Kalk expert needed...

[Brad]

How much Kalk...mixed at what ratio...will move 40 gallons of tank by how much?

If there is a mathmatical formula it would give me a better place to start. Otherwise, I'll be trial and error for the next weeks.

Can anyone tell me how much Kalk, mixed at what concentration, will cause my 40 gallon tank to increase about 20ppm Ca, and about .45 mEq Alk?

 

[Bang Guy]

2 tsp per gallon of RO will produce nearly saturated limewater. 1 gallon of saturated limewater will raise calcium in a 40 gallon tank by 20ppm and ALK by 0.5Meq/L providing there is sufficient CO2 and it's dripped in slowly.

 

[phases99]

Great answer by Bang Guy. As you can see there are many variables to consider when calculating kalk concentrations so proceed carefully. Make sure your CA and ALK are in balance before you start using the kalk. I recommend you start slow and try using 1 tsp per gallon and test frequently until you figure out how much kalk to use to maintain your levels. Unfortunately there is no easy way to dose safely without doing alot of testing for the first week or two. After you get down the routine it becomes second nature.

 

[jester]

sorry but what the hell is kalk well i see what the word is but what is it for i have some corals but i dont test alk or for ca should i be?

 

[MarineFlake]

The hell kalk is short for kalkwassar which roughly I believe is german for 'lime water'. Kalk, as it is referred to commonly in this hobby, is used by us po' folk who don't buy ca reactors (Calcium reactors) either due to cost or are satisfied with the kalk method. The goal in either case is provide more stable ph/alk and good ca level. There are several real good conversations (threads) on this board about kalk and some bad ones. You should give a search or at least google for some info as it will probably clear up a lot of how to and why for you. Typically kalk mix is dripped in using a piece of airline tubing attached to a container of some type which is then gravity fed (Dripped) into your sump/system. Becuase of the potency of the kalk water, slow, very slow, dripping in of the kalk is needed to keep things nice and stable. Just antoher approach to accomplishing something in this money pit we all here call a hobby ; )

hth

 

[jester]

i c thanks for clearing that up i will search more about it as i might give it a try i never pay anty attention to my al k or ph

 

[Bang Guy]

Kalk = Calcium hydroxide or Calcium oxide.

 

[Brad]

Thanks Bang...that is exactly the kind of info that I was looking for.

In my case, I know exactly how much my Ca/Alk fall every 24 hours. I'm looking to know how much Kalk I need to drip over that 24 hours to remain stable.

The info you've provided gives me that.

1 gallon seems like a lot to add to a 40 gallon system. (even added slowly...it seems like a lot)

 

[Bang Guy]

If you don't have any bacterial problems then Vinegar might be a help to you.

It will allow you to dissolve almost 3tsp per gallon of RO water. This means that you don't need to add as much limewater and as an added bonus it adds Acetate to your water. Bacteria populations will increase as they feed on the Acetate and produce more CO2. The added CO2 is then used by the Hydroxide ions to produce a more stable PH and added ALK in the form of Bicarbonate.

The downfall is that once you start using vinegar I suggest you dose limewater 24/7 so the bacteria consuming the Acetate don't die off between doses.

A fan blowing over your sump will increase evaporation and allow you to add more limewater.

In my experience 40 breeders evap as much as a 55 and that's about 5 gallons a week without a fan.

 

[Brad]

Yup. Got it. 1 gallon at saturated concentration (produces 20ppm/.5 mEq in 40gal) will work fine because that is about how much Ca/Alk I lose over a 5 day period. 1 gallon (3.787L) over 5 days would be a dosing rate of 31ml/hr.

(I panicked earlier thinking that I would need to add this in 24 hours, but my Ca/Alk usage isn't THAT large)

That will still leave me needing lots of additional FW replacement to keep up with evaporation.

That gives me a good guess to start. I can fine tune the concentration/rate from there.

If I use vinegar in the Kalk, how much vinegar per gallon do/can you add? That's the first I've heard that vinegar has some other benefits beyond just being able to over-saturate the Kalk...

 

[Bang Guy]

45ml of vinegar will allow you to use 3 tsp of Kalk per gallon of water. You can add more or less though. Just remember that acetate is bacterial candy so overdoing it can being on a bacterial bloom.