kalkwasser solution

[djnzlab1]

Hi,
Well I tried to use the kalkwasser with vinegar solution it seemed to mess up the Ph and the ALK rather quickly, this cause a massive precip, then a sever calcium depletion. I allowed it to precip in the 1 gal container and then only slowly added the clear liquid.
I have the Ph fixed , the CA is 420 Alk is coming down. now how do we do this without the precip.
I don't want to crash agin the liquid calcium supplements isn't that expensive.
doug

[chrisANDbarb]

first i would not add vinegar to your Kalk unless you have a very high Ca/Alk demand.

just how fast(or slowly) did you add the kalk?

[djnzlab1]

HI,
I allowed it drip in very slowly in the sump, over several hours, it seemed to shoot the kh up and then the ph went up to around 8.5, then a calcium precip event occured that took my calicum down to 90mg/l
Not very pretty and my kh was off the scale.
Doug

[chrisANDbarb]

at what concentration did you mix the kalk? and how much vinegar did you add.

if your ph went up that high you most likely added too much or add it too fast.

how much mixed kalk did you add and how much water do you evaporate per day?

[djnzlab1]

hI,
I thought vinegar was used to prevent ph spikes high becuase of the naturally high ph of kaulk, so i added 45 mls to one gal of water with 1 tbsp of Caox the stuff they sell for pickles.
so there's the rest of the story.
Doug

[chrisANDbarb]

the ph of fully saturated Kalk(2teaspoons per gal) is 12.55. even at 1 teaspoon to a gal the ph is still 12.45. adding vinegar will have hardly any effect on the ph of kalk. people add vinegar so that they can add more kalk, deliver more ca/alk to the aquarium per dose.

if your ph is raising too high when you drip kalk you are adding too much are adding it too fast. try dripping it very slowly for 12 to 24 hours

how much of the kalk mixture did you add to the tank?

how much water evaporates from the tank per day?

[djnzlab1]

HI,
I now have found out that many people with lower needs only run the kalwasser as needed as little as once a week, So I will watch my calcium levels and may try it again when it starts to fall and when my Kh returns to normal
Doug
another problem was my mag dropped really low during the precip and this adds to the problem.
I think i now have a handle on it may continue to use that liquid Ca and buffer when my Kh finaly settles to a normal range.
Mag may be the critical element to prevent precip problems the lower the mag the calcium will become very unstable.

ps I know keep a water chem diary and check as often as daily till things are stable, I work in a lab setting once I understand the units we use in saltwater its a simple conversion from mg/dl to mg/L , for Ca, Mg, Phos.
That table someone pointed me too really help .

Chemistry and the Aquarium

[pshootr]

First off I hope you get it all figured out. Looks like a pretty useful article in the link you just provided. It will take me a long time to get all that through my head though! lol