Originally Posted by
mujtba
I put kalk in my tank with my evaporated water...
my calcium is about 380-400. I want it to be about 440.
The kalk does not seem to do much.
-So, does kalk MAINTAIN the level of calcium, or does it help to raise it??
-Does it help control PH also?
-My KH is about 7dkh. How do I raise it?
thanks
Hi Mujtba
I am a relatively new user to Kalk, but I've done quite a bit of research to answer some of the same questions you have so I'll do my best.
Kalk is a saturated solution of calcium hydroxide in water. It's intended to replenish your tank's calcium and alkalinity. When you mix it the clear solution on top is saturated limewater. Depending on the proportions you mixed, you could have either a raised Calcium & Alkalinity level (If you mixed it too strong) or a lower than optimal level of Calcium and Alk (If you mixed it too weak). You want to establish a system, IMO, that your limewater is mixed correctly with regards to your evaporation rate and overall tank consumption of Calcium and Alkalinity. When you get it right, Kalkwasser in top-off water keeps your levels right where you want em each day. This has been the hardest part for me--it does take some time and experimenting to get it right.
The way I handled this was to first figure out how much water my tank evaporated each day and program the dosing pump (a litermiter 3) to dispense it. I then mixed up some Kalkwasser going by their minimum recommended dosage. By monitoring the levels each day I got a better idea of my tank's consumption rate. After about a month and a half I think I've honed in on the mix that keeps my levels where I want em each day.
To raise your levels you could mix some Kalk on the heavy side and dose as usual, or maybe get a 2 part additive like C-Balance to raise it. Once you get them where you want, start doing Kalk to maintain them.
As far as PH, Kalk used as top off does help to raise and maintain a stable PH in your system, in fact dosing it all day like I do is sometimes bad because your tank's PH can climb to high levels. Limewater has a very high PH, and it is sometimes advisable to dose it only at night when your tanks PH lowers naturally. I have had good results dosing all day, and my PH is between 8.13 in the morning to 8.34 after a 11 hr light cycle.
Because alkalinity is the buffering capacity of water, or it's resistance to PH fluctuations, a higher Alk level means your PH will fluctuate less. If you have good Alkalinity and still have a low PH, try opening your house windows to let in fresh air. Typically closed up homes have significantly high CO2 levels--upwards of three times the level outside. This has a very big affect on the PH of your system.
Hope this is useful.
