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Al_katone
11/13/2014, 12:43 PM
i was doing pretty fine with my aquarium, i started dosing kalkwasser to raise my calcium, ph and alkalinity. everything was fine ...

my calcium was 445ppm, alk 10.2 ph 8.2

the problem started when i started dosing kalkwasser 24/7 the calcium levels are the same 440 ppm - alk 10 but the problem is with my ph, i have a lot of fluctuation sometimes is between 8.1 and sometimes at the night is 8.47 :S and my fungia and bubble coral died... :rolleye1:

i want to ask you guys, whats the better way to dose kalkwasser? at the moment im only dosing 1 tablespoon in a 1Gallon container that i have, i prepare the kalk and i close the container, and i use a dripline 1 drop every 8 seconds ... i want to keep my ph between 8.2 with a variation of .1 or .2 max +/-

how often should i discard the crystal water of kalk and prepare a new one? 1 day? 2 days? 3 days? or doesnt matter if the container is closed ?
am i doing something wrong here?

remember that i only dose at nights at the moment, i read that u should only dose at nights when the ph drops :/ :sad2:

ycnibrc
11/13/2014, 01:12 PM
first of all how many gallon is your system? kalk has a Ph of 12 so depends on your system total water it can raise your Ph if you over dose it. If you want to keep your Ph at 8.2 then the best way is to monitor Ph though a controller such as apex or RK and set it to control your kalk dosing to stop when Ph is at 8.2. If you dose it manually then you have to test it everyday and find the right dosage of kalk to keep your Ph at 8.2.

Al_katone
11/13/2014, 01:14 PM
i got my apex aquacontroller, i forgot to mention that, my tank has 240 liters = 63 G

ycnibrc
11/13/2014, 01:44 PM
then you need to get a dosing pump such as brs 1.1ml or a simple tom aqualifter pump connect it to your kalk and set it up so when Ph reach 8.2 then stop dosing kalk. Base on your dosing 1 drop per 8sec 24/7 you dose 7.5 drops per min /450 drops per hr /10800 drops per day. 10800 drops is = 700.40ml that's a lot for 63 gal.

bertoni
11/13/2014, 02:44 PM
I agree that a peristaltic pump or a dosing pump that delivers a stream of drops is the safest way to dose Kalk. All of those pH readings should be safe, though, so maybe something else killed your corals. I'd get a slow-dosing pump, and see how that affects the pH swings.

The Kalkwasser will last indefinitely, for practical purposes, if it's not stirred:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm

Al_katone
11/13/2014, 05:07 PM
I got the tom aquafilter pump so i prepare 1 table spoon ok? in my container, after that i configure my apex controller to If my ph is 8.2 then Off, If my ph is 8.1 then on ? just like that?

i read that if u put kalkwasser in a container for several days, u need to discard it, and prepare a new dose, its that true? or i can just leave my kalk in a closed container for several days?

Al_katone
11/13/2014, 05:08 PM
I agree that a peristaltic pump or a dosing pump that delivers a stream of drops is the safest way to dose Kalk. All of those pH readings should be safe, though, so maybe something else killed your corals. I'd get a slow-dosing pump, and see how that affects the pH swings.

The Kalkwasser will last indefinitely, for practical purposes, if it's not stirred:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm

i read it before:reading: but you know, sometimes you got some questions even if you read something hehe :o

bertoni
11/13/2014, 05:38 PM
:) Okay, is everything clear enough now? We can go into more detail if that's of interest.

Al_katone
11/13/2014, 07:15 PM
:) Okay, is everything clear enough now? We can go into more detail if that's of interest.

well, i got 2 questions bro...

its there anyway to keep your ph without fluctuation of .2? now i have it on 8.51 and im adding kalkwasser :S i want to keep it at a good level :) like 8.2 / 8.3

my calcium is 430ppm
alkalinity 8.6
nitrate 25ppm
phosphate 0
salinity = 1.024
temp = 25 °C / 77 F

dont know why my fungia died :/ dont know if its about the ph fluctuation between 8.5 - 8.1 (at mornings its 8.1 and at the end of the day like now its 8.50).

what am i doing wrong lol XD

bertoni
11/13/2014, 07:25 PM
Many or most tanks have a daily pH swing. Fluctuating by 0.2 units already is very good. Adding more aeration might help. Dumping the Kalkwasser near the skimmer might work as well, if it doesn't cause too much precipitation, which is a definite risk.

