Kalk solution is not easy....

[lastduke]

I am the first time to use Kalk, it has been about a couple month, I am still struggling to find the correct dosing. My tank has around 28G volume and 30 lbs LR. The evaporation rate is around 3.5 gallon a week. Only 1 LPS and few zoa colonies.

I started with 1tsp/g in ATO with aqualifter pump. The ALK kept dropping. I increased to 1.5tsp/g from two weeks ago, the ALK droped from 9-10 to 7-8 in two weeks. I know API doesn't have the fine resolution, but the color does change in above ranges.
I don't think my tank assume such a lot Kalk, did I miss anything or some thing is going wrong in my tank?

Thanks

[Holyreefer]

I like you did the same thing i started using Kalk as ato before i did alk supplement.
I had to start supplementing baking soda to keep my alk in its target range.
Kalk is a source of CA & ALK but i not enough for your target (its not working)

So i would look into either some type of buffer dkh or even baking soda which is a buffer and much much cheaper

[sjm817]

2 tsp is max. Try that and see how it does.

[lastduke]

but all I rearched on line are saying if the tank is not heavily stocked SPS, 1sp/g should be enough to maintain the alk/ca. Does my tank evaporate too slow? I suspected my Mg, but my Mg is steady at 1350ppm never changed.

[jasonrp104]

I'd be a little leery of the one tsp per gallon. My tank only has a few stony corals and I need 2 tsp per gallon to maintain 420ppm CA and 7 DKH on a 52 gallon system.

I've heard that DSBs (which I have) can cause a bit more uptake, but whether it's true or why it would be, I'm not sure.

[d-man]

is this 1 tsp/g for top off gallons? if my 60 cube uses 5 gal week, then I should use 5 tsp of kalk and go from there?

[jasonrp104]

That's how mine is set up. I have a 5 gallon topoff bucket rigged to a float and every 5 days or so, I add 10 tsp kalk and 5 gallons of freshwater to the bucket.

[sjm817]

but all I rearched on line are saying if the tank is not heavily stocked SPS, 1sp/g should be enough to maintain the alk/ca. Does my tank evaporate too slow? I suspected my Mg, but my Mg is steady at 1350ppm never changed.
Lots of things affect the amount needed and every tank is different. Bottom line is if the levels are dropping, you need to increase the amount. Try 2 tsp/G and see if it can keep up.

is this 1 tsp/g for top off gallons? if my 60 cube uses 5 gal week, then I should use 5 tsp of kalk and go from there?
Yes, topoff gallons. If you have a 5G topoff container, mix in 5 tsp of lime for 1/2 saturation or 10 tsp for full saturation.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

but all I rearched on line are saying if the tank is not heavily stocked SPS, 1sp/g should be enough to maintain the alk/ca.

I do not agree with that. We often recommend 1 tsp per gallon of top off for a stating point, but many tanks need more, and, of course, evaporation differs from tank to tank.

I do not have a single SPS in my tank and I use more than 1 tsp per gallon.

So I think trying more is a fien plan.

Also, how much of the limewater gets added each time?

Adding it too fast will increase abiotic precipitation of calcium carbonate, which creates an artificial demand for additional alkalinity and calcium. Low magnesium can also contribute to that issue.

[lastduke]

Thanks for correcting my understanding, Randy.
as I stated, I tried to use 2tsp/g in ATO, I still have ALK drop from 9.5 to 8 in three-four days. I am thinking to giving up and go back to 2 parts now. I still dont have SPS and didn't see the coralline grow too much to cause the alk drop down.
Right now, my tank evaporate around 4-5 gallon a week. the limewater(ATO) is delivered by aqualifter, it is very slow around 2-3 drops/second.

If I buy a fan to double the evaporation, how much PH fluctuation the tank can handle?

[bertoni]

I would avoid having the pH go over 8.5 or so. If the pH in the morning is at least 7.8, the tank should be okay, although a higher pH might be better.

[lastduke]

Thanks, bertoni, I will to use a timer to dose at night only. Is that possible i couldnot stop alk and ca because i am using seachem salt?

[bertoni]

I don't think the SeaChem salt has anything to do with the consumption rate of your tank.

[lastduke]

SeaChem has much more borate than other salts. Even Borate contributes to ALK reading. Does it have no impact on ALK/CA consuption?

[bertoni]

As long as the system has plenty of carbonate alkalinity, calcification will proceed normally. The problem lies in determining the amount of carbonate alkalinity, as opposed to total alkalinity, which includes borate. There aren't any good tests to determine that, although SeaChem has a kit that claims to do so.

[lastduke]

does that mean I may have the low carbonate alkalinity? I have the tank up for around 3 month but can barely see the coralline on the rock or glass, although I used Kalk and 2 parts to maintain the ALK and CA. Should I change the salt?

[lukinrats]

Just thought I would mention this, as just another thing to check. The limewater is added through your top off water. So check to see how much your tank is evaporating everyday, and then try to find out if it is enough saturated limewater in order to keep up with your demand.

I found that to be one of the problems I was having when trying to make limewater work for me. I am still using limewater to this day, and pretty much have no problem with it keeping up. I just added some fans to my setup, mainly in my sump area, so that I was causing evaporation instead of waiting for it to happen

I have a tank full of SPS. It is a 75 gallon, and I evaporate 1 gallon +/- a little. This seems to be enough to keep up. I check my KH about every 4 days, and use a little baking soda if needed

Nathan

[bertoni]

It's theoretically possible that the tank has a lot of borate alkalinity, but if you're doing regular water changes and supplementing with a borate-free or low-borate product, I suspect that your coralline problems have another cause.