calcium suggestion

[stoutman]

save yourself a bunch of money and buy your Kalk at the grocery store. Kalk
is Calcium Hydroxide. Sold as PICKLING LIME at the grocery store (at least
in the USA it is.)



"Matt" > wrote in message
...
> I need to reoder a calcium suppliment for my 55 reef. I currently drip
Kent
> Kalkwasser to add calcium. Suggestions of other products and methods for
> adding calcium. I like my Kent Kalk but willing to try something new.
>
>

[Matt]

I need to reoder a calcium suppliment for my 55 reef. I currently drip Kent
Kalkwasser to add calcium. Suggestions of other products and methods for
adding calcium. I like my Kent Kalk but willing to try something new.

[reefman MC]

C-balance two part ionic buffer by two little fishies.


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[Dragon Slayer]

if your just tired of dripping, check out the Kalk Slurry.

kc

"Matt" > wrote in message
...
> I need to reoder a calcium suppliment for my 55 reef. I currently drip
Kent
> Kalkwasser to add calcium. Suggestions of other products and methods for
> adding calcium. I like my Kent Kalk but willing to try something new.
>
>

[Marc Levenson]

Kyron, I just ran completely out of B-Ionic and I have two 5 gallon buckets that
will be here in a few days.

Do you think I could get away with the Kalk slurry method on my 29g, or is that
simply too contained to pull it off? What if I diluted it in a pitcher of RO/DI
water, and poured it into the overflow box? For the 55g, I think I could pour
it in the skimmer compartment.

Marc


Dragon Slayer wrote:

> if your just tired of dripping, check out the Kalk Slurry.
>
> kc
>
> "Matt" > wrote in message
> ...
> > I need to reoder a calcium suppliment for my 55 reef. I currently drip
> Kent
> > Kalkwasser to add calcium. Suggestions of other products and methods for
> > adding calcium. I like my Kent Kalk but willing to try something new.
> >
> >

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[Matt]

could you give me some more kalk slurry info?



"Dragon Slayer" > wrote in message
...
> if your just tired of dripping, check out the Kalk Slurry.
>
> kc
>
> "Matt" > wrote in message
> ...
> > I need to reoder a calcium suppliment for my 55 reef. I currently drip
> Kent
> > Kalkwasser to add calcium. Suggestions of other products and methods
for
> > adding calcium. I like my Kent Kalk but willing to try something new.
> >
> >
>
>

[Dragon Slayer]

Marc

I use it on my 10g tank with no problems at all.
as for where to dump it, in the tank is most always best due to the tank has
more turnover and volume then the sump. I wouldn't suggest the overflow at
all.

hth
kc

"Marc Levenson" > wrote in message
...
> Kyron, I just ran completely out of B-Ionic and I have two 5 gallon
buckets that
> will be here in a few days.
>
> Do you think I could get away with the Kalk slurry method on my 29g, or is
that
> simply too contained to pull it off? What if I diluted it in a pitcher of
RO/DI
> water, and poured it into the overflow box? For the 55g, I think I could
pour
> it in the skimmer compartment.
>
> Marc
>
>
> Dragon Slayer wrote:
>
> > if your just tired of dripping, check out the Kalk Slurry.
> >
> > kc
> >
> > "Matt" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > I need to reoder a calcium suppliment for my 55 reef. I currently
drip
> > Kent
> > > Kalkwasser to add calcium. Suggestions of other products and methods
for
> > > adding calcium. I like my Kent Kalk but willing to try something new.
> > >
> > >
>
> --
> Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
> Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
> Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com
>
>

[Dragon Slayer]

> could you give me some more kalk slurry info?
>
to do the slurry the correct way you need to own (or at least borrow) a pH
monitor as a test kit will not be accurate enough.

first you have to find the daily demands of your system, this is done by
testing the Ca levels of the tank and then not adding anything to the tank
other then RO/DI top off water. after 3 days (the longer you wait the more
accurate the test) and retest Ca to see how much it dropped. divide that
drop by the # of days to get the daily demand.

