[quote author=Vincerama2 link=topic=6499.msg83620#msg83620 date=1235418575]
OK, so ;
"Calcium Supplementation" refers to replenishing the Calcium in your tank water, as it is depleted by pretty much all living creatures (I think) and particularly by corals and coralline algae that use it in (relatively) large quantities...they are the largest consumer of Calcium in your tank by far.
So how can you do that?
1) Kalkwasser is the German word for "Limewater". It's a bit confusing because people refer to the powder as well as the liquid as kalkwasser, though I tihnk "Lime Water" would refer to the "Water that has Lime" in it. And by lime, I don't mean the green fruit in your Corona. So basically the powder is Calcium Hydroxide. It has the nice feature that if you dissolve it in RO water, it breaks up into Calcium ions and hydroxide (see Gomer's post). This is a "balanced" calcium supplementation because when you add it to your tank water the CA ions and HO molecules are in the correct proportion that they are present in natural sea water (or something like that). However, it has a high ph (it's very BASIC - opposite of ACIDIC) so it tends to push the ph of your tank up..so you have to DRIP it into the tank. Many people drip it in to counter evaporation in the tank; ie; they use it as top-off water. That's what I do. It is dissolved in pure water NOT tank water.
2) Calcium Carbonate-Carbon Dioxide reactor. Basically you take Calcium Carbonate and dissolve it with TANK WATER that you have saturated with CO2, this dissolves the CaCo3 into whatever (whatever) which is also a "balanced" method for the same reason that Kalkwasser is balanced. It provides Calcium and Carbonate (alkalinity) in the same proportion as it's found in the ocean.
3) Balanced Two-Part Solutions - You supplement Calcium and Alkalinity (Carbonate?) seperately with two different solutions. You can add just one or the other, but then that skews the balance of the water (Calcium and Alkalinity are like on a see-saw, adding too much of one drops the other). So you can buy retail versions of these 2-part solutions, or you can make your own. They are formulated so that if you add the SAME VOLUME of each solution...it is balanced (as in the first two supplementation schemes). It tends to slowly raise your salinity though, since the two parts are generally Calcium Chloride and Sodium (Bi)carbonate ... which leaves Sodium Chloride as a byproduct.
4) One part Calcium Supplements - Calcium (mumble-o) (Acetate? I dunno). You just add this to boost calcium, I believe it is NOT balanced, but I don't know.
OK, so there are 4 different ways to SUPPLLEMENT you CALCIUM. KALKWASSER is just one way to do it.
I probably got some facts wrong, this is a quick reply.
Doing a search on both will help you a lot. Randy Holmes-Farley wrote some excellent articles on this topic, look them up!
V
[/quote][quote author=Vincerama2 link=topic=6499.msg83621#msg83621 date=1235418657]
Holy Crap, I wrote all that junk while he was saying "OK, thanks, I got it" Bah.
V
[/quote]
It is not a waste that you wrote it though... helps me... Thanks!
