Dosing Pickeling Lime w/Reactor

spmnarciso

spmnarciso

Active Member
Kip, Golfish, Bang Guy...
My pH has gotten up to 8.46...what should I do? Since startingkalk drip my Ca went from 420 to 450. My Alk is still at 8.6.
 
golfish

golfish

Active Member

Originally posted by spmnarciso
Kip, Golfish, Bang Guy...
My pH has gotten up to 8.46...what should I do? Since startingkalk drip my Ca went from 420 to 450. My Alk is still at 8.6.
1) stop mixing the reactor
2) 8.46 isn't bad.
3) I didn't see anything about your tank. How new is it? What's in it? what size is it? how bigs the sump?
4) I've never used vinegar so I shouldn't comment too much on it. It might be the way to go if a kalk reactor is all your going to use/
I'm just running my kalk reactor now. I shut down my Ca reactor a few days ago. When my Liter Meter kicks in I see the ph go up but after it shuts off it drops back down. You might shut down your LM just to make sure the reading is accurate.
FWIW, the co2 from a Ca reactor helps balance out the high ph you get from adding kalk. You can get by with using just a Ca reactor but using just a kalk reactor might be hard. I found that using just a Ca reactor gave me a low PH, using just a kalk reactor is giving me the same results your getting now. Using both is just right. You can get the cal and alk you need from the Ca reactor and balance out your ph with the kalk reactor..plus all the other good things we get from adding kalk.
Oh yeah, the low ph we get from the Ca reactor isn't bad if we keep the alk a little higher. That's why I suggested using a Ca reactor alone was better then a kalk reactor..again, I have not use vinegar and I really don't see how you could unless you added another dosing pump.
 
spmnarciso

spmnarciso

Active Member
Kip...the Litermeter works on a 150 times/day method, and is backed up by a 9V battery in case of power outage. I don't think a timer would work properly. I'd have to check with Spectrapure on that.
Golfish...my tank is 6 months old. Softies/LPS reef (Colt, leathers, shrooms, polyps,torch, bubble, hammer, etc.) 5 fish total. YTang, school of Chromis. 150G w/30G fug./Skimmer NO Sump! 5"DSB, 220lbs. LR. 20+X turnover w/powerheads. 440W VHO, 192W PC's. Can I add a CO2 tank to administer CO2 without the reactor?
I heard from the Kent Marine guy, that using Liquid Reactor by Kent Marine in a Nielson Reactor, does the same as Kalkwasser, with added benefits and less pH problems. What the take on that?
 
golfish

golfish

Active Member

Originally posted by spmnarciso
.the Litermeter works on a 150 times/day method, and is backed up by a 9V battery in case of power outage. I don't think a timer would work properly. I'd have to check with Spectrapure on that.

It should work if you set the feed rate correctly. My only problem is you'd be adding all your top off in a shorter time (that alone could raise your PH even higher)plus your SG swing would be greater. I have mine controlled by a float switch (not the one it comes with) and use the vaccum switch that comes with it as a back up.
Originally posted by spmnarciso
Golfish...my tank is 6 months old. Softies/LPS reef (Colt, leathers, shrooms, polyps,torch, bubble, hammer, etc.) 5 fish total. YTang, school of Chromis. 150G w/30G fug./Skimmer NO Sump! 5"DSB, 220lbs. LR. 20+X turnover w/powerheads. 440W VHO, 192W PC's. Can I add a CO2 tank to administer CO2 without the reactor?
To be honest I just don't see a way you'll be able to keep up with Ca demands and keep the ph low using your reactor. I hope I'm wrong.
 
spmnarciso

spmnarciso

Active Member
To be honest I just don't see a way you'll be able to keep up with Ca demands and keep the ph low using your reactor. I hope I'm wrong. [/B]
What do you mean? How do people drip kalk without any issues? And do you think I could keep my tank at that pH...no higher than 8.46 without any issues? Or do you think it will increase with time. Will an increase in bioload help bring down the pH? Will adding less kalk to the reactor(instead of 2 Cups) help?
 
golfish

golfish

Active Member

Originally posted by spmnarciso
What do you mean? How do people drip kalk without any issues? And do you think I could keep my tank at that pH...no higher than 8.46 without any issues? Or do you think it will increase with time. Will an increase in bioload help bring down the pH? Will adding less kalk to the reactor(instead of 2 Cups) help?
Dripping kalk and using a kalk reactor for top off are two different things. I used to drip kalk at night too, but during the day I would top off with fresh water. To get Ca and alk levels where I wanted them I used B-ionic. (way way before I started using a Ca reactor)
IOE, (E for experience) kalk helps with the cal levels. Once your tank gets full of corals it wont keep up. Rather you run your top off at night when the lights are off or 24hrs a day, I can't see how you can keep up with it...again, I hope I'm wrong..every system is different.
 
