Calcium and Alkalinity. How do I bring them up?

[TinFury]

Ok Here are my params now.
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
PH 8.4

Calcium 350pp
Alkalinity 80ppm

How do you guys recommend I bring both Calcium and Alkalinity up in a blanced fashion. I have kalkwasser, should i just drip this? I figure if I bring Calc up with the Kalkwasser I'll be dropping my Alk... Is this so?

Do I need a 2 part Calcium/Alkalinity suppliment to bring them both up first and then start dripping the Kalk? Help I think this is the reason I can't keep snails.

[Tangster]

Well K/W is good but once started there is no stopping ..And its not a magic bullet or a use and forget deal either and lots of trouble unless you use a reactor. With average load and demand I'd use a simple buffer and Calcium additive.. Make your own buffer if you want and use Dow flakes also or you can use Kent's turbo Calcium and reef buffer.

To make a good high quality buffer just mix 4 parts Arm and Hammer bicarbonate to 1 part boraxo Laundry booster and you can get a large bag of Dow flakes for a lot less then turbo ca.

Unless you have a really high demand for these additives I'd not mess with the K/W and even then you have to kick the K/W up every once in awhile when the demand is high . I slurry Kalk and still have to help it out with Ca and Buffer I'm going to get a dual chamber reactor in the next few days I have a CO'2 tank now on the truck to get this morning. We have such a huge demand I can't keep it nearly as stable as I'd like with Kalk and boosters ..

I can test it at say 8:00 AM and the Ca will be at 500 and the Carbonates at 15 DK and that evening at 8:00 Pm the C will be at 380 and DK at 12 or less. Thats what you need to do is find out the total demand for a few weeks to see what you need.

[Otty]

Originally Posted by TinFury

How do you guys recommend I bring both Calcium and Alkalinity up in a blanced fashion. I have kalkwasser, should i just drip this? I figure if I bring Calc up with the Kalkwasser I'll be dropping my Alk... Is this so?

Do I need a 2 part Calcium/Alkalinity suppliment to bring them both up first and then start dripping the Kalk? Help I think this is the reason I can't keep snails.

Read this article and it will explain some of the chemistry of Alk, Cal, Mg & PH Chemistry and the Aquarium I am by no means a marine biologist so this article cleared up some gray area I had with the relationship of all the chemicals.

[TinFury]

Otty that's the guide I've been using. I'm in "Corrections for Zone 2" I see the guy say that one of the ways to move into the red zone are by adding limewater (kalkwasser). I have this. My question is can I just drip the kalkwasser alone?

What I'm really asking is if the Kalkwasser will raise me alkalinity as well as calcium?

[TinFury]

AHhhhhh finally found the missing piece of this argument. That link you gave Otty and this one come together to make the big picture.

Calcium and Alkalinity: Methods to Achieve Proper Levels

[nemo79]

you could use esv bionic. it's a 2 part additive. I have used this and it works and it's easy. Kalk intimidates me so I prefer the liquid additives.