Justed Started Dripping Kalk

[irondog]

I have a 46 gl bow 40lbs ls over 60lbs lr small hippo tang 2 percula clowns lawnmover blenny cold banded shrimp red serpent star bristle star a few xenias keyna tree assorted zoo's plate coral candy cane assorted mushrooms torch coral toadstool leather snails hermits 150 hqi 2x40 atinics wetdry filter uv sterilezer protein skimmer 3 powerheads in tank not including return from wetdry over 1000gls of flow in tank hqi is on for 6hrs atnics 8hrs
ammonia 0
nitrite o
nitrare 0
calcium 400
phosphates 0
magnesium 1290
temp 80
s.g 1.025
kh 9.6
ph 8.0
alkalinity 3.43
Started to drip yesterday around 11:00am mixed 5gls of ro water with kalk in jug waited an hour than started the drip,checked ph this morning 8.0 calcium 450 an my alkalinity went up was 3.43 now 4.80 kh was 9.6 now 13.4 is this ok,have the drip going into my sump for wetdry,tank has be up and running for almost 5yrs now i mixed like 1 12 teaspoon of kalk for every gl of ro water thanks

 

[frankthetank]

I'm not sure I understand the purpose of the post????

 

[craig7220]

I have been dripping kalk for awhile. It helps in stabilizing PH, Calc and alk... The only thing I do different than what you posted is that I usually let the kalk mix sit for 6 to 8 hrs before starting the drip to allow the sediment to settle to the bottom.. I start my drip at nite to replace evapatorate. It also helps to maintain the PH at nite.

 

[irondog]

Should i stop dripping during the day

 

[irondog]

Not sure why alkalinity went up,is this normal

 

[gwh57]

I run mine 24/7 with no problems. I also use a lot more lime than you. I mix 3tsp into 45ml of vinegar per gal of top off and I mix 20g at the time. I never had a problem running mine 24/7.

 

[irondog]

Great,thats good to know,in the botton of the 5gl jug there is like an 1" or 2" of white powder should i stir that

 

[gwh57]

Only when you remix your lime and water

. Don't stir it after you first mix it and let it settle. It will be fine.

 

[craig7220]

Won't be a problem running 24/7. Yeh don't stir it after you initially mix it.. let it settle then drip the clear...I drip mine at nite because I usually don't mix enough to drip all day. I'd monitor your PH in the day though to make sure it isn't going too high...The ph of Kalk is around 12.5 or there abouts.

 

[fender]

Kalk adds calcium and Alk. You can over do it and get a precipitation - you need to find out what you consume daily, get it to where you want your levels and then add just enough to maintain and then check periodically to make sure you aren't going up or down from your target.

 

[bonebrake]

Originally Posted by fender
Kalk adds calcium and Alk. You can over do it and get a precipitation - you need to find out what you consume daily, get it to where you want your levels and then add just enough to maintain and then check periodically to make sure you aren't going up or down from your target.
Right on.
:joy:

 

[craig7220]

What I've found is that Limewater is good at maintaining calcium and alkalinity but not all that great at raising calcium. I've had success in maintaining the calcium and alk levels but if you have lots of corals, it will become difficult to maintain the same levels. I have dripped kalk 24 hrs a day, monitored my calcium levels and have never come close to precipition. I quess you could force the calc precip if your levels were very high to begin with. I have also used Mrs. Wages' Pickling Lime a long time because it's cheaper and its pure food grade calcium hydroxide.

 

[irondog]

Thanks guys,you guys are very helpful,i will let you know whats going on every few days

 

[fender]

The reason I brought up precipitation was that he jumped 50ppm in calcium and over a point in Alk. With a continued rate of increase like that a snow storm is going to happen in a couple days.

 

[irondog]

I'm dripping like a drop every other second,i would say i lose like about a half a gallon a day evaporation

 

[craig7220]

One thing that I forgot to mention about Kalk is that it does have a tendency to precip phosphates. Yep, that was a high jump in calcium but chances are that it won't continue to rise with the kalk. I've had my calcium levels jump to 680ppm with a major water change without precip. Irondog, what we are all stating is that with using kalk, it is necessary to continually monitor your PH, Calc and Alk levels.

 

[fender]

Originally Posted by craig7220
Irondog, what we are all stating is that with using kalk, it is necessary to continually monitor your PH, Calc and Alk levels.

 

[irondog]

Thanks craig 7220

 

[bonebrake]

Originally Posted by craig7220
...I've had my calcium levels jump to 680ppm with a major water change without precip...
You can supersaturate calcium in solution to extreme levels without precipitation (several thousand ppm), however, in the presence of carbonate and with an increase in pH above 8.6 it will crash out in a precipitation reaction until the excess hydroxide or the excess carbonate is consumed: whichever is the limiting reagent.
:joy:

 

[gwh57]

Keep in mind that Kalk/limewater is a balanced additive. It will add both alk and cal at a balanced amount. It is not a good choice for raising either, but is primarily for maintaining proper levels.