Questions about Kalk. and alk.

[cdemeritt]

Hello all,

These questions are going to make me sound like a newbie, but things have changed in resent years and some point along the way I missed something.

1. A reletivily new product that has come onto the market in recent years is the two part calcium doser. This is something that I haven't used, and know little about. I, years ago, started with Kalkwasser. This is a pain. the mixing, the waiting, the seperating. I switched to the kent liquid calcium, which is Cacl2. My chemistry is a little weak, but I think this will throw the ionic balance off over time by adding the -Cl ion but not any +Na ions after the +Ca is used up. So I went back to Kalk. The question is then a: is there a easy was to seperate the limewater from the topcrust and the stuff that settles out? b: how long can it be kept. can I keep 2 weeks worth after making it up?

2. This is another "new" development, the Alk test. From what I remember Ph was the measure of (7.1 -14) alkinity or (1-6.9)acidity with 7 being neutral. could someone explain about this a little further? Ok, so I'm a little behind, but basically when I test, I test Ph and dKh. how do these tests react to alk?


Thanks.
Chris

p.s. So far things have been going good, even with these gaps in my knowlage. I took my water to a LFS (Inland reefs) for independant testing, and The results were better than I could have hoped for after 3 years of running. SG 1.025 (my target), PH8.2, Alk 3.21(they say this is good), Ammonia 0.0 ,nitrite .02 (not unexpected, had just added 6 new fish the week before) nitrate 1.0, Phosphate 0.0, Ca 396

[wanareef]

I use kalkwasser for topping off and raising the ph when it's low in the am. Since I have not been able to start on a calicum reactor, I have been dosing Kent B-ionic the two part, and dose even amounts. And also using Turbo Calcium. Sure is expensive.

I use to just make up a small batch of kalk and just dump it in the tank. Have had no problems - at all. Mike aka Mojoreef makes up his kalk by the barrel full and just takes it out of that by way of a pump and doesn't worry about the crusting. IMO there is no real expiration date, just as long as it still has the same alk as when you first made it up.

This is my kalk reactor that I made but it's not fully automated yet, that barrel behind is a 40 gal trash can that I have to fill up twice a week for evaporation. I'll hook it up to an ro/di soon- tired of hauling water. I use ESV kalkwasser- very fine powder and dissolves or mixes with water very quickly. Balls pickling lime is too course and leaves too much residue for my taste.

My chemistry is bad too, but just know where the reading should be. Have not had the time to read the Chemsitry articles on RC yet and retain what I have read.

[Superfly]

Most recommend using Kalkwasser within a week after mixing it. However, Randy-Holmes Farley (the chemistry guru over on ReefCentral) says that Kalk doesn't degrade as quickly as people think. Longer storage may be OK (especially if you avoid exposure to air). Personally, I try to use mine up within a week. I mix mine in a 5 gallon jug which has a nozzle on it. From that, I fill up a one gallon jug each night. The one gallon jug has IV tubing stuck in it to drip the Kalk into my tank at night. I think it's a very simple procedure -- no messes.

The Alkalinity measure you are asking about is not the same as the pH measurement of acidity/alkalinity. The fact that both are called "alkalinity" confused me too at first. Basically, alkalinity is a measure of carbonate and bicarbonate hardness -- this measurement is an indicator of how well your water can maintain stable pH levels.
HTH,
Superfly