agaramilk or c-balance?

[zaireguy]

Hi All

I need to switch to something besides liquid cal. My wife doesnt want the lime setting around due to our kids and the dust.And hey she is cool with all my reef so I said ok

I want to switch to agaramilk or c-balance or something like that and advice? And my 75 gallon sump gets started soon...yeah
Ron

[cyberchef]

I've tried both "Aragamilk" and Kent "liquid reactor". I don't know if it was due to the young age of my tank or some other reason but I kept getting cyano outbreaks everytime I used either product.

[rnsmith]

I like B-Ionic from ESV http://www.esvco.com/. It is about twice as concentrated as C-Balance - which, as i understand it, is a "knock-off" of B-Ionic. Call ESV. They are a very helpful and knowledgable company.

[Doug1]

I found I got better results with Bi-ionic than the C balance or the Kent liquid 2 part. The aragomite or powdered micro ground coral doesnt dissolve at normal tank pH so most of what you pay a lot for winds up as fine sediment

[Pirate]

Well I know that this is one of those questions that when you are done you still are going to have to go with your personal choice and all the post that you may receive here will be varied, so why not add my 2 cents. I have used the two part stuff also and have no real complaints, it worked. I now prefer to use Aragamight, it's easy, it's cost effective, it's safe... I find that if you follow the directions on the container, (mix let settle and use top, clear water) it does not cloud your water. I simply add it to my fill water and my calcium is 430, and alk is stable. You'll need to give all of them a shot just to see what you prefer.

[maphew]

has anyone else had any luck or anything with the liquid reactor. i know i can use it in conjunction with tech cb, but it is not easy to use alone.

[thebigblue]

my vote is for the esv b-ionic...

after alot of research on the BB's, its what i found to be the most popular and easiest to use....

the only knock on it is that it can get a little pricey on bigger tanks...

i dose 60ml a day on my 125 gal...

FWIW

brad

[cyberchef]

I just switched to kalk 2 weeks ago and so far it's been great. My corals are growing better than ever and everything just looks happier and healthier. I made a dripper out of a [plastic jug and some plastic fittings from lowes and a plastic air regulator valve for an aquarium air pump and it works great and is very easy to adjust. I definately prefer it to anything else I've used up until now (liquid calcium/turbo calcium/aragamilk and kent liquid reactor) and "pickling lime" is cheap.

[Doug1]

The trick with kalk seems to be get levels up with 2 part then drip kalk to maintain
Don are you using a 2 stage design with a kalk filled prechamber to remove CO2 from room air?

[cyberchef]

nope, just a jug with a couple of fittings. I'm hoping to get a kalk reactor later, but this will have to do for now. I premix the kalk in a gallon container with a lid and then let it settle. After it settles I pour it into the "drip jug" place it under the stand over the sump and adjust it to slow drip the lime water into the sump.

[Doug1]

Ah , OK I misread the airpump valve part
I saw an airpump powered setup that used 2 kalk filled jars, air blows into first and bubbles up thru kalk, CO2 forms calc carbonate, etc then the now CO2 stripped air flows into main reservoir and forces kalk into sump

[cyberchef]

Originally posted by Doug1
Ah , OK I misread the airpump valve part
I saw an airpump powered setup that used 2 kalk filled jars, air blows into first and bubbles up thru kalk, CO2 forms calc carbonate, etc then the now CO2 stripped air flows into main reservoir and forces kalk into sump

That sounds nice but mine is a little simpler... lol Here are pics of my fancy 2 part kalk dripper, the mixer and the dispencer...

[Doug1]

Just curious, have you checked pH of the kalk towards the last of the batch. IV bag style dispencers are used to keep room air from contaminating the kalk. If it drips out fast enough it might not be a problem. I used to use a 5g topp off and I noticed a lot of precipitate building up in the jug

[cyberchef]

Originally posted by Doug1
Just curious, have you checked pH of the kalk towards the last of the batch. IV bag style dispencers are used to keep room air from contaminating the kalk. If it drips out fast enough it might not be a problem. I used to use a 5g topp off and I noticed a lot of precipitate building up in the jug

No I haven't. I drip aproximately 1 gallon a day, overnight (6-8 hours or so) to meet the evaporation rate. Once I move the drain line for the reugium from the top of the tank to the sump I'll probably be able to drip a little more as I will be able to uncover the top of the tank on both sides. Right now there are too many bubbles caused by the drains from the refugium to be able to uncover the right side of the top of the tank. I have not noticed much precipitate in the bottom of the jug and there is always about 1 cup of lime water that can't drain out. I do know that my corals and the tank overall seem to love it, I've gotten as much (maybe even a bit more) growth on my purple montis in the past 2 weeks as I had in the previous 3 weeks before I started the kalk drip. Also all of the other corals and inhabitants just seem healthier.

I also have a new jug to use as a drip container. It has a large mouth openong at the top with a lid. The cider jug, I had to cut the top to get my hand inside to tighten down the fittings. Changing the jugs might not make much difference, but it certainly can't hurt. It would at least keep the amount of new air entering the jug to a minimum.

[zaireguy]

I know of some that do not siphon any water off the top they just throw it in mix it up and add it to the tank with out any worries can this be done this way?
thanks
Ron