What do you use to bring alk up in a drip system?
- Thread starter wwfstyle
- Start date
thangbom
Active Member
dripping kalk ( lime water... mrs wages pikling lime) adds both calcium and alk in equal amount... but if you just want to dose alk.. you cane use A&H baking soda... you can bake it for 1 hr at 400 deg first ( rids of moister) and can raise PH lvl if you also have low PH... google 'diy 2 part randy holmes farly)
YzGYz
YzGYz
ikemeyer
Member
I've never heard of the A&H baking soda bit, sounds a little risky to me for the inexperienced such as myself.
I recently had the exact question you have and asked a reputable Marine only LFS regarding this and they said to use a KdH buffer and follow the dosing instructions as it applies to your tank environment. They recommended dosing w/KdH buffer every other RO freshwater topoff and at night when the lights are off.
I recently had the exact question you have and asked a reputable Marine only LFS regarding this and they said to use a KdH buffer and follow the dosing instructions as it applies to your tank environment. They recommended dosing w/KdH buffer every other RO freshwater topoff and at night when the lights are off.
snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
Here's what I do, and I have been pretty successful with my aquariums. I drip kalkwasser every day in the mornings before the lights turn on and a slow drip during the day to keep calcium levels up. Once a week, I use a marine buffer from SeaChem. It's the same thing as baking soda, except that if you use a tbs or the whole container it sets the pH at a constant 8.3 as well as fixes your dkh. Over time, dripping kalkwasser makes your aquarium used to having that buffer, and therefore when you don't dose your aquarium, your parameters are going to drop! If you dose every other day, you're going to affect your aquariums parameters adversely. Just my opinion.
wwfstyle
Member
I had my drip system of kalk going over night at what I thought was a really slow drip ( 1 drip per 3 to 4 minutes). My calcuim lvls over 500 and REALLY low in alk. I stopped the drip system till I can figure this thing out. Now why would kalk raise my calc lvls but not the alk too? I did how ever a while ago bought some B-Ionic part 1 and part 2. Should I be using these instead of the kalk? OH and PH is low as well !!!
thangbom
Active Member
i use 2 part system on my tank.. it's totally DIY and have been researched by PHD Randy Holmes Farly... he just got a award at MACNA... i use dowflakes ( ice melter and dust control... can be had for $10 or so for 50lbs) and A&H baking soda.. i adjsut my water with either parts till they are in range and drip kalk to keep it there.... like if i was good on calk at 420 and needed to move alk from 7 to 8 i would use A&H mix and boost it up.. then i would have 420 and 8 then drip kalk to keep it there... you can use name brands but it will cost you $$$
most people drip kalk at night cuz it raises PH and ph is at a lower lvl at night ( this is also why some people with ca reactors drip kalk.. cuzz the ca reactor drops there ph cuz CO2 and they need to raise the ph to be able to get the calk and alk in range, they are all inter-connected)
you can just dose the alk part till you hit the right spot then start dripping kalk again or you can do a wc and dose either parts or both till parms are in order then drip kalk again... if you ph is low maybe open a window to get fresh air inot the tank.. have skimmer??? run airline to outside... or drip kalkwasser to raise it...
again.. i trust the 'DIY 2part solution' as many others do.. if your interested in trying it... just google ' diy twopartsolution' and you will find it..
YzGYz
most people drip kalk at night cuz it raises PH and ph is at a lower lvl at night ( this is also why some people with ca reactors drip kalk.. cuzz the ca reactor drops there ph cuz CO2 and they need to raise the ph to be able to get the calk and alk in range, they are all inter-connected)
you can just dose the alk part till you hit the right spot then start dripping kalk again or you can do a wc and dose either parts or both till parms are in order then drip kalk again... if you ph is low maybe open a window to get fresh air inot the tank.. have skimmer??? run airline to outside... or drip kalkwasser to raise it...
again.. i trust the 'DIY 2part solution' as many others do.. if your interested in trying it... just google ' diy twopartsolution' and you will find it..
YzGYz