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custom58hd
03/07/2015, 01:28 PM
I have a 15 LPS corals: A small frag Acan and 3 large colonies of Acans. A very large branching hammer (about 15 heads), a couple medium sided Torches, 2 candy canes, a few plate corals, and a fist sized Blasto. a Frogspawn frag and a hammer frag, both about golf ball size. My question is how much calcium should they be absorbing? I dose ALK every day and I have a very constant 9.8 reading. I check calcium with the Redsea test kit 2 times a week and it barely goes below 430.
I have 135 gallons in my system, 90 main display, 30 gal 'fuge, and 15 gal sump. I do a 5 gal WC every Wednesday and Sunday.
My question is what is a "normal" calcium drop? If I don't dose Alk it drops way down between WC's.

Thanks!

Sk8r
03/07/2015, 01:58 PM
WHen I had a 50 gallon tank, and the 3 tiny corals (a 3 head hammer, a 2 head frog and a 3" fox) woke up and started eating, they started by needing half a teaspoon of Kent Turbo calcium a day, and ended by taking 3 teaspoons a day, until I went over to a kalk drip. If you set a kalk drip from a reservoir with an Autotopoff (ATO) you first set your params including alk and magnesium where I have them in my sig line, and start feeding kalkwater instead of plain fresh water via your ATO reservoir. This will stabilize your alk so you don't have to dose that and supply calcium so you don't have to dose that either, and the magnesium will continue to deplete but does it so slowly that you will refill the reservoir several times before you need to add more magnesium. This is called 'dripping kalk' and is the only way to preserve sanity ---or be able to take a vacation. Mrs Wages Pickling Lime (Amazon) is a very good dump-it-in type kalk, 2 tsp per gallon for actively feeding corals, and self-regulates because ONLY 2 tsp per gallon will dissolve no matter how much you put in, unless you also add vinegar. I recommend it. I raise stony, and I'd be nuts and broke if I tried to hand-dose. Mrs Wages is only 5.00 for 2 lbs.

custom58hd
03/07/2015, 02:26 PM
Thank you SK8R. I will look into that Mrs Wages Pickling Lime. I bought 3 head dosing pump for Christmas. I drip about 100ml over 24 hours. That seems to be doing the trick to keep the Alk stable. Since I invested in a 3 head doser I would like to use it for more then just dosing one product. lol

Mcgeezer
03/07/2015, 08:12 PM
Switching to kalkwasser in my top off water made my life 500% more simple, along with keeping all of my parameters always in line.

I personally had alkalinity swings weekly with the kalkwasser when i first started, so I started putting small amounts of vinegar in with the limewater. It boosts the ca/Dkh input from the limewater. Since then I've had zero issues. I strongly suggest it.

noj3333
03/07/2015, 09:11 PM
+1 on kalkwasser
I've made several 'improvements' to my tank over the past few months and an ato that doses kalk is a great tool for reefers to use. Very highly recommended.

FraggledRock
03/07/2015, 09:44 PM
sorry to hijack, how is this kalkwasser ATo setup?

is it just RODI with pickling lime(not measured) in it on an ATO setup?

noj3333
03/07/2015, 09:49 PM
That's it... dump some pickling lime (or kalkwasser) in your ato bucket, stir it QUICKLY (5 seconds maybe)... let it settle out overnight and then run your ato like normal. It won't keep up with heavily stocked tanks, but it's great for light/ med stocked tanks... oh and it raises PH too, something many people appreciate (me included)!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCnqAnn0yxo

noj3333
03/07/2015, 09:50 PM
It doses Alk and Ca in the ratios that are needed in reef tanks...

custom58hd
03/08/2015, 07:40 PM
looks like I am going to Kalkwasser!
anyone want to buy a Bubble Magus doser?