why is kalkwasser better then regular Ca-Water Chemistry - Page 2-3reef Forums

Covey · 08-22-2005, 12:47 PM

BL "I refer you to RHF's article HERE which indicates Kalkwasser as a balanced alk/ca additive. Calcium Chloride must be supplemented with a to-be-determined-by-your-system alk buffer, increasing cost and labor. I believe also, that you get a build up of ?chloride? (I cannot find the exact chemical right now) from using Calcium Chloride on a daily or regular basis.

The three balanced methods he offers are Kalk, CA/CO2 reactors, and 2 part solutions."

I am using B-ionic right now. That would be a balanced method. The Chloride from the Calcium Choride combines the Sodium in the second part the 2-part system to form common Sodium Chloride. It says so on the bottle. Over a LONG period of time that would raise SG but with skimmer losses I have never noticed a rise.

Phoshate: I would rather have the Macro Algae take care of that as it will drag a whole lot of other undresiable chemicals out of the water as it grows and limiting phoshates in other ways(Kalk, Phoshate removers) will stunt the algea growth.

Price: I get my B-ionic from Premium Aquatic $27.99 for 2 gallons. It last me like 3 months. So for like $9 a month I am done. Since I it dose Iodine and Iron and a whole sew of trace elemnet I don't have to dose anything else.

All and all I would have to agree with Jason though. CA reactor is the way to go. Now were did I leave my giant pile of money sitting.

Birdlady · 08-22-2005, 05:34 PM

Yes, Covey...that is a fine method. It does not work for me...?? don't know why.

My only point was that Kalk is not a step backward, as you had suggested. There are many ways to achieve specific goals. I use Kalk, and may dose a drop or two of iodine per month. That's it.

My chaeto is huge and I prune it monthly so I don't feel it is that great of an algae growth inhibitor at least as far as the macro algaes are concerned.

I have friends who run both CA and Kalk reactors together as well for calcium and pH and alkalinity stability.

inwall75 · 08-22-2005, 06:54 PM

I don't really care one way nor the other what manner people handle their Calcium and Alkalinity supplementation. EVERY single method has benefits and issues and my goal when discussing them with people is that they know both sides of the coin.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birdlady

I have friends who run both CA and Kalk reactors together as well for calcium and pH and alkalinity stability.

Actually this is what a lot of my friends do. Like BL said, the additional Calcium offsets the need to really push down the pH in the reactor to get more Calcium. (The biggest problem with really pushing Ca reactors is that reactor media has tons of Phosphorus in it so you are really putting more P into your tank than you need to). The only other issue with reactors can be their tendency to drive down pH. Kalk fixes this as well.

There is one thing that I have found on many boards that I want to point out. People are often using Seachem Marine Buffer interchangably with Seachem Reef Buffer. I'm sure it's because that's what their LFS's are selling only Marine Buffer. That's what all my LFS's carry. Seachem MARINE BUFFER IS FOR FOWLR TANKS....NOT REEF TANKS. For reef tanks, you should use Reef Buffer. I've spoken with Seachem chemists about this issue. (It was several years ago and I don't recall the reason why). I'm going to contact Rusty from Seachem and see if he can refresh my memory. They are very different formulations. If I cannot get ahold of Rusty, I'll PM Boomer.

Area 51 Exotics · 08-22-2005, 11:35 PM

I was looking to adding a Kalk reactor and wondering if anyone had any recomendations, Precision Marine or My Reef Creations?

Birdlady · 08-23-2005, 07:03 AM

I just got the Precision Marine and it is built like a brick... well, it is really built well! Easy to use as well. You will need a check valve tho (as I am sure, with any gravity fed one). When I had the reactor up high, the kalk kept flowing out into the tank. When I had it level with the sump, the kalk flowed back into the resevior bucket...

Other than figuring that part out, it works very well and was easy to set up.

Area 51 Exotics · 08-23-2005, 08:00 AM

Thanks Birdlady, that's the one I was leaning towards!

inwall75 · 08-23-2005, 08:29 AM

OK, I had it a little wrong although I could possibly see a build-up of Borate if you continued to use Marine Buffer in a reef tank.

Rusty said,

Quote:

Good question.....we actually get this one quite a bit. Any of our pH buffers/alkalinity supplements can be used in a reef as well as a FO aquarium. The answer to your question specifically pertains to what type of alkalinity each product targets. Our Marine Buffer influences pH by building all aspects of alkalinity (carbonate, bicarbonate & borate) while our Reef Buffer influences pH by targeting only carbonate alkalinity. Also keep in mind that our reef line of products is color coded. Everything with a blue label is a calcium supplement, everything with a purple label is a carbonate alkalinity supplement (including Reef Buffer, Reef Builder & Reef Carbonate), etc. There are even some differences between the purple labeled products as Reef Buffer is more influenced with carbonate salts while Reef Builder has a little more bicarbonate influence than the others.

Jason McKenzie · 08-23-2005, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birdlady

So Jason, are you saying your way is better than mine???

JK! Obviously there is more than one way to skin a cat!

Could you also define the advantages of a CA reactor Jason? I have never used one...I do know reefers that use both CA and Kalk reactors together tho...

Sorry I made a smart A$$ comment and then didn't write back. I was never able to archive "balanced chemistry" using buffers and such. I found kalk way too labour intensive, as I was unwilling at the time to invest the space in my living room for a big bucket of kalk mix to drip into the tank. So I was using the small Kent dosing jug that would constantly clog or get an air lock.
I went with a CA reactor and was able to get my CA up and the ALK. PH is a little low but stable so in my experience the Reactor (despite the cost) saves me a lot on maintenance and allows better water chemistry.
It is my view that stability is the key to keeping corals happy. when Buffers and dosing equipment are used it is very hard to maintain a constant stably water chemistry because you are always having to fiddle with your product. The CA Reactor once set stays relatively constant. No swings when you didn't have time to add buffer or mix Talk.

J

BTW. I'm thinking now that I have the room in setting up a Kalk top off

J

Covey · 08-26-2005, 06:03 PM

Okay I am as cheap as I am "discussive"

. I was at the supermarket and found that Mrs. Wages Pickling lime. The same kind Sue linked to earlier. It was $1.89 for 1 pound. At that price I will have to try it. For some reason they don't have reef dosing instructions listed on. So I was looking for a guideline on how much to dose?

Michaelr5 · 08-27-2005, 06:18 AM

1 Pickle = 20 Gallons water

Seriously, Birdladys reply #9 in this thread has a link that should help you out.

Here