Mrs. Wages for kalk

[saltwatersmac]

This 90 gal has been running almost 2 years. I have had good success with my fish, but like others I would like to get more into a reef. In the past I have been intimidated with most corals because I lacked the knowledge. I still don't know that much but AA has been a big help.

My goal is to get the water parameters as ideal as possible and keep them stable. I think this will help me get rid of the bubble algae I have now. I will be converting to a sump/fuge in the near future so I thought I would start practicing now so the new setup can be "ideal".

I will mix about 10 gals of IO saltwater and see where I stand.

Once again thanks for the help.
Stephen

 

[saltwatersmac]

OK Steve here's the numbers I promised. I've mixed 10 gals of IO water for 13 hours.

Salinity 1.024
pH 8.21
Alk 11 dKH
Ca 345 ppm

Those are very close to the numbers in my main tank. How do I get them closer balanced?

Thanks
Stephen

 

[steve-s]

2x5 gal buckets or one 10 gal bin? No matter, the saltmix can be tweeked with a ¾ tspn of Kent Turbo Ca per 5 gal water volume. Add after the SW has had at least 12 hrs to mix with a powerhead.

To correct the main tank, you can either double up your water change frequencey for the next while until corrected or dose with the Turbo Ca. You would need 14 tspn total. Add 2/day for seven days predissolved in a cup of RO/DI. Keep track of the alk as well during the process. Heavy Ca additions will force down the alk some.

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

Cheers
Steve

 

[saltwatersmac]

I added a total of 2 tsp Kent Turbo Ca to the 10 gals of freshly mixed saltwater. I now have the Ca at 400 ppm. The alk still tested at 11 dKH. What can I do to bring this down? I'm beginning to not trust my Aquarium Pharmaceuticals test kit.....come on Salifert!

Thanks
Stephen

 

[steve-s]

There's not much you can do to bring down the alk. The Mg in the water helps prevent that. I would add another ½ tspn of Turbo Ca though to get you closer to balance.

Keep in mind that you are only changing a certain % of the water each time so there will be no immediate impact. It will take a few water changes over a few weeks to get you where you need to be. Not a problem with that though, it will give the inhabitants a good amount of adjustment time.

If I'm correct, I honestly don't think you have much consumption in the tank. The probnlem has been the saltmix all along. So tweeking that before each use will solve a majority if not all the chemistry problem.

Cheers
Steve

 

[saltwatersmac]

I'll add a little more turbo Ca. I'll continue this until the Salifert comes in. I want to check it against the kit I have just to be sure. Yeah I don't have a lot of demand in the tank but hopefully that will change a little later.

I got one last question. If the alk checks to actually be around 11 dKH and the calcium checks between 400 and 425, will this be a problem?

Thanks for all the help
Stephen

 

[steve-s]

If the alk checks to actually be around 11 dKH and the calcium checks between 400 and 425, will this be a problem?

Not really, you'll find once in the tank, the alk will have some acids pulling on it so it will ease back a bit. You can also tweek the Ca a tad more to get a better balance. Given you have no scleractinians, I don't tink you'll have a problem at the 11DKH/425ppm level. I wouldn't be surprised if you see a growth spurt in the coralline though.

Cheers
Steve

 

[gooyferret]

So this topic is about Mrs Wages pickling lime? Whats that neverheard of it? Where do you get it? Is that the name of it or is there other brands?

 

[saltwatersmac]

Thanks Steve. I actually would like to see the coralline grow a little better.

gooyferret - I found the Mrs Wages pickling lime at the local Wal-Mart superstore. That is the actual name of it. It can be used for kalk. I thought that is what I needed. I discovered otherwise with lots of help from Steve. He has me on the right track now.

 

[gooyferret]

So you buy that stuff and just add it to the top off water that has evaporated or how do you mix and add it? Im currently using b-ionic and am very happy with the results but willing to try something else if its cheaper.

 

[steve-s]

http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevor-jones/kalkwasser.html

Cheers
Steve