kalkwasser???

[jrthomas40]

i bought some kalkwasser about 3 weeks ago mixed it into a 5 gallon bucket but after that i realized i didnt have a way to drip it...so yesterday i made a drip system out of a 1 gallon milk jug, some air tubing and an air adjustment valve...
but my question is since i have had this kalk mixed up for 3+ weeks is it still ok to put in my tank??

 

[reefforbrains]

Yes but it loses its effectivness over time.
I dont know the actual math on how much loss there is but I personally wouldnt use anything that I left sitting more than a week or so.
I dont think you would be introducing anythign dangerous as long as you used RO water to begin with, but its always less headache when you know what to expect with some regularity.
Kalk is cheap, just mix up more and be safe. IMO

 

[jrthomas40]

yeah..when i bought it i bought two 2lbs bottles of seachem powder calcium and 2 4lbs kalkwasser...i just hate to waste anything cuz although kalk is cheap...i have no job right now..lol...
after mixing how long should i wait till i put it in the tank

 

[reefforbrains]

I always wait till the next day. You want to let the precip go to the bottom of your conatiner and then pour from the middle if that makes sense. You DONT put the precip in the tank.
Nother sidenote- Kalk can be murder on you rPH so might start with the lower mixed ratio and see how it works.
Its so much easier to add more or mix stronger next batch than to deal with crazy high PH

 

[jrthomas40]

yeah i understand about using the middle i talked to one LFS and he just siphons the middle then puts in the tank...but that made me nervous after i had it mixed and pulled out so i decided i should drip it...last time i put the suggested amount in an old salt bucket, stirred then put an old power head in for a day then took it out and let sit for a day to settle...how do you mix yours??

 

[reefforbrains]

We all have the little workhorse PH's. Little unsung heroes we keep rolled up under the stand for such jobs but they never get any tank time. Sad really.
I measure and just mix for about an hour with a PH in a bucket then and pour off into jugs that are prebuilt same as yours. I like 2 liter bottles. Smaller but they store neatly and I use less but more often so It works well for my little tank. I keep the jugs sealed and under the stand for the week. Pull one out and drip overnight every few days or so over course of about a week. I put the tubing about 1/2 inch from the botom so it doesnt pull any sediment precip. in the morning I just rinse with fresh clear water and put ready for next fill up on oposite side of stand.

 

[jrthomas40]

i take you have a Ph meter?...could be a helpful investment for me...i was thinking of getting one of the reefkeeper systems but kinda high for me right now...my workhorse mixer head is one of those sweeper kind that is suppose to do about 160 gph

 

[reefforbrains]

Go to a pool supply store, the PH meters are much higher quality than the cheapo 30 dollar ones marketed as tools for the hobbiest and about same price.
They dont have a cool reef oriented logo on the box but they still work great.

 

[jrthomas40]

cool deal...i will try the one down the street...i went to a few heath supplies and equipment stores the other day looking for some help and some equipment so that i could set up an "IV" drip to drip the kalk but none of them for one knew what i was talking about and 2 didnt sell IV equipment..i was like what kind of health supplies store are these...they sell hospice beds and electic wheel chairs but no IV drippers
do you have a pic of how you have your set up underneath your tank?

 

[reefforbrains]

Nothing high tech. Just lined up like little soldiers. One side for full ones, the other side for the empty ones. I only use 4 of them.
I use clear 2 liter bottles. Poke them with a pen and push in a piece of air line tubing so its sticking in about 2 inches into the bottle and drawing from just above the bottom of the container. A bead of slicone to seal them and viola!!
Got the little black plastic irrigation drippers from Lowes they come in a 3 pack for 4 bucks. They have barbs on each side and I just attach them like a gate valve in the air line outside the bottles.
I count the drops. The little gates are totally adjustable. About 70-75 drips per minute give a nice spread over the night and its just finished emptying itself in the morning. 2 liters over about a 7 hour timeframe.
you have a complete Kalk Dripping System set up for under 10 bucks and you even get free soda!!

 

[jrthomas40]

yeah...i think mine only cost me a gallon of milk, some air line tubing, and air valves

 

[jrthomas40]

what is a good rate of drip per hour....when i first started the drip it was at about 24 drips per minute = 1440/hr ...now it has slowed down to even less so i was wondering what is a good drip rate?

 

[talon4x4]

I found a guy on e Bay selling IV bags. I got 2 bags for $12 shipped. They work perfectly. It is extremely easy to control the drip from about 1 every 15 seconds to a constant stream.
Put this into a search "Kalkwasser Doser" on e Bay, I'd link it but they don't allow it here.

 

[sjimmyh]

Kalkwasser (CaOH) reacts with CO2 to form CaCO3 (precipitate). The longer you leave it sitting and exposed to air the more the CO2 in the water will be changed over by the kalkwasser which makes the water tend to disolve more CO2 from the air to replace it.... on and on and on, until you really just have some water and CaCO3 sludge. Won't hurt anything though due to sitting around. It just won't be as "potent".