Tropical Fish Forums

[Michael L.]

Today I bought some Kent Kalkwasser Mix and a Kent Aquadose Drip Doser.

I don't understand the directions at all. I mixed up 1 litre of RO/DI water with 1/4 teaspoon Kalk mix. Right now I'm waiting for the mix to sit overnight.

So, what drip rate should I use for my 90 gallon? We bought a bunch of new softies today and a hard "finger-type" coral.

On the doser, it says "One drip every 43 seconds will deliver about 200 mL per day..." So, at this concentration (1 tsp. per gallon) what drip rate should I use?
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[sirreal63]

Back when I used to drip kalk I did a drop every couple seconds.
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Out on the road today...I saw a DeadHead sticker on a Cadillac...
Jack
110 Gallon DSA Pentagon

[Michael L.]

So that would be around okay for my 90 with 40 gallon sump? I'm thinking around once every 2-3 seconds.
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[sirreal63]

As long as the sump can hold the volume it will be fine. I am not sure how much you evap. but ideally you will want to drip the same amount in a 24 hour period that is lost to evaporation. A calcium reactor is so much easier. lol
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Out on the road today...I saw a DeadHead sticker on a Cadillac...
Jack
110 Gallon DSA Pentagon

[Michael L.]

Yeah, I know, but I know my parents didn't want to mess around with CO2 cylinders and all that.

My tank loses about 5 gallons a day. The dinky little 1 gallon drip container doesn't even come close.
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[dale]

Hi Micheal.
Part of the problem I see with that system is the fact that the kalkwasser will tend to precipitate out of solution. Most reefers rack their brains trying to invent different methods of automatically agitating the kalkwasser container (PITA).
Perhaps you could try a two part product (calcium and buffer) that won't precipitate? You would then, of course, use two kent dispensers set at the same drip rate.
With kalkwasser and other calcium products the goal is to create and maintain a steady calcium level (without spikes and dips). If you are dosing daily, try adding a conservative amount to start and routinely testing the calcium level in the tank. Keep increasing the amount of kalk until the tank maintains a steady calcium level in the range you are seeking. You will still need to test after that because the calcium demand from the tank will change with the adding/losing of coral mass.
P.S. Be sure to test your alkalinity at the same time if you are using unbuffered products (and even if you are ).
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Intelligence is not having all the answers; it's knowing how to think!

[Michael L.]

Well this thing of kalk is going to last me close to a year, so we'll see how it goes for the next little while. I've been letting the kalk mix sit overnight and I've been careful not to let any precipitate in. I can always agitate it a few times a day.

I'm also thinking about making an auto topoff with an aqualifter pump on a timer. I can always toss a powerhead into the topoff water container to mix it up.

Can you give me some examples of reliable, good quality two parts?
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[dale]

Sorry for the delay Micheal, I was away diving this weekend.
I can't recommend one calcium based product over the other. Perhaps someone else can. A google search or some searching over at RC might turn some comparisons up though.
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Intelligence is not having all the answers; it's knowing how to think!

[Michael L.]

Okay, thanks. So where'd you go diving?
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[sirreal63]

http://www.twopartsolution.com/ if you are going to do the two part this is where to start.
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Out on the road today...I saw a DeadHead sticker on a Cadillac...
Jack
110 Gallon DSA Pentagon