now with the pH monitor on, you want to watch the pH as you add the slurry
to the tank. start with a small amount 1/4 tsp in a cup of RO/DI water
slurried around til it's mixed completely. then dump the slurry into a high
flow area of the tank (not the sump)

you don't go by the initial spike but the total rise in pH after the tank
gets a good mix (about an hour) at that time you don't want more then a 0.2
spike in pH. I've had as high as 1.9 initial spike and never had any
problems from corals or fish from it.

in my 180g (250g total system volume) to boost pH I can add a full
tablespoon in a quart of water and dump it in with no problems.

hth
kc

[Marc Levenson]

Thanks for reposting that Kyron.

I have so many containers and bottles and jars of stuff, that for now I'm using
Seachem's Reef Builder and Seachem's Calcium buffer for the next few days, until
my B-Ionic shows up. But I do want to have the alternative of the Kalk slurry.

You don't see any corals suffering from the initial contact of this stuff? Even
though dissolved, it must be acidic to some degree, right? It would be hard to
pour it into any area of my tank and not have it make contact pretty quickly
with livestock.

Marc

Dragon Slayer wrote:

>
> to do the slurry the correct way you need to own (or at least borrow) a pH
> monitor as a test kit will not be accurate enough.
>
> first you have to find the daily demands of your system, this is done by
> testing the Ca levels of the tank and then not adding anything to the tank
> other then RO/DI top off water. after 3 days (the longer you wait the more
> accurate the test) and retest Ca to see how much it dropped. divide that
> drop by the # of days to get the daily demand.
>
> now with the pH monitor on, you want to watch the pH as you add the slurry
> to the tank. start with a small amount 1/4 tsp in a cup of RO/DI water
> slurried around til it's mixed completely. then dump the slurry into a high
> flow area of the tank (not the sump)
>
> you don't go by the initial spike but the total rise in pH after the tank
> gets a good mix (about an hour) at that time you don't want more then a 0.2
> spike in pH. I've had as high as 1.9 initial spike and never had any
> problems from corals or fish from it.
>
> in my 180g (250g total system volume) to boost pH I can add a full
> tablespoon in a quart of water and dump it in with no problems.
>
> hth
> kc

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[Kevin M]

"Marc Levenson" > wrote in message
...
| Kyron, I just ran completely out of B-Ionic and I have two 5 gallon
buckets that
| will be here in a few days.
|
| Do you think I could get away with the Kalk slurry method on my 29g, or is
that
| simply too contained to pull it off? What if I diluted it in a pitcher of
RO/DI
| water, and poured it into the overflow box? For the 55g, I think I could
pour
| it in the skimmer compartment.


Marc,
One thing I've noticed about the slurry method is that...it will REALLY clog
your pumps if you dump it near their intakes. I dumped slurry for about a
month before noticing that all my pumps with their intakes in that chamber
had slowed drastically. One, an LG 5mdqx, had the impeller completely siezed
up with calcium deposits. Also, the slurry would cross my heater in the sump
as it was mixing. I ended up with a 1/16" thick calcium coating on it within
weeks.
Just something to watch out for. Other than that, the slurry method is a
very easy way to dose kalk.

Kev

[Kevin M]

"Marc Levenson" > wrote in message
...

| You don't see any corals suffering from the initial contact of this stuff?
Even
| though dissolved, it must be acidic to some degree, right? It would be
hard to
| pour it into any area of my tank and not have it make contact pretty
quickly
| with livestock.

The corals will only suffer if the slurry lands on them and stays. Kalk is
very, VERY alkaline (acidic = low pH). In fact it is so alkaline (basic)
that if left on a sensitive area of skin, it can burn even you.
What I've found to be a good wat to dose it is to use a piece of
unrestricted airline tubing, and just start a siphon. It takes about 4-5
minutes to drain 3 quarts (the wifes kool-aid pitcher...shhhhhh!) this way.
You could put the tubing outlet right in front of one of the returns (one
that doesn't point right at any corals), and at the slow rate the tubing
drains the slurry, it will have plenty of time to mix with the tank water.

