WEEKLY DISCUSSION : Ca Reactor or Kalk?

[jman785]

Do you drip Kalk, or use a Calcium reactor?
>Why?

If you drip, do you drip at night or during the day?
>How has it worked out for you?





This is a weekly discussion, and will be added to a weekly discussion archive

[cich1]

i haven't started to drip anything yet but have noticed my calc and alk levels slowly dropping so i started doseing with Kent Marine tech CB, i started with 5 ml. every morning before lights on and after 2 weeks my levels were back where they should be so i cut back to 5 ml. every other day and this seems to be maintaining the level, i think after what i have is gone though i'm going to try dripping kalk during the night

[MikeS]

I drip kalk....

I use a homemade gravity doser...I mix 2 tsp. Mrs Wages pickling lime/gal. and dose 1 gallon daily. I dose in the morning, before the lights come on, while the pH is at its lowest. I was experimenting with 40 ml of vinager in this mix, but I began to see some changes in the tank, so I have discontinued using vinager to see if they clear up or not.

This method holds my Ca and alk ok, but it slowly declines, I have to make up the levels with CaCl2 and baking soda every month or so....

Mike

[FishinInTheDark]

I drip kalk right before the lights come on in the morning. I run a reverse photoperiod on my refugium, so I don't do this as a pH issue. I do it because that's the time of day it works for me! I drip kalk because my calcium drops from 400 to 320 in a week without it. With kalk my calcium is 460 every single day, even if I skip a top off.

[reggie060]

but I also have a cal reactor. I drip kalk 24/7 ,topoff with kalk in the water to try and keep the ph up with messing with my alk. Reggie

[Condiman]

My methood of dripping kaulk is very similar to mikeJS. I drip at night and I haven't seen any real problems with using Mrs Wages so far. Mike, what changes have you seen in your tank with using vinigar?

[mojoreef]

I used to use a calcium reactor by day and kalk at night, but ended up keeping them both on 24/7, damm corals and clams are pigs. My tank is pulling out about a 100 points a day.

Carefull on the vinager, use it in moderation.

Mike

[Condiman]

What is the problem with using vinigar. My current dosing is 3 tbs of lime to 15 ml of vinigar. Been doing that for about two months and my growth is unreal.

[specsgirl]

I would like to know the problem with vinegar also...I too have been getting monsterous growth from kalk and vinegar.

[MikeS]

I started experimenting with vinager boosted kalk about 7 months ago. Here are the changes I have observed in my reef since doing so...

I honestly can't say if these changes are a result of the vinager or not.....

I noticed an increase in the amount of calcium carbonate buildup in the tank.

I noticed an increase in microalgae growth, due maybe to the "fuel" provided by the vinager.

I noticed my carbon in my HOB began to "cement" together with calcium carbonate.

I recently began to have a few problems with my Ca/Alk balance.

As stated above, I don't know if all (or even any) of these problems are due to the vinager, but that is the only change I've made in my dosing practices recently. I'm going to quit using the vinager for awhile and see which (if any) of these problems clear up....

Mike

[mojoreef]

Well for one it is an acid, acetic acid. So you must be wary of PH problems. It will also react with calcium when super saturated (as you are doing with kalk) and form sodium acetate (might be what your looking at Mike) that ow they make road salt. it also produces co2 when mixed with carbonate which can place a hard demand on oxygen levels in the tank could also lead to oxygen depervation and we all know how algae likes co2 to.
Anyway alot of cons if your really not careful, with the only gain being a slightly more concentrated kalk. You could do that using a kalk that was calcium oxide instead of hydroxide.

Careful on your calcium levels to, remeber calcium is poisenious to a coral, If your seeing abnormal grow it is a sign that the coral is having to expend alot of its energy budjets to rid it self of this calcium, usually ends up in the coral running out of energy and passing on.


Mike

[MikeS]

Thanks for the input Mike....I'm hoping that abstaining from the vinager will clear up the problems I have observed....

Mike

[specsgirl]

Keep us informed if that helps!

[Frick-n-Frags]

Using both a Ca reactor and dripping kalk often becomes a very good combo, especially if your reactor effluent is pulling down pH.

I am only dripping kalk currently and at some point I will get a Ca reactor to hopefully pull my pH down a bit. I dose baking soda for alk which helps pull the pH down some(pH 8.0) but I think the steady state effluent production of the reactor would provide much more alk stability.

It also depends upon if you have a tank full of furiously growing stony corals. They can easily strip the Ca and turning up the reactor only jacks the alk way up so you have to dose kalk or calcium chloride etc to make up for the higher Ca useage once your Ca reactor is maxxed due to alk level maxxing out.

IMO, you just have to tune your options in to your particular reef system's conditions.

[mojoreef]

Good post Frick. I agree totally


Mike