyway or stop using it untill cal and alk is up enough>>to the point where i want it and then drip kalk???
or should i use two part ?? now?
what i read is kalkwasser is only maintain cal and alk balancing it,,
so if i want to raise cal and alk at the same time,,then what should i use then? two part??any idea? thanks

thanks for all help

[Snarkys]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10956822#post10956822 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by khoivo1
no,,,i mean kalkwasser,that i got from two part a day a go...

so should i still drip kalk anyway or stop using it untill cal and alk is up enough>>to the point where i want it and then drip kalk???
or should i use two part ?? now?
what i read is kalkwasser is only maintain cal and alk balancing it,,
so if i want to raise cal and alk at the same time,,then what should i use then? two part??any idea? thanks

thanks for all help

Again , Kalk is used to maintain your calcium and alkalinity after you have already got the levels to where you want them to be.

First step is to decide what you want the levels to be, the link I posted above should help you with that.

Before you start maintaining anything you need to get the levels to where you want them to be. You can raise your calcium with calcium chloride and your magnesium with magnesium chloride. The only way to lower your alk is by waiting for it to drop on its own or to do water changes. Unless you are in a hurry or it is time for a water change anyways I would just wait it out.

After you have adjusted the levels to where you want them to be you can use kalk or 2part to maintain these levels.

[khoivo1]

ok thanks,,,one more question please
should i dose calcium and magnesium at same time or one at a time??thanks

[Snarkys]

doesn't matter but do not mix them .