Kalkwasser use how long?

abigtroutt · 07-01-2006, 10:41 AM

How long do you use Kalkwasser? I read that you should stop use for a time then start back up again. What are some effects from useing too long and what do you do during the break? And for what amount of time do you use for before the break and how long of a break do you take?

zxcv123 · 07-01-2006, 10:44 AM

most people have a continuois drip of it that serves as topp off.

abigtroutt · 07-01-2006, 10:47 AM

I have it in my top off but I heard you should stop for a break because prolong use could cause problems.....I just dont know what problems or if I was told wrong

charlie · 07-01-2006, 10:54 AM

I drip 24/7 and have been for about 2 years. I have never heard about taking a break. The only thing you should do is take the time to clean your pumps, as the Ca buildup can cause problems.

Hendersonracing · 07-01-2006, 11:00 AM

what is the best drip system to buy??/.does anyone have any websites to look at....thats the daily topp of??/ a slow drip with the calcium supplement?

abigtroutt · 07-01-2006, 11:07 AM

Joe, I love your tank !!!! How much water do you loose a day? I made my auto top off but with a 210 gal tank a 5 gal auto top off may be to small. Do you have room above the tank or do you need to put it below?

charlie · 07-01-2006, 11:09 AM

I made mine from a 5 gallon IO bucket and a couple of John Guest fittings, cost about 5 bucks. My buddy gave me an IV drip from the hospital and away I went. I don't use mine for all my topoff. It being summer, I am evaporating 8-9 gallons a day as it is.

Hendersonracing · 07-01-2006, 11:37 AM

it is really cold in my basement probably around 68 degrees....my tank stay with my hilides and atinics on 79-81 It will evaporate around 5-6 gallons per day from what I can tell...Thanks for the compliments...this is our first big tank and boy...alot of work...how does the kalkwasser work on the drop system....do you just put the additive in and mix it like the bottle says and let it drip all the time?

charlie · 07-01-2006, 11:51 AM

That's about the size of it. I go thru 4 gallons of kalk every day and half to 2 days. Let it drip slowly at first, you definitly don't want to OD on kalk, it's ph is about 13.

VWD · 07-01-2006, 01:13 PM

Drip 24/7, I still have a top off , I don't drip that much to make up for top off

tdwyatt · 07-01-2006, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abigtroutt

How long do you use Kalkwasser? I read that you should stop use for a time then start back up again. What are some effects from useing too long and what do you do during the break? And for what amount of time do you use for before the break and how long of a break do you take?

You should use kalkwasser 24/7, running it into the tank at a rate that will balance evaporative losses using the clear supernatant part of the suspension. Look up/google neilssen reactors for a good means of using kalk. The photo here is a softie system with about 4 years of continuous use at the time of the photo:

This system was set up primarily as mixed species tank with mostly lagoonal conditions; only about 30% stonies and most of them were LPS types, the rest were octocorals, zoanthids, and corallimorphs.

Hendersonracing · 07-01-2006, 02:39 PM

how long should you wait on a new tank to use kalk

tims · 07-01-2006, 02:54 PM

joe how long has yoru tank been running? are all other levels pretty normal now?

tdwyatt · 07-01-2006, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hendersonracing

how long should you wait on a new tank to use kalk

If you have organisms that use calcium in your system, then once the tank has cycled and is stable, you can start the kalk drip.

I have in the past used a large reservoir (7 gal bucket) with a pwerhead (maxijet 400) mounted so the intake is above the bottom at about 2 to 3 cm and the outlet attached to a flexible vinyl hose and routed to a high flow rea of the sump. The powerhead is plugged into a float switch, with the switch mounted in the sump to cut on when the level in the sump drops. The outlet for the hose/kalkwasser is attached to a length of 1" PVC with the base slotted to allow for dilution of the kalkwasser, yet providing a vacuum break at the top of the PVC pipe so the hose will not siphon the entire contents of the kalkwasser reservoir into the sump once the pump cuts off. Dump fresh kalkwasser into the reservoir every 3 to 4 days, preparing it freshly in a separate bucket and allowing it to settle for 6 hours prior to pouring off the clear solution into the top off reservoir.

Some folks just refill the water in the reservoir and dump the powdered lime into the reservoir, but I don't think that is necessarily the safest thing to do for your system.

HTH

Hendersonracing · 07-01-2006, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tims

joe how long has yoru tank been running? are all other levels pretty normal now?

up 14 days now....

ammonia 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 5
ph 8.3

Im still trying to figure out how to read the alkalinity and calcium...but from the looks of the reading I think they are pretty close....

what do you think?