Help regulating alk in 12 gallon tank

[fronty]

12 gallon Fluval edge

 

 

I've been having issues maintaining alk levels in this tank. It has dropped all the way to 5dkh. I have been increasing alk by dosing baking soda. I then tried o maintain it with kalkwasser (1tsp per gallon), but it did not maintain. I think it is due to not having much evaporation. I was using the drip method. My tank only loses about 1 to 2 cups a day.

 

Since the kalkwasser wasn't working, I switched to daily dosing of baking soda. I dose about 1/8tsp a day to maintain alk of 8 dkh. I hate to do a daily dose. I'd prefer the kalkwasser method. I would like a more automated process, since I will miss a day here and there if I'm out of town.

 

What are my options? Should I try to just add a more concentrated dose of Kalkwasser? I guess I could go with a 2 part system with a doser, but that is a lot of equipment for a small tank.

[sangheili]

Whats in the tank? Hard corals? Clams? