Ever hear of a calcium dripper?

[reef dude]

a customer at a local fish store today said that i should setup a gallon bucket of calcium powder and stir it in water, then drip it into my sump using a spicket?. keeps nitrates down or something?

 

[ofalegend]

I think your LFS was referring to a Kalkwasser drip, which balances Alkalinity and maintains Ca levels. It's a bit more complicated than it sounds, and I will leave it to someone who actually drips kalk to explain, I just use Kent TechCB
~M

 

[don berry]

It actually isn't all that complicated at all. The only thing tricky about it is messing around to find the right mixture for your system. I really didn't find that all too tough to figure out though. Kent makes a dripper that you can buy, but I know it probably wouldn't be all that complicated to make one yourself. Kalkwasser is an excellent product and I have had great success with it. I don't know where the lfs came up with the idea that it lowers your nitrate levels, but it will do a hell of a job getting your coraline algea growing as well as your corals.

 

[demosthenes]

I got a great method from a fellow BB member, still unsure what BB means, and he said that he puts in 2 tsp. of kalkwasser every night at feeding time. He mixes up a cup of it, and keeps it under that stand. I keep mine in an old Dasani bottle, so I can thoroughly shake it up, and my calcium is up at 600, a little high I've been told, but then, all that is using calcium at the time is coralline. This is for a 75 though, so it all depends on your system, but this has worked perfectly for me, though I may have to increase the dosage when sps are added. HTH