salisbury a d
Member
What is it? What does it do? Do I need it?
Thanks in advance.
Adam
Thanks in advance.
Adam
Kalkwasser
- Thread starter salisbury a d
- Start date
salisbury a d
Member
Anyone?????
up north hermit
Member
Hi Adam,
1) A saturated solution of calcium hydroxide, limewater, calld by its German name, Kalkwasser.
2) Commonly used in reef tanks to supply the high demand of calcium.
3) Sorry, no easy answer. Do you have corals? Do you have a high demand in your tank for calcium?
Kalkwasser does appear to have additional benefits, such as helping to maintain alkalinity, promoting the precipitation of phosphates and enhancing protein skimming.
HTH
Hermit
1) A saturated solution of calcium hydroxide, limewater, calld by its German name, Kalkwasser.
2) Commonly used in reef tanks to supply the high demand of calcium.
3) Sorry, no easy answer. Do you have corals? Do you have a high demand in your tank for calcium?
Kalkwasser does appear to have additional benefits, such as helping to maintain alkalinity, promoting the precipitation of phosphates and enhancing protein skimming.
HTH
Hermit
salisbury a d
Member
Yes I have corals:
Two colonies of mushrooms
one star burst
a green lace gorgonian
one branch caulestrea (sp)
some kind of cup coral
and two unidentified polyps.
If I do add kalwasser is it still necissary to add reef calcium. I use the product made by SeaChem?
What is the best brand of kalwasser?
Adam
Two colonies of mushrooms
one star burst
a green lace gorgonian
one branch caulestrea (sp)
some kind of cup coral
and two unidentified polyps.
If I do add kalwasser is it still necissary to add reef calcium. I use the product made by SeaChem?
What is the best brand of kalwasser?
Adam
up north hermit
Member
You could do a search on Kalkwasser and get tons of good, helpful info.
FWIW, I drip Kalk at night in my make up water, and still add my daily doses of C-Balance (a two part additive for alk and calcium) in the morning, along with a capful of Kent's Pro-Buffer dkh.
As far as what's the best brand, Kalk is Kalk. I buy whatever is on sale. My reef tank is a 40 gal so a small amount lasts me a long time. I drip it into the tank with a Kents Aqua Doser.
This recipe works great for me, and my bio-load.
HTH
Hermit
FWIW, I drip Kalk at night in my make up water, and still add my daily doses of C-Balance (a two part additive for alk and calcium) in the morning, along with a capful of Kent's Pro-Buffer dkh.
As far as what's the best brand, Kalk is Kalk. I buy whatever is on sale. My reef tank is a 40 gal so a small amount lasts me a long time. I drip it into the tank with a Kents Aqua Doser.
This recipe works great for me, and my bio-load.
HTH
Hermit
salisbury a d
Member
Is it really needed in a tank and why does it have to be dripped in. If I get it then does that mean I have to have one of those ugly containers obove my tank to do so.
Remember my tank is in my living room, the room everyone goes to when they enter the house.
Does the kalkwasser container come with all the instructions?
YOUR CONFUSING ME...
Adam
Remember my tank is in my living room, the room everyone goes to when they enter the house.
Does the kalkwasser container come with all the instructions?
YOUR CONFUSING ME...
Adam
up north hermit
Member
Well, it can be confusing.
IF your tank has a high calcium requirement, you will need to add calcium in one form or another. The one preferred by most reefers is to drip Kalk.
YES........it has to be dripped, so as to add it VERY slowly. This is due to the extremely high Ph (12) of the Kalk.
Most add it just at night, when the natural tendency for the Ph in the tank is to drop. I suppose you could then "hide" the "ugly container" during the day.
Kalk comes in a dry form, with no directions. There is where you have to do your homework. There is alot to it actually. You make a solution with RO/DI water, let it sit for several hours, and drip only the liquid ontop of a crust that settles on the bottom. You also must figure out the correct drip rate for your tank.
So, it can be confusing.
But I researched all I could and learned about it, and now am dripping away with great success.
HTH
Hermit
IF your tank has a high calcium requirement, you will need to add calcium in one form or another. The one preferred by most reefers is to drip Kalk.
