Calcium Hydroxide Dosing

[Mitchell]

I am interested in everyones method of dosing a calcium additive. Either pickling lime or Kalkwasser.

I have started doing the method that Anthony Calfo talks about.

1/16 of a teaspoon of kalkwasser per 100 gallons of water.

Slur it up in a cup of cold freshwater and pour into the display tank after lights out.

What is you method???

[theshad]

I use calcium hydroxide. take a bunch add it to a 7.5 liter water jug and add RO water. give it a good shake and then let it settle.

I dose in the AM before lights come on and about 9:00PM while the lights are on. I add enough to fully top my tank off to the full line each time. This keeps my Calcium levels at about 380 all the time.

[Concept]

Never dosed kalk, did the calcium and buffered weekly for quite a while, then bought a Calcium reactor, finally got sickk and tired of having clogged lines that I decide to go back to daily dosing.

Until I can understand "exactly" what I am SUPPOSED to be doing and how I will leave the reactor alone, then when I do fully understand it I will build my own. best I have seen so far is DJ88's DIY on RC.. he seems to know what he is talking about.

Many dont! many do! need to weed em out

the following is a quote fron Mojosreef (Dec Tank of the month on RC)

quote:The calcium reactor is run only when the lights of the tank are on, but when the main display lights go off, an analytical grade calcium oxide kalkwasser from Warner Marine is dosed. The kalkwasser is mixed-up weekly in a 55-gallon drum and then delivered to the tank using a metered pump. Beyond this, no further supplements are added unless testing shows a lower level of magnesium, in which case I dose accordingly.

back to me quoting. have a question Mitchell if he mixes 55 gallons a week of his stuff, it sounds like one heck of a lot more than the amounts you are adding... could you explain the difference to me?

Dont take me wrong in anyway, I am truley interested but have not yet fully understood this. and I agree Kalkwasser sounds better than chalk water!

cheers

Paul


PS good post

[Andy]

Mitch

I run my dosing pump through a kalkwasser reactor 24/7. I put a couple of tablespoons of kalkwasser into the reactor weekly and stir it for 1 minute every 4 hours. Works well for me.

[Michael_Lambert]

I use the Kent aquadoser.. It does 2.5 Gallons of water per day to my tank.. witch is about what im down every day... i mix 2 teaspoons of Kalk to the 2.5G of RO water and drip it to the tank 24/7

[Oakville Reef Gallery]

if youve never dosed kalk or have no experience with it i suggest NOT using calfos method as there have been disasters happen in peoples tanks and hes taken alot of heat for writing this,kalk should be dripped in slowly,(1 drop per second or less),there are various ways such as some people let it settle and then dose or others may dose while the solution is mixing.careful as ph of this product is 16!it will decrease in ph and strength if exposed to air thats why it should be done everyday.my best way is to have a 5 gallon bucket with a paddle arm off my r.o.,this bucket will always have about 3 gallons,have a small 201 powerhead going all the time,everyday add a spoonful and drip into main display,i used this for years and also compare to other methods as above,note,clean out 5 gallon bucket once a week as it will accumulate sludge.the method calfo uses are in lg systems with little or no fish,more forgiving than a 100gallon tank if ph spikes which it will added quickly.Flavio

[Mitchell]

Thanks guys


have a question Mitchell if he mixes 55 gallons a week of his stuff, it sounds like one heck of a lot more than the amounts you are adding... could you explain the difference to me?

Paul

Not having read about the tank, I did see the pic of it on RC. It is a large tank isnt it??

He may be going through that 55 gallon every week through evaporation. So mixing kalk into his topoff water is more than likely what he is doing. Problem is though, if you leave Kalkwasser too long , it will go bad.

I used to mix up a 1 gallon container every night on my 180 but that is alot of hassle. So I am trying this mix and pour method

Flavio I see what you are saying and I would like more details on your method.

Typically I just dose Bionic BUT I cant afford it right now and I have 1/2 a large container of Hydroxide.

I thought Kalkwasser had a PH of 12???

Anyway I may look into a smaller Kalkwasser reactor as a calcium reactor is just not in the cards right now.