Al_katone
11/14/2014, 07:53 PM
ok ok i will try it :/

dkeller_nc
11/15/2014, 08:43 AM
I got the tom aquafilter pump so i prepare 1 table spoon ok?

One tablespoon of calcium hydroxide in one gallon is way above what's necessary to achieve full saturation. Approximately speaking, about 1/2 of a teaspoon is the most that will dissolve in a gallon of pure water at 25 deg C. So if you want fully saturated kalkwasser, you can add one teaspoon of calcium hydroxide to a gallon of water, let it settle for a couple of hours, and pour off the clear solution for use.

If you were adding a tablespoon per gallon, and not allowing the solution to fully settle, you might've been adding a slurry of solid calcium hydroxide to your tank. That would explain the large rise in pH.

Al_katone
11/15/2014, 03:13 PM
One tablespoon of calcium hydroxide in one gallon is way above what's necessary to achieve full saturation. Approximately speaking, about 1/2 of a teaspoon is the most that will dissolve in a gallon of pure water at 25 deg C. So if you want fully saturated kalkwasser, you can add one teaspoon of calcium hydroxide to a gallon of water, let it settle for a couple of hours, and pour off the clear solution for use.

If you were adding a tablespoon per gallon, and not allowing the solution to fully settle, you might've been adding a slurry of solid calcium hydroxide to your tank. That would explain the large rise in pH.

when you say let it settle, you mean when the water is crystal? its like 5 / 8 hours, after that i just start dosing via drip line? only at nights?

how long can i have the water of kalkwasser in my closed container? because i read that the kalkwsser only last for 1 or 2 days is that true?

bertoni
11/15/2014, 04:20 PM
Sometimes, Kalkwasser doesn't seem to clear up. We've never understood why, but cloudy Kalkwasser seems safe to dose. I'd let it sit for an hour or so, at least, but I was raising mostly soft corals, and they are very robust.

Kalkwasser will last for weeks if it's not stirred. :)

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm#11

dkeller_nc
11/16/2014, 06:47 AM
when you say let it settle, you mean when the water is crystal? its like 5 / 8 hours, after that i just start dosing via drip line? only at nights?

how long can i have the water of kalkwasser in my closed container? because i read that the kalkwsser only last for 1 or 2 days is that true?

As Bertoni notes, sometimes the settled kalkwasser doesn't look completely clear even after 4 or 5 hours of standing. One reason is that a very thin crust of calcium carbonate may form on the surface from reaction with CO2 in the air, so the solution doesn't look clear if viewed from the surface of the container.

But if you allow it to settle undisturbed for at least a few hours, then carefully pour the liquid off, you'll notice that there's powder on the bottom of the container - that's undissolved calcium hydroxide (lime, or kalkwasser are other names for it). You really don't want this getting into your tank, though as Bertoni notes, a tiny bit of it isn't going to make much difference.

And yes, you want to add the clarified kalkwasser by an ATO, drip jug, or dosing pump to your system. Some dose this only at night to avoid the pH going to high during the day. But most of us have reefs with a pH that's lower than seawater, so we dose throughout the 24 hour cycle.

Al_katone
11/16/2014, 07:04 PM
As Bertoni notes, sometimes the settled kalkwasser doesn't look completely clear even after 4 or 5 hours of standing. One reason is that a very thin crust of calcium carbonate may form on the surface from reaction with CO2 in the air, so the solution doesn't look clear if viewed from the surface of the container.

But if you allow it to settle undisturbed for at least a few hours, then carefully pour the liquid off, you'll notice that there's powder on the bottom of the container - that's undissolved calcium hydroxide (lime, or kalkwasser are other names for it). You really don't want this getting into your tank, though as Bertoni notes, a tiny bit of it isn't going to make much difference.

And yes, you want to add the clarified kalkwasser by an ATO, drip jug, or dosing pump to your system. Some dose this only at night to avoid the pH going to high during the day. But most of us have reefs with a pH that's lower than seawater, so we dose throughout the 24 hour cycle.


ok its good to know, because i used to have my ph at 7.9 never higher when i started dosing kalk, my ph always is 8.1 - 8.5