HTH,
Kev

[Dragon Slayer]

I try to make sure its completely mixed and no particles are undisolved that
could contact anything in the tank. my 180 is very cramped and I've never
had any ill effects from anything in the tank. I pour it into this tank
just in front of one of my streams pumps (not into but just outside where
the flow is max), I do half on one side and half on the other, it blows
directly across the blue Acro I sent you the pic of that time and it's never
caused it to even retract a polyp. the flow on that Acro is so strong that
it grows in a curved pattern so it's getting pretty much a pH 12+ dose when
the slurry is added.

the spot where I add the slurry to my 29g is considerably lower flow then
the 6100's put out and it's directly above a Hydnopora Rigida (Horn Coral)
it as well never retracts. no fish ever show a change in repertory behavior
either.

while it's recommend that you do the slurry at night when the tank has it's
natural tendency to decline in pH I've done them during the middle of the
photo period as well. a 0.2 spike is the same IMO day or night and the
natural rise of pH due to photosynthesis isn't going to be so great as to
cause a problem with the spike.

[Marc Levenson]

Hi Kevin!

So you make a large amount and drip it quickly, rather than the slurry shot
glass method. I could do that relatively easily.

Btw, I hate to tell you this, but one of the coral frags you gave me RTN'd over
night. :( I even started a thread about it on RC.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=341172

Marc


Kevin M wrote:

> The corals will only suffer if the slurry lands on them and stays. Kalk is
> very, VERY alkaline (acidic = low pH). In fact it is so alkaline (basic)
> that if left on a sensitive area of skin, it can burn even you.
> What I've found to be a good wat to dose it is to use a piece of
> unrestricted airline tubing, and just start a siphon. It takes about 4-5
> minutes to drain 3 quarts (the wifes kool-aid pitcher...shhhhhh!) this way.
> You could put the tubing outlet right in front of one of the returns (one
> that doesn't point right at any corals), and at the slow rate the tubing
> drains the slurry, it will have plenty of time to mix with the tank water.
>
> HTH,
> Kev

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[Kevin M]

"Marc Levenson" > wrote in message
...
| Hi Kevin!
|
| So you make a large amount and drip it quickly, rather than the slurry
shot
| glass method. I could do that relatively easily.

Yep...I have a pitcher syphoning as I type. My batch is always less than a
gallon.

| Btw, I hate to tell you this, but one of the coral frags you gave me RTN'd
over
| night. :( I even started a thread about it on RC.
| http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=341172

Dang!! That bites!! Sorry to hear it.
At least it started growing for you! The other one just like it is still
stagnant, zero growth. I may have it in too high of either flow, or light.
I'll have to try moving it around the tank a bit and see what happens.
I also noticed, from your recent batch of photos, that the tri-color is
REALLY getting some blue/purple to it!

Kev

[Marc Levenson]

Not only that, but I believe it has almost doubled in size. I'll have to look
at some of the first pictures of it, and compare to newer pictures to be sure.
But yes, it has quite a bit of purple, and the very tips continue to be light
green.

It is a tough coral to take a picture of, and get accurate colors, but it is
great to look at. Btw, it is up high in my tank, not in direct flow, but
directly beneath the 175w 10,000K bulb.

I didn't even know that other coral was growing at all, it was in a nook where
it was never disturbed. I'd noticed the base was expanding some, but that is
always hard to see, and suddenly it was half white. I did a Lugol's dip for 1
hour, but it didn't phase the RTN one bit. :(

That coral was mid height in my tank, and centered where it got flow from both
sides, but never directly on the coral.

Marc


Kevin M wrote:

> Dang!! That bites!! Sorry to hear it.
> At least it started growing for you! The other one just like it is still
> stagnant, zero growth. I may have it in too high of either flow, or light.
> I'll have to try moving it around the tank a bit and see what happens.
> I also noticed, from your recent batch of photos, that the tri-color is
> REALLY getting some blue/purple to it!
>
> Kev

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