Kalkwasser - you guys dose, what method, and what type of kalk?

[bakbay]

I've been using a kalk stirrer (K1 & K2) across 3 tanks, dosing continuously 24/7 to match evaporation rate. It's a great pH boost and dosing alk & ca in equal amount. It's also pretty dirt cheap buying Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime. The painful part for me is to remember to put kalk into the stirrers (plural) every other week and sometimes I forgot! I'm running without kalk atm and just getting decent pH (8.2'ish peak) from 2-part. With 2-part + kalk, my pH can be 8.4+ peak.

Questions for you guys: is it worth the trouble? If so, what method and type of kalk do you use?

 

[Sold4JC]

I find it worth the trouble and a cheap way to dose with a Ph boost. I have had a few issues with traces like Flouride perciptating, but it's super cheap to dose extra fluoride.

I've been using a Geo Kalk reactor programmed to stir twice a day for 1 minute each time. I dose 100% of my top off water through it using an Apex Dos. I do about 70% of my overall dose at night. I use Captiv8 Kalk. The only issue I have had is the dose line getting clogged, but it is prevented with a weekly clean.

 

[thresher]

Prior, I had one...it does what is advertised and I did see a nice explosion of growth in anything that liked high ph and calcium levels. You are right, its work to maintain them due to the constant cleaning and fiddling.
If the tank struggles with ph add one on, if not, freeball it!

 

[Discotu]

If youre just looking for the extra ph boost you can try sodium hydroxide as your alk part. Just be careful with it. One benefit of kalk is that it doesnt raise salinity as much as 2 part does especially as demand increases.

 

[bakbay]

I find it worth the trouble and a cheap way to dose with a Ph boost. I have had a few issues with traces like Flouride perciptating, but it's super cheap to dose extra fluoride.

I've been using a Geo Kalk reactor programmed to stir twice a day for 1 minute each time. I dose 100% of my top off water through it using an Apex Dos. I do about 70% of my overall dose at night. I use Captiv8 Kalk. The only issue I have had is the dose line getting clogged, but it is prevented with a weekly clean.

Cool - had success with my Avast K1/K2 but yup, my 1/2" drain clogged before and flooded (luckily) outside the sump. Good idea to dose at night to flatten out the pH curve.

Captiv8: still got sludge/residue and you'll still have to suck it out every week/two?

If youre just looking for the extra ph boost you can try sodium hydroxide as your alk part. Just be careful with it. One benefit of kalk is that it doesnt raise salinity as much as 2 part does especially as demand increases.

I've never done NaOH before but will consider in the future. I think that dosing kalk + carx is a good balance to offset pH.

 

[Discotu]

What are you trying to achieve?
Less kalk maintenance or pH boost or both?
If you're already doing 2 part swapping out SC for SH is easy plus you get the ph boost. If you're also running a carx i dont see the need for kalk at that point. Problem solved.

 

[bakbay]

What are you trying to achieve?
Less kalk maintenance or pH boost or both?
If you're already doing 2 part swapping out SC for SH is easy plus you get the ph boost. If you're also running a carx i dont see the need for kalk at that point. Problem solved.

I’m after less maintenance but do care about higher pH. If I can achieve “close-enough” pH boost with 2-part, I can shut down the kalk stirrer. It’s a frag tank so I want the best optimal growth for SPS.

If you’re running a carx, I would imagine you want/need kalk to raise pH since the effluent’s pH coming out of the carx is lower. Correct?

 

[Discotu]

Less is more! Ditch the kalk stirrer if you can manage without it. For carx you can run the effluent into a fuge to help. If you must use kalk i prefer the large batch method and dosing a prescribed amount to keep everything consistent vs based on ato.

 

[bakbay]

Kalk stirrer: mine goes through a Kamoer STP so very precise, that’s not a problem and happen to match evap rates.

Prefer not to set up a fuge just that this. Anyway, for my frag tank, i have 2-part, kalk (currently off), and co2 scrubber (also off). I can peg pH to 8.5+ (assume the probe is correct — calibrated 6mos ago).

Anyway - current pH without kalk.

 

[bakbay]

I’m going to switch to dosing 2-parts at night vs 24/7 — should flatten out that curve.

Goal? I want to beat @Jimbo327, whatever it takes! lol