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View Full Version : why does my kalwasser always sky rocket up my ph?


blackthunda77
11/06/2007, 10:26 PM
Ive tried to go the kalk method about a year or so back and i followed thedirections on the kent brand and i dripped it slowly through an IV unit(my wifea nurse) and i checked my ph and it wasskyhigh at like 8.8, so i gave up on it. Now about a year later i said ill give it another try and last night i prepped it, let it sit on the counter to settle, and this morning i started to drip it, ULTRA, slow. at like 1 drip per 5-6 secs. tonight i checked my PH again and bam, 8.6-8.8. whats going on, i followed the directions word for word. can anyone give me some help? I know im probably over looking something chemistry wise.

theredben
11/06/2007, 10:50 PM
what is your ph like normally? also what concentrations are you mixing it in at? When are you dosing it?

blackthunda77
11/06/2007, 10:53 PM
I never have high ph problems, usually it goes low and i have to bump it up with a buffer if i slack on water changes. I mixed 1/4-1/2 tsp in a gallon of water, i started to drip it this morning 9am, and i stopped it around 7 pm, but only about half a gallon or less has dripped into the tank. ph is usually 8.0-8.4 depending when i test.

drawman
11/06/2007, 11:00 PM
How big is your tank. That sounds unusual to me. Also, what are you using to test pH?

blackthunda77
11/06/2007, 11:04 PM
its a 55 gal and its an aquarium pharmaciudicals testing kit

melev
11/07/2007, 01:15 AM
The pH of kalkwasser is 12. If the tank's pH is rising too high, drip less kalkwasser.

Instead of a gallon, how about a 20oz bottle's worth?
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/nftt/index.php

Frick-n-Frags
11/07/2007, 07:32 AM
yeah, I was going to drop the name "hydroxide".

also to put it in perspective, each pH number is 10X the previous number, so when you "times ten times ten" it a few times to get up to pH12, you will realize how potently basic this stuff really is.

you can cheat and drip a night when pH is naturally lower in the tank
you can also drip slower, or make larger batches of more diluted if you are still adding makeup water. I'm trying to say, drip weak kalk in place of makeup water, but all day long

you may even be able to find the sweet spot where the kalk replaces the need for you to use that pH raising buffer. like find how much kalk keeps pH right where you want, THEN measure your alk and Ca and add whatever buffer/CaCl2 whatever to keep them in line.

blackthunda77
11/07/2007, 08:01 AM
Ok, ill take that into consideration and ill keep an eye on things. thanks guys

Husky_1
11/07/2007, 08:29 AM
Maybe you can keep the drip the same, but add less kalk to the water. Also, when/where are you testing? if you are testing in the same area that you dosed, this could explain the abnormally high readings.

Also, you may want to try 2 part if kalk is not working for you. At least this way you can control your alk/ph increase versus your Ca addition. Also based on your circumstances, I think Randy has 2 recipes one to raise PH, and one for tanks that already have a high PH. For $50 you can get a whole lot of Randy's recipe ingredients from two part solution. Since you wife is a nurse, she maybe able to find you a peristaltic pump to auto dose as well.