jamal-188 said:
Kent Turbo Calcium which is a powder? They had a liquid but it wasn't called turbo calcium so I figured this was what Steve recommended
He did and still does depending on the tank consumption. Liquid CaCl is fine for smaller calcerous loads but the Turbo
Ca will be easier for higher demands. It is also much cheaper
Kent Superbuffer-dKH which was powder as well, didn't see any liquid?
It is supposed to be a powder. Depending on the amount you need to raise and water volume, it will raise alkalinity and stabalize
ph at 8.3. In my 90
gal, 1 teaspoon will raise the
alk about 0.25 mEq/l depending on
Ca level.
Then I bought Kent Tech CB part's A & B
I'm confused how to use this stuff, if I'm understanding correctly I'll use the turbo calcium and buffer to get my levels to what I want then use the Tech CB daily like you would use
Kalk? Maybe I should have went with
Kalk instead but heard it's pretty nasty stuff and I'm not real sure about the whole dripping process
Actually the Tech product will work much the same as the dry buffer and turbo
Ca. These products can/will dramatically raise the levels in the tank depending on dosage, water volume and the chem levels prior to addition. The key with them (I find anyway) is to use them to tweek the levels when needed. Although the
CaCO3 consumption by animals is somewhat balanced, the affects on the general chem by the system can skew the numbers and become unbalnced or not what we want. When used in conjunction with
kalk, it can be very easy to maintain the chem.
Kalkwasser is neither hard nor a nightmare to use. In fact, you can damage the tank chem much faster with the two parts. Kaklwasser when used properly is no more difficult and will not lead to future problems. It has many more benefits and less shortcomings than using the two parts regularly for maintenance.
The easiest way I chose to dose is with a
controlable drip dosing tube. That and an empty plastic milk jug. If you test your tank and map the rate of depletion, it will give you some idea of what to dose. Best suggestion is start small. The general dose is 2 teaspoons per 1
gal of
RO water. In the beginning, just mix up ½ a teaspoon in ½
gal of water or larger depending on the tanks evap. Fill the jug with
RO leaving very little air gap, add the
kalk, cap the jug and very gentley roll it so you are not actually aggitating it. You do not want to incorporate
CO2. When the mixture looks like skim milk, place it in the fridge with the cap still tighty secure and leave it for at least 5 hrs prior to lights out. Once the tank lights are out, set the jug above the tank with the spike end of the dosing tube in the jug about 1" from the bottom. Be sure you do not jostle or mix the sediment at the bottom. All you want going in the tank is the clearish liquid. Adjust the doser so it drips at 1-2 drops per second. Watch for the first few minutes to be sure it's all good and then go to bed. I would check the
alk,
Ca and
ph just before you drip. Then in the AM after lights on re-test everything and compare the net change. The
ph may or may not change depending on your system but I would actually test the
ph in the morning before your first nightly
kalk dose. This will give you a proper comparison.
Once you have determined the net change in the
alk and
Ca (if any) you can then determine if a larger/smaller dose is needed and as time passes you will also know how often.
Cheers
Steve
