2 cal/alk dosing questions

[jacksonpt]

1) To the 2-part doses go bad? I've got some Kent Tech CB that is about a year old. I've been using it for about a week now since I got my test kits and am seeing very little change in my water chemistry.

2) Besides manually dosing and calcium reactors (and obviously water changes), are there any other ways to keep ca/alk levels up?

TIA.

[bertoni]

The two-part will last indefinitely as long as it's kept capped.

There are lots of approaches to calcium supplementation. The 2-parts can be automated, for example, and there are limewater reactors. This article covers a lot of ground:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm

[jacksonpt]

Ah, good stuff. Thanks.

[bertoni]

You're welcome!

[PGUY1]

Shake it up real good. The alk part settles real bad; you probably have a paste in the bottom of it.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Maybe add more water? It should mostly dissolve. If a large fraction did not (say, more than 5% of what you added), something may be wrong. It is not designed to be a slurry, although the magnesium part may have calcium sulfate solids that precipitate out.

[BradR]

Tag. I was thinking of going 2 part like some SPS veterans are doing but the costs are so much more than a Ca reactor!

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The DIY is certainly cost effective. :)

An Improved Do-it-Yourself Two-Part Calcium and Alkalinity Supplement System
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

[BradR]

Thank you for pointing that out Randy. May just give your DIY 2 part a go!