alkalinity question / bicarb

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I have a 4 X 2 X 2 (running for about a year with low fish boiload but
medium coral load and everything is doing wonderfully well). Ive been
noticing my alkalinity steadily drops over time a lot more so that my
calcium levels. Obviously water changes correct it but in the "in
between" times would dosing small amounts of Bi Carb be of any benifit
to help maintain alkalinity loss. A calcium reactor is in my wish list
...but will have to wait a little while for it.

[Greg]

Topping off with kalkwasser will help keep your alkalinity. It will also add
calcium to your tank. It is a very clean additive, being calcium hydroxide
your basically adding calcium hydrogen and oxygen.

Greg

> wrote in message
...
> I have a 4 X 2 X 2 (running for about a year with low fish boiload but
> medium coral load and everything is doing wonderfully well). Ive been
> noticing my alkalinity steadily drops over time a lot more so that my
> calcium levels. Obviously water changes correct it but in the "in
> between" times would dosing small amounts of Bi Carb be of any benifit
> to help maintain alkalinity loss. A calcium reactor is in my wish list
> ..but will have to wait a little while for it.

[Ross Bagley]

"Greg" > writes:

> Topping off with kalkwasser will help keep your alkalinity.

Only to a point. Calcium hydroxide will fix CO2 in solution and form
HCO3-, but only to the point that it can match dissolved CO2 in
solution from respiration and air/water exchange. This point is
reached fairly quickly (if you're adding 1% of the tank water
from a nilsen reactor, you're there).

The other downside is that if you're adding enough kalk to fix almost
all of the CO2, the kalk is very successfully competing with other
sinks of CO2 in your aquarium (like macro algae).

It's during times like these that additional kalk raises the pH and
Ca-- concentrations without adding HCO3- or CO3--. Now if the
carbonate gets too depleted while the pH is high, you have the recipe
for a precipitation event (and alkalinity crash) on your hands.

A low cost "fix" for this is to add a small amount of vinegar to
the kalk. This adds another carbon source to the tank which is
easily converted by organisms in the tank into into more CO2 (and
a lower pH).

> It will also add calcium to your tank. It is a very clean additive,
> being calcium hydroxide your basically adding calcium hydrogen and
> oxygen.

From the posting, I got the impression that he was already adding kalk
and planned to upgrade to a calcium reactor, though I can see your
perspective that he didn't mention kalk at all...

> > wrote in message
> ...
> > I have a 4 X 2 X 2 (running for about a year with low fish boiload but
> > medium coral load and everything is doing wonderfully well). Ive been
> > noticing my alkalinity steadily drops over time a lot more so that my
> > calcium levels. Obviously water changes correct it but in the "in
> > between" times would dosing small amounts of Bi Carb be of any benifit
> > to help maintain alkalinity loss.

Yes, if alkalinity is disproporionately low compared to calcium,
baking soda will help.

> A calcium reactor is in my wish list
> > ..but will have to wait a little while for it.

If your calcium depletion rate is too high for kalk alone, I would
reccommend that you use both the calcium reactor and kalk. There
seems to be a bit of a kalk vs. CR war that I can't help thinking
is misguided. Calcium reactors and kalkwasser offset each other's
shortcomings.

It's all in the power of *and* :)

Regards,
Ross

-- Ross Bagley http://rossbagley.com/rba
"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature...
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." -- Helen Keller

[Greg]

That's very interesting. Thanks.

Greg

"Ross Bagley" > wrote in message
...
> "Greg" > writes:
>
> > Topping off with kalkwasser will help keep your alkalinity.
>
> Only to a point. Calcium hydroxide will fix CO2 in solution and form
> HCO3-, but only to the point that it can match dissolved CO2 in
> solution from respiration and air/water exchange. This point is
> reached fairly quickly (if you're adding 1% of the tank water
> from a nilsen reactor, you're there).
>
> The other downside is that if you're adding enough kalk to fix almost
> all of the CO2, the kalk is very successfully competing with other
> sinks of CO2 in your aquarium (like macro algae).
>
> It's during times like these that additional kalk raises the pH and
> Ca-- concentrations without adding HCO3- or CO3--. Now if the
> carbonate gets too depleted while the pH is high, you have the recipe
> for a precipitation event (and alkalinity crash) on your hands.
>
> A low cost "fix" for this is to add a small amount of vinegar to
> the kalk. This adds another carbon source to the tank which is
> easily converted by organisms in the tank into into more CO2 (and
> a lower pH).
>
> > It will also add calcium to your tank. It is a very clean additive,
> > being calcium hydroxide your basically adding calcium hydrogen and
> > oxygen.
>
> From the posting, I got the impression that he was already adding kalk
> and planned to upgrade to a calcium reactor, though I can see your
> perspective that he didn't mention kalk at all...
>
> > > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > I have a 4 X 2 X 2 (running for about a year with low fish boiload but
> > > medium coral load and everything is doing wonderfully well). Ive been
> > > noticing my alkalinity steadily drops over time a lot more so that my
> > > calcium levels. Obviously water changes correct it but in the "in
> > > between" times would dosing small amounts of Bi Carb be of any benifit
> > > to help maintain alkalinity loss.
>
> Yes, if alkalinity is disproporionately low compared to calcium,
> baking soda will help.
>
> > A calcium reactor is in my wish list
> > > ..but will have to wait a little while for it.
>
> If your calcium depletion rate is too high for kalk alone, I would
> reccommend that you use both the calcium reactor and kalk. There
> seems to be a bit of a kalk vs. CR war that I can't help thinking
> is misguided. Calcium reactors and kalkwasser offset each other's
> shortcomings.
>
> It's all in the power of *and* :)
>
> Regards,
> Ross
>
> -- Ross Bagley http://rossbagley.com/rba
> "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature...
> Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." -- Helen Keller
>