Klakwasser

[jamie]

If i use kalkwasser and i have a low demand tank. it says to add 1/2 a tsp per gallon. then 2 tsp per gallon for a high demand tank. im using it to help raise my ph. the question is, does it matter how much the dosage is. will the ph increase the same with 1/2 vs 2 tsp? i don"t want my alk to get too high. just wondering if anyone has knows. thanks

 

[newfly]

Short answer is YES. The concentration matters .

How do you plan to dose kalk? ATO or dosing pump? I hope you’re not dumping 2tbs directly to the tank.

What’s your tank evaporation rate? I’m pumping 1.5L (2tbs - max concentration) at night and I still get at 0.3 ph drop. I have a 65g tank, Without adding kalk at night, my ph swing is about 0.5.

What’s your alk consumption? If low-med, you can probably just use kalk. I have to supplement kalk with 2-parts .

 

[jamie]

I have a doser. I will dispense more at night. I’ll try the lower saturation.

I’m about 3/4 of a gallon per day. My 8.5 gallon ato is refilled once a week

 

[Darkxerox]

You can definitely replace all your top off with kalk since you know the volume.

How are you maintaining alk currently?

 

[jonmedina]

@newfly I assume you have an apex or some kind of controller... I don't, but would still like the data points, but trying to figure out the best time to test - approximately what time do you see the steepest drop at night?

@Darkxerox - You mind clarifying what you mean that he can replace all the top off bc he knows the volume. You're saying replace all top off but lower concentration/not max saturation?

I'm working on the same thing so these comments are super useful.

 

[newfly]

@newfly I assume you have an apex or some kind of controller... I don't, but would still like the data points, but trying to figure out the best time to test - approximately what time do you see the steepest drop at night?

@Darkxerox - You mind clarifying what you mean that he can replace all the top off bc he knows the volume. You're saying replace all top off but lower concentration/not max saturation?

I'm working on the same thing so these comments are super useful.

I have a Alkatronic. Automated test at 7am and 7pm, which is close to the low and high peak based on the lights schedule. I don’t know the ph curve at night. The machine is too noisy for me to turn it on at night.

the key takeaway (if any) from my experience is ph increase is minimal (0.2) for a fairly large 1.5L fully saturated kalk solution dose spread over 10 hours in 65g . If you are expecting much higher ph boast, maybe kalk alone is not enough.

 

[Darkxerox]

I calculated my consumption of alk over a 24h period as well as volume of water evaporated in that time and just adjusted the saturation of the solution to compensate. Then I have it dose that full volume during the lights out period via my doser. Really simple, never needed to adjust after locking it in. Maybe add a little water by hand every week if house humidity drops. No ATO on my tank either.

 

[newfly]

You can use this calculator https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/KalkContribution.php

Here is an example:

 

[jamie]

@newfly I assume you have an apex or some kind of controller... I don't, but would still like the data points, but trying to figure out the best time to test - approximately what time do you see the steepest drop at night?

@Darkxerox - You mind clarifying what you mean that he can replace all the top off bc he knows the volume. You're saying replace all top off but lower concentration/not max saturation?

I'm working on the same thing so these comments are super useful.

He’s saying that my top off will come from the kalkwasser reservoir. I still will have a small ato. I will still use my ato.

 

[jamie]

You can definitely replace all your top off with kalk since you know the volume.

How are you maintaining alk currently?

My all was stable at 8.2. Just with water changes. My tannins very low demand. But my ph was really low too

 

[Darkxerox]

My all was stable at 8.2. Just with water changes. My tannins very low demand. But my ph was really low too

Ok then you really shouldn't dose then. You have really low consumption and already at a good target.

What's your pH range?

 

[richiev]

On the top off strategy, that can work, but be aware it means your Kalk dosing is not really under control. A cool, humid, day you would have a bit of Kalk added. A hot, dry, day, maybe even with a fan running over the tank to cool it, you'd have a much higher amount of Kalk being added. Additionally top off usually surges during the day when it's hotter, versus at night when you actually want the pH boost.

That's in regards to just adding Kalk to your top off. If instead you use a doser to dose a bunch of Kalk at night, equivalent to your daily top off needs, that keeps it consistent but means you still need a separate ATO and you're adding salinity variation.

I say this as someone who did that ATO route initially and had coral losses during a heat spike. I now dose most of my kalk at night, and let my ATO do its things otherwise.

 

[newfly]

Ok then you really shouldn't dose then. You have really low consumption and already at a good target.

What's your pH range?

I concur. No need to dose kalk. If you alk is at 8.2 and stable, let it be. No need to complicate things otherwise you’ll end up like me ( I have 5 dosing container + ato) . Life should be easier but oh well

 

[Alexander1312]

On the top off strategy, that can work, but be aware it means your Kalk dosing is not really under control. A cool, humid, day you would have a bit of Kalk added. A hot, dry, day, maybe even with a fan running over the tank to cool it, you'd have a much higher amount of Kalk being added. Additionally top off usually surges during the day when it's hotter, versus at night when you actually want the pH boost.

That's in regards to just adding Kalk to your top off. If instead you use a doser to dose a bunch of Kalk at night, equivalent to your daily top off needs, that keeps it consistent but means you still need a separate ATO and you're adding salinity variation.

I say this as someone who did that ATO route initially and had coral losses during a heat spike. I now dose most of my kalk at night, and let my ATO do its things otherwise.

I also like to keep ATO and the Kalkdoser separate. What I like about the RedSea ATO is that it calculates the daily evaporation and records it in a log, so I always know what my ceiling is and can stay below the lowest point for Kalkdosing in case of less evaporation depending on the season.

 

[jamie]

Ok then you really shouldn't dose then. You have really low consumption and already at a good target.

What's your pH range?

Oh drops to 7.78 at night. Then 7.83.

 

[jamie]

I concur. No need to dose kalk. If you alk is at 8.2 and stable, let it be. No need to complicate things otherwise you’ll end up like me ( I have 5 dosing container + ato) . Life should be easier but oh well

Should I not worry about ph? It goes from 7.7 to 7.83

 

[Darkxerox]

Should I not worry about ph? It goes from 7.7 to 7.83

You can't raise pH chemically without raising alkalinity too. Borrow the club's CO2 meter to see if there's bad airflow in that room. Should see of increase to over 8.0 during the day while things are photosynthesizing then a drop at night. Otherwise you'll need to increase airflow into the room and/or tank.

Tried to find your tank journal but it looks like you don't have it linked/updated with hardware etc. Any details?

 

[L/B Block]

Should I not worry about ph? It goes from 7.7 to 7.83

1) how are you measuring PH? (And if apex -calibrated? )
2) do you have a protein skimmer?
3) if #1 is accurate, and #2 is true-then a line from outside or CO2 scrubber can help.

If #2 is not true-definitely need to bring in more oxygen and/or surface agitation.

 

[under_water_ninja]

 

[jamie]

1) how are you measuring PH? (And if apex -calibrated? )
2) do you have a protein skimmer?
3) if #1 is accurate, and #2 is true-then a line from outside or CO2 scrubber can help.

If #2 is not true-definitely need to bring in more oxygen and/or surface agitation.

I’m using an apex. It got calibrated 3 weeks ago. Might just order another one just to double check.

I have a skimmer running.
I feel like a have a good amount of surface agitation and I have a window cracked when I’m not in the room and the sliding door open when I am. Might have to run a line outside