[Oakville Reef Gallery]

i wish i could paste/cut/digitalpic/ a diagram but my computer skills are limited.i can draw a diagram and give it to you mitch and you may post it,if oyu have an r.o. shut off then all you do is tee off your water reservoir container,that way your 5 gallon bucket maintains a constant 3 gallons depending on how high the paddle is attached,have a 201 or similar powerhead constantly spinning the water,everyday add one tsp to bucket.you may then dose with a dosing pump the kalk mix or if you dont then have an iv line gravity feeding into your sump/tank.you may still have to add b ionic as kalk will not keep ca up in most tanks.Flavio

[Mitchell]

cool

we shall chat and I will post a drawing or something up here

[Concept]

Thanx

There had to be a logical reason, yes its an 850 I believe.

So Mitchell your mission should you choose to accept it is to dispose of 1/16th of a teaspoon of powder over a 24 hour period?

this tape will self destruct in ten seconds

Paul

[Mitchell]

Even before this thread, I fired an email off to Calfo.

With this new info in mind I guess I will go back to my old method of premixing 1 gallon containers and IV dripping them into the tank


I will keep you posted

[kentracey]

Hey Mitch, I mix up a gallon of RO water with a heaping teaspoon of kalk and add it at night by way of a feeder bag(gravity set). It looks just like an IV bag except it has almost the exact same end on it as a Kent Aquadoser. The best part is the feeder bag costs $4.99 at your health supply store (got mine at Shoppers Drug Mart). Some day I'd like a calcium reactor but until then this will do for me. HARK sells kalk really cheap too, although I have't made the drive to Waterloo yet but eventually I will. I think he wants $20 for five pounds. Good luck Mitch.

[Mitchell]

Well I got a reply back from Anthony Calfo. Great guy.

Anyway let me just say that in Flavio's defence, I can see what he is saying. THIS METHOD SHOULD NOT BE DONE BY NEWBIES OR ANYONE NEW TO KALKWASSER AS IT IS DANGEROUS.

Thats why I posted this in the advanced section though.

BUT here is Anthony's reply



Cheers, Mitchell

I'm not sure if I have much to share regarding kalk
slurries. It really is time tested. Julian Sprung and
others have been advocating it for over a decade.
There are extensive threads on the subject on
ReefCentral and WetWebmedia if you have the time and
interest to do a keyword search.

Many folks have written in thanking those of us that advocate it for clearing up a potentially hazy protocol.

Its true that it can be easily mismanaged or abused if
you dont follow the protocol (must be applied with use
of a digital pH meter). But then again... alot of
beneficial things are easily abused if you dont heed
proper procedure: ozone, iodine, etc.

As stated in BOCP1 too... the procedure is not for
everyone... only those for whom the daily demand for
CA exceeds that which a supersatured solution cannot
deliver. Hence, the slurry method :)

No worries, mate... it really is as simple and
effective as described.

with kind regards,

Anthony


So yes Flavio is correct, Dangerous to do if not done right but for those that choose to it IS another method for those interested

[Fishlips]

I add a teaspoon to 2.5L + 10ml vineger (suppose to help with alkalinity and increase [Ca]).
I was using the slurry method (without a digital pH meter) for a couple months. Got a little careless and killed my alkalinity way down. My xenia stopped pumping which triggered me to do a couple tests (see your animals are the best indicator). No ill effects however but I drip dose now because it's safer. I would consider the slurry again if I got a pH meter or had time to fine tune it.

[Mitchell]

Ken

I was using this home made dripper but I'm going to look for the one you are using.

[kentracey]

Hey Mitch, the only reason I use a feeder bag (used for feeding disabled people) is because it's easy and CHEAP. If it messes up you can just chuck it out. Is that your tank I see??? Maybe you should post a couple pics? Or is it for NRS eyes only? That's one way to get everyone to come over. If you can't find a feeder bag let me know and I'll grab you one before the meeting.

[Mitchell]

Is that your tank I see???

yep

[kentracey]

Nice Mitch, that's very similar to the way I'm going to arrange my rockwork, but I think I'll leave a gap in the center. I'll see how things go as I'm putting the rock in.... sometimes it doesn't quite work out as planned. I guess I should go to the Mitchell School of Rock Arranging..... eh? :laugh: What lights are on that now?

[Mitchell]

Ken

Your shoppers must have a home healthcare store in it.

I was just at our shoppers and they don't carry the feed bag

[Mugster]

Why not just use an empty salt pail. If I remember right the lids have a rubber gasket so they seal air tight. They're much easier to drill and plumb and the mix lasts a couple of days depending on the drip rate.

JMO,
Kev :rockon: