Unexpected benefits of Kalk dosing

[ReeferMatt]

So my tank has changed a lot in an effort to rid it of red slime, new t5 bulbs, more circulation via korilla 1050's and Kalk drip dosing. I have only been dosing for three days and I can not believe how clear my water is now, not to mention how much skimate my skimmer is pulling!!! I'm sure it is a combination of things but my tank is looking great.... now I just need to finish off the last of the dreaded cyano!! my only concern is I have redirected my return line so it blasts straight down behind my rock work to eliminate a dead spot, but now I have very little surface movement. Am I hindering gas exchange this way?

 

[jahmic]

Though it's difficult to quantify exactly how much you may be inhibiting gas exchange at the surface...in short, yes, that's a possibility.

That being said, gas exchange at the surface of the water in order to off-gas CO2 at night and introduce oxygen into the system will only bring those levels to the point that they are in equilibrium with the air in your room. Exactly how much surface agitation you need to do this is pretty difficult to determine. If you want to actually measure if there are any ill effects from the changes you made, you could check your pH. If you don't have a monitor, my suggestion would be to check your pH at the same time each night for a few days, then point your powerhead back at the surface and repeat the testing.

If your fish aren't looking stressed then low O2 shouldn't be an issue...and if your pH isn't swinging too much at night, no need to worry about not being able to off-gas enough CO2.

Grats on having things come together...always feels good.

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

Kalk is a great thing when implemented properly. Aaron "wicked demon" would welcome you to the "church"

 

[Wicked Color]

Indeed, it was a small cult at first, but a church it now is, and we welcome all who wish to reap the benefits of a well maintained reef!
(lol thanks for the ref MIke)

 

[ReeferMatt]

I'm a believer!! I am however toying with the idea of raising my KH with baking soda as well (mine is 7).... I just read that you shouldn't raise the KH by more than 2 points in a 24 hour period, and 1 teaspoon of Baking soda per 27 gallons of saltwater will raise the KH by 2..... but I am not finding much info besides that. I assume one drips it mixed with water, but then the question is how much water do I need to reach saturation, or is slurry ok, and do I bake the baking soda in the oven first (as I read something about that being better).... hmmmmm, and what will this do to my pH?

 

[Cake_Boss]

Check out my Sig, "2-part" you'll find the answers to your questions in the links. I think, baking soda lowers pH while baked baking soda raises pH. I may have those backwards.

 

[ReeferMatt]

Thanks!! That's what I needed to know! Finding ways to improve my tank husbandry with cheap household products is also improving my wife-husbandry (as the wife seems to cringe every time I pull out the debit card at the LFS for supplements)

 

[jahmic]

Thanks!! That's what I needed to know! Finding ways to improve my tank husbandry with cheap household products is also improving my wife-husbandry (as the wife seems to cringe every time I pull out the debit card at the LFS for supplements)

This is exactly why you have to do what THEY do. Order online, ship it to your work, and hide the [shoe]box in the back of the stand [closet]!

 

[ReeferMatt]

This is exactly why you have to do what THEY do. Order online, ship it to your work, and hide the [shoe]box in the back of the stand [closet]!

Hahaha!!! AWESOME!!

 

[that0neguy1126]

Baking soda by itself will actually lower your PH. When I was using 2 part I would use one of the glass 9x9 cooking pans and bake the baking soda. There are a couple of calculators out there that will tell you how much to use and how much water to mix it with.

 

[Walter White]

Everything you need to know. The baking soda portion is about half way down.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

 

[ReeferMatt]

So today, 2 hours after a 15% water change my levels were pH 8.2 (lights still off) KH 9 and Calc 420. Since yesterday I have raised my KH by 2 points so I should expect a slight drop in calcium? Should I buy a supplement to get my calcium up to 450, then maintain with Kalkwasser, or is 420 fine?

 

[Haulin Oates]

I personally like my calcium up at 450 but you are in "the acceptable range"

 

[Walter White]

my CA rarely goes over 420 and I have coralline starting to plate.

 

[ReeferMatt]

I was a little nervous that bumping my KH up 2 points dropped my Calcium from 460 to 420, but I'm not going to sweat it...

 

[aztecdreams]

My Ca is right around 420 and I have tons of coralline

 

[ReeferMatt]

So I pointed my return back up and the day/night pH swings are much more stable, although now my ph is high enough (8.3) in the evening that dripping saturated Kalk worries me a bit. I looked into adding vinegar to my Kalk but am worried that it feeds bacteria, and what that means in a tank with a bit of a red cyano bacteria problem.... I may just finish off my dosing today and skip a day to see what it does to my levels. Perhaps I would be better off dosing every other night... any thoughts?