Kalkwaser?

[stupid_naso]

I went to my lfs last week to check out this product, since so many people recommended it for coraline growth.
I read the instruction, and it's a lot of work: the perfect fresh water, the amount max, the wait, and giving it slowly with some type of device. Is there any substitute product for kalkwaser that can be good for coraline growth?
sebae_the_clown

 

[broomer5]

Although dosing kalkwasser has a lot of advantages - it can be more time consuming.
I like it - but others prefer to go another route.
I like SeaChem Reef Products for maintaining water chemistry.
Reef Advantage - for maintaining calcium
Reef Builder - for carbonate alkalinity / pH
PLUS TEST KITS FOR EACH !!
Can't stress the test kits enough if you don't have them. If you do - then you're halfway there.
<a href="http://www.seachem.com" target="_blank">http://www.seachem.com</a>
Check out this link and read all about it. There are other products as well.
Wish you luck

 

[stupid_naso]

So let's see if I get this right. Kalkwaser is for maintaining water chemistry? I thought it's some type of supplements for lr. Those products that you mentioned is for maintaining calcium and ph. Are those the possible substitute for Kalkwaser? I just want more coraline to grow on my lr.
Thanks again,
sebae_the_clown

 

[luke]

sebae_the_clown - it really is not as much work as the labels say:
Take fresh water (the water you use for toping ff now) RO or DI is best, but if you are not using it now it won't hurt anymore with the kalk.
Add some product. Although they say there is a max... this is not true. The water can only hold x amount of kalk, any extra will just fall to the bottom. The white residue at the bottom can be used 2-3 times before it is worthless.
Shake the bottle for a minute or two. Then let it sit for at least an hour up to a week.
Then drip in the clear mix in the center. The stuff on the bottom is leftover Kalk and the stuff on the top is CA Carbonate. Both are not really good to put in your tank. But if you just use a siphon to suck the center into a seperate container as needed you will be fine.
There are other options out there:
CA Chloride, either in a solution like Kent's Calcium Supplement or in a pellet like Turbo CA. Of the two the solution is more expensive but mush eaiser to use. It won't spike pH as easily as the pellet.
Two Part CA/Buffer additives: Products like B-Ionic, use equal number of buffer and CA ions to dose your tank. I find them to be hard to use. But many swear by them.
CA Reactors are the other option, but if you are not looking forward to Kalkwasser then it is not a good idea to be fussing with CO2 bubblers
Luke

 

[luke]

sebae_the_clown - Just got finished with the last post then read your next and your sig
Kalkwasser maintains Calcium (CA). It is Calcium Hydroxide (not that this matters). Coraline needs CA to grow, so yes it will grow Coraline. When CA is right and Alk is maintianed (Kalk does both), pH will be stable too. All great for growth of coral and coraline.
BUT! On a 10 gallon tank Kalk is very difficult. TRUST ME. I use it as one of two additives for my tank (Kalka and Iodine). You need to drip it VERY slowly to keep the CA in solution if not you will get a snow storm of CA which will not help the Corals.
I would use a CA Chloride solution like Kent Calcium Supplement (Yellow Bottle) or probably the Sea Chem product Broomer mentioned. I don't know if it is a CA Chloride sup or not. These will take far more addition to preciptate the CA in your tank (a Good thing).
You will need to maintian Water changes though. CA Chloride, if added without water changes dne (ever), will throw the Chloride to sodium balance off. This is because the corals only uise the CA and not the chloride.
Luke

 

[lilmojo79]

I have a friend that uses B-Ionic and swears by the stuff. He said the only trouble is that you have to give it to your tank daily. But he thinks it is better or comparative to Kalkwasser. I am looking into which one to use myself? <img src="graemlins//confused.gif" border="0" alt="[confused]" />

 

[bruins14]

Have any of you tried carib sea argamilk?

 

[k.lee]

Best thing to add imo, to ANY reef tank is kalkwasser, mainly coz it ios unsightly, and has to be DRIPPED most beginners, med. exp. keepers, don't do it. Kalwasser ,Makes macroalgae cOraline live. grow and reproduce (what we wanr). Also calcium in kalkwasser is needed by clams and cool stony corals.
I'm trying b-ionics atm.
kalkwasser will GROW your coralline algae, and make a reef . . .
Lee

 

[k.lee]

Originally posted by Luke:
<strong>sebae_the_clown - Just got finished with the last post then read your next and your sig
Kalkwasser maintains Calcium (CA). It is Calcium Hydroxide (not that this matters). Coraline needs CA to grow, so yes it will grow Coraline. When CA is right and Alk is maintianed (Kalk does both), pH will be stable too. All great for growth of coral and coraline.
BUT! On a 10 gallon tank Kalk is very difficult. TRUST ME. I use it as one of two additives for my tank (Kalka and Iodine). You need to drip it VERY slowly to keep the CA in solution if not you will get a snow storm of CA which will not help the Corals.
I would use a CA Chloride solution like Kent Calcium Supplement (Yellow Bottle) or probably the Sea Chem product Broomer mentioned. I don't know if it is a CA Chloride sup or not. These will take far more addition to preciptate the CA in your tank (a Good thing).
You will need to maintian Water changes though. CA Chloride, if added without water changes dne (ever), will throw the Chloride to sodium balance off. This is because the corals only uise the CA and not the chloride.
Luke</strong><hr></blockquote>
You need a drip apparatus for kalkwaseer, or you'll kill everything when your ph exceeds 10. Therefore it is unsightly (A DRIP BOTTLE). Someone needs to make a good "sightly" way to dose, IMO.
If anyu one knows of a small easy kalkwasse/lime apparatus, let me know, please.

 

[wastedincome420]

Hey K.lee
If your looking for a good way to dose kalk. let me know.
Wastedincome420@aol.com

 

[royce]

K.Lee, To drip my Kalk, I took and empty 1 g water jug and made a hole ~1" up from the bottom - this is to keep the sediment from dripping into your tank. I put a piece of tubing through the hole and sealed with with aquarium silicone. I put a 2-way stopcock (any kind of flow regulator will work, even a small clamp that you tighten most of the way) on the end of the tubing and then another short length of tubing on the end of the stopcock to drip into the tank. I add water and Kalk, shake to mix, let it settle a few hours and set a slow drip after lights out. works great!