YES........it has to be dripped, so as to add it VERY slowly. This is due to the extremely high Ph (12) of the Kalk.
Most add it just at night, when the natural tendency for the Ph in the tank is to drop. I suppose you could then "hide" the "ugly container" during the day.
Kalk comes in a dry form, with no directions. There is where you have to do your homework. There is alot to it actually. You make a solution with RO/DI water, let it sit for several hours, and drip only the liquid ontop of a crust that settles on the bottom. You also must figure out the correct drip rate for your tank.
So, it can be confusing.
But I researched all I could and learned about it, and now am dripping away with great success.
HTH
Hermit
mad_dog
New Member
I've found kalkwasser very difficult to use and must be applied in concert with several other ingredients to properly raise calcium levels such as trubo-calcium and Stronium. A very good detailed instruction set for kalk application can be found @ www.kentmarine.com for further explaination. I like to use Kent Tech-CB calcium buffer as a easier and much less complicated method of holding levels in the 450 ppm range. This method also helps to balance alkalinity and requires some additional buffering help hold PH levels in check.
slash7
New Member
Kalkwasser is, in my opinion, the best way to maintain calcium levels in a reef tank. It adds NOTHING that is not used by, and beneficial to, the system.
Kalkwasser is made by adding 1-2 teaspoons of calcium hydroxide per gallon of fresh (preferably RO) water. Mix and let settle for several hours. A white precipitate will form at the bottom of the container which is excess calcium, mostly in the form of calcium carbonate. The clear liquid above this is the solution you'll want to use. Siphon this solution into another container and then use a drip system or dosing pump to add to your aquarium slowly. Since kalkwasser has a pH of 12+ you do NOT want to add it quickly.
Depending on the calcium demands of your tank and the evaporation rates, kalkwasser may or may not maintain your calcium at NSW levels. If you need to boost calcium a small dose of calcium chloride will do the trick, and you should not need to use this as often as the kalkwasser is constantly adding calcium to your water.
Kalkwasser will also help relieve the downward pressure on your alk. Buffers may still be needed from time to time but again this depends on your bioload and system demands.
As for other elements such as strontium or molybdenum, IMO these can be sufficiently maintained with regular partial water changes and do not need to be added separately. HTH
Kalkwasser is made by adding 1-2 teaspoons of calcium hydroxide per gallon of fresh (preferably RO) water. Mix and let settle for several hours. A white precipitate will form at the bottom of the container which is excess calcium, mostly in the form of calcium carbonate. The clear liquid above this is the solution you'll want to use. Siphon this solution into another container and then use a drip system or dosing pump to add to your aquarium slowly. Since kalkwasser has a pH of 12+ you do NOT want to add it quickly.
Depending on the calcium demands of your tank and the evaporation rates, kalkwasser may or may not maintain your calcium at NSW levels. If you need to boost calcium a small dose of calcium chloride will do the trick, and you should not need to use this as often as the kalkwasser is constantly adding calcium to your water.
Kalkwasser will also help relieve the downward pressure on your alk. Buffers may still be needed from time to time but again this depends on your bioload and system demands.
As for other elements such as strontium or molybdenum, IMO these can be sufficiently maintained with regular partial water changes and do not need to be added separately. HTH
fender
Active Member
Anyone dosing kalkwasser may want to check into a Nilsen style reactor. You can build them yourself for about $60 and they take the pain of mixing by hand away. I have a few links if anyone is interested or just look up Nilsen reactor on yahoo. No degree in chemistry/mechanical engineering required.
BTW pickling lime is a little harder to dissolve than the stuff from Kent and elsewhere as the powder is not as fine. You can also order online for less than $2 a LB.
oops forgot email.
rhyatt@heartlandis.com
[ August 06, 2001: Message edited by: fender ]
BTW pickling lime is a little harder to dissolve than the stuff from Kent and elsewhere as the powder is not as fine. You can also order online for less than $2 a LB.
oops forgot email.
rhyatt@heartlandis.com
[ August 06, 2001: Message edited by: fender ]
up north hermit
Member
Generally speaking, 1 to 2 teaspoons per gallon of water.
Again, this is a general rule.
HTH
Hermit
Again, this is a general rule.
HTH
Hermit