Kalk ?

[evenings]

being new at this I come across things like Kalk. is kalk some kind of suppliment?

Do i need to add this to my tank? at the moment its a FOWLR after the summer I will start to add corals. do I need to add kalk now or when i start adding corals?

What is the better brand? Kent?

what other suppliments should I consider? I read somewhere about something called reefbuilder

 

[scuba_steve]

imo i feel using lr you should check and add ca if and when it needs it !! feel it can/will help possible corals to grow off the lr if there are any !! when you add corals ya will need to for sure !! there are a few ways to add ca to your tank one being kalk others are 2 part liquid additives ! i like using kalk myself ya can use cheaper sources than kalk from kent like mrs wages pickling lime or balls/bails (i think that the spelling but dont seam right for some reason ) ?!?!?!
other than that dont add anything with out testing it !! most dont add anything else to their tanks

 

[mfuchs]

there are a few ways to add ca to your tank one being kalk others are 2 part liquid additives

If you are using kalk, should you also add ca to the kalk, or only use kalk by itself?

most dont add anything else to their tanks

Do you recommend adding Iodine and Strontium with your kalk or does the kalk take care of this too?

Thanks

Marcel

 

[steve-s]

there are a few ways to add ca to your tank one being kalk others are 2 part liquid additives

If you are using kalk, should you also add ca to the kalk, or only use kalk by itself?

Never mix anything with kalk other than possibley a little vinegar to boost the potencey of the kalk and the required amount of RO.

most dont add anything else to their tanks

Do you recommend adding Iodine and Strontium with your kalk or does the kalk take care of this too?

Only add to your system what you can test for. Strontium is such a minor part that I would never recommend dosing it. Simple water changes will take care of it. Same goes for iodine. Unless something in the system is pulling down the numbers faster than a weekly water change can keep up with you may need iodine additions but as I said get a proper test kit and err on the side of caution. Not all kits will read all the components of the iodine.

Cheers
Steve

 

[scuba_steve]

kalk is your calcium also the best way to add it imo is to start with lets say a milk jug add 1 tsp mix it and let it sit over night !! siphon out the clearish liquid out leaving the powder at the bottom and the crust on top !! test first say you ca is reading 350 !! add your kalk after your light are out by a slow drip to top off the tank from evaporation !! now here were i do things different with out any issues so far !! but depends what size tank ya have ect.. im dosing around 200 gallons of water mind you !! but i use a reg airline tube and just siphon the water into my fuge !! dripping would be better for smaller tanks for sure but in my case an air line sypon works just great other wise just put a knot at the end of the airline to slow it down the next day at the same time ya tested the day before test ya ca again !! now lets say your readings are 400 !! then ya know ya need to add a bit more kalk so next night try adding 1 1/2 tps and see where it leads ya !! every tank is different due to what corals ect ya have using ca ya know !! but 450 is your target range !!
as for iodine/strontium most dont and they do their reg water changes will keep up with that !! i myself add iodine due to the many crabs/shrimp i have and everyother day i would add 2 drops of loguls and when i test for it it never shows on the test but every time i add it someone molts so i feel its doing good !! but if ya dont test for it dont add it !!

 

[mfuchs]

add 2 drops of loguls

Sorry - but was is loguls?

Also do you recommend adding kalk to replace all of your evaporated water? I also have 200 gals of water and need to add around 5 gals a week!

Also, how fast can I increase my Ca by? I am currently at 345!!

Thanks,

 

[scuba_steve]

loguls is kent iodine very very strong stuff !!
yes kalk for all evaporated water ! i wouldnt wait a week to add to your evaporation should be done daily imo !! so prob a gallon a night 345 not bad after adding a gallon test again and see were your at !! keep a close i on it for a few weeks till ya figure out what your using

 

[SquishyFish]

I use loguls in my tank and I dose 2 drops every M, W, F. Everything is doing great! ...well, it was before the move.

Squishy

 

[mfuchs]

I agree with u about the replenishment of evaporation on a daily basis. That is what I do - it just works out to about 5 gals a week.

So basically, once I figure out how much Kalk to add to the water, it should basically stay the same? In other words, once I get my Ca to 450 and I replace 1 gal a day with Kalk, it will always be the same concentration (without any system changes - addition of coral and such) to keep it at the same level?

Will the kalk eventually eat through plastic? I mean if you continue to use a milk jug - will it eventually start to leak? Only reason I asked is that I had a 2-liter bottle that I was using and it eventually sprung a leak - wasn't sure if it was from the kalk or not.

Thanks again

 

[scuba_steve]

your ca demands will change due to coral growth and/or new additions so just keep an eye on it!! testing it imo is easy and i test about monthly myself
no kalk wont eat thru plastic !! i change out my milk jugs once in a while !! it can give you a rash so wash after mixing

 

[steve-s]

So basically, once I figure out how much Kalk to add to the water, it should basically stay the same?D

Keep in mind though that the saturation point of kalk is one teaspoon per gallon of dripped top off water (you can boost potency with vinegar). Depending on the demand of the tank you may also need to boost that ocassionally with something else like a two part liq or seperate dry additives. A kalk or Ca reactor works well too.

Cheers
Steve