spmnarciso

spmnarciso

Active Member
I heard from the Kent Marine guy, that using Liquid Reactor by Kent Marine in a Nielson Reactor, does the same as Kalkwasser, with added benefits and less pH problems. What the take on that? [/B]
Golfish...? What do you think?
My pH this morning was 8.3. So this would be the best time to dose kalk, right? How could I setup the litermeter to dose kalk with one pump, and then freshwater with another? Pretty much have pump2 dose 1/2 gallon during lights on, and pump1 dose 1 gallon during lights off, right? Will that work and will it be enough to sustain my Ca levels?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Although limewater has a high PH most of the PH increase in a tank comes from reduced CO2, not from the PH of the limewater. In my experience if you drip the limewater into the intake of a skimmer most of the CO2 is quickly replenished and PH is maintained significantly better.
 
spmnarciso

spmnarciso

Active Member

Originally posted by Bang Guy
Although limewater has a high PH most of the PH increase in a tank comes from reduced CO2, not from the PH of the limewater. In my experience if you drip the limewater into the intake of a skimmer most of the CO2 is quickly replenished and PH is maintained significantly better.
How would I accomplish that? Drip near my skimmer intake or directly to my skimmer box, or to my fug., where the skimmer outs to? My pH probe is in my fug., could it be the reason why my pH is high because plants are also consuming CO2?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Habib invented the test so he should know.
As far as I can tell you did it right unless you diluted the low-res sample.
 
spmnarciso

spmnarciso

Active Member

Originally posted by spmnarciso
How would I accomplish that? Drip near my skimmer intake or directly to my skimmer box, or to my fug., where the skimmer outs to? My pH probe is in my fug., could it be the reason why my pH is high because plants are also consuming CO2?
 
golfish

golfish

Active Member

Originally posted by spmnarciso
Golfish...? What do you think?
My pH this morning was 8.3. So this would be the best time to dose kalk, right? How could I setup the litermeter to dose kalk with one pump, and then freshwater with another? Pretty much have pump2 dose 1/2 gallon during lights on, and pump1 dose 1 gallon during lights off, right? Will that work and will it be enough to sustain my Ca levels?
It all depends on your load. In a tank like I run there's no way I would even come close to keeping levels up with just kalk. My old 55 with a few softies and LPS was the same.
You might try bangs idea and drip kalk into the skimmer.
 
spmnarciso

spmnarciso

Active Member
Originally posted by spmnarciso
How would I accomplish that? Drip near my skimmer intake or directly to my skimmer box, or to my fug., where the skimmer outs to? My pH probe is in my fug., could it be the reason why my pH is high because plants are also consuming CO2?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator

Originally posted by spmnarciso
could it be the reason why my pH is high because plants are also consuming CO2?
That very well could be. It will also make your limewater less effective if there isn't an ample supply of CO2 in the water.
 
golfish

golfish

Active Member
all this time we've been talking, I just saw your from Danbury. I was there about 14 years ago when I worked for Baskin N Robbins. They have a plant in Southbury. That's a nice area you live in.
BTW, do you run your fuge lighting when the main lights are off or on?
 
spmnarciso

spmnarciso

Active Member
Golfish...that's awesome. Where do you live now? Danbury's cool, getting very expensive! Got to drive at least 45min. to get to a decent LFS.(Milford,Stamford,Hartford). You got to help me out. What would you do if you were in my shoes?
pH this morning was 8.3, so I had my fingers crossed and hoped that it would stay below 8.45 by the end of the light cycle. NO LUCK! 8.46!!!!!! Just turned off my dosing pump again, not sure I want to chance it getting any higher to see how high will it actually get. Measured Ca again today, yesterday 450, today 460! What am I going to do...went to all the trouble of building this beautiful KALK Reactor, and all it's doing is causing me problems.
If I go with Bang's idea to drip into skimmer, how would I do that? Especially without creating suction? can you give me some ideas?
My fug. at one time was lit 24/7 but since two months ago I switched to reverse lighting.(main lights off)
 
spmnarciso

spmnarciso

Active Member

Originally posted by Bang Guy
Where is the intake to your skimmer?
PH up to 8.5 is fine IMO.
I have a weird setup. I have a pump taking water from my display directly to my skimmer, which then comes out of my skimmer to my fug. and gravity drains backs to my display.
Have you ever had your pH that high? Any ill effects?
Also quick question...is the reactor tube(output) that goes into the display, suppose to be above the water or submerged in the water?
 
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