View Full Version : gkh/calcium
iceman79
10/08/2009, 03:54 PM
Is it possible to have the right alk. and calcium levels if your not dosing your tank with anything like is it just part of having a well balanced system because my tank is just fine and i never add anything to it
Randy Holmes-Farley
10/08/2009, 04:05 PM
What calcifying organisms are in the tank?
How long has it been set up?
iceman79
10/08/2009, 04:10 PM
There s a green slimer , chalice , a type of yellow sea scroll , favia , and some soft corals tank has been going for 6 months now
iceman79
10/08/2009, 04:26 PM
Hope that answers the question
Randy Holmes-Farley
10/08/2009, 05:40 PM
And what is the alkalinity?
You never add anything?
What do you use for evaporation replacement?
iceman79
10/08/2009, 05:50 PM
My alk is 10.Sorry i did add something a few weeks ago in my top off via 5 gallon bucket a fellow reefer i know had some pickel and lime calcium powder stuff i didnt think it would work so i guess i just spaced it till now
Randy Holmes-Farley
10/08/2009, 06:06 PM
OK.
Limewater is a good way to maintain calcium and alkalinity. :)
iceman79
10/08/2009, 06:15 PM
So that stuff does work .Is that a bad way to apply it? I put a quarter teaspoon in a spring water bottle with fresh water and shook it up till it all disovled and then poured it into my bucket of top off water which was distilled of course . My tank is a 72 gallon i figured i would just try a quarter teaspoon cause i read it has a high ph. It made my water a bit cloudy nothing in my tank seemed to even notice all my corals stayed open and werent bothered by it
sedor
10/08/2009, 06:30 PM
That's one way to do it but many prefer to dose pickling lime using some sort of drip system as opposed to using the top off so as to accurately measure how much is being added to the tank. With your current stocking list you may not need to add much to your tank because your water changes probably cover your needs. Reef salts will generally contain calcium and alkalinity and simply by doing water changes you will be able to maintain correct parameters. Of course when you get more calcium demanding animals in your tank you will need to get more proactive in using kalk or a 2 part solution, or a calcium reactor in order to make up for what your tank uses because the water change water simply won't be enough.
iceman79
10/08/2009, 07:30 PM
Ok thanks for the info im gonna get another SPS frag tomorrow so ill have 2 sps coral s in my tank will i have to get in to all that dosing stuff because im adding another sps in my tank
vegaskid11
10/08/2009, 11:07 PM
Check the top sticky that says chemistry archives and start with the first article. It has all of the information you seek.
Randy Holmes-Farley
10/09/2009, 03:51 AM
This is one of the mentioned articles:
What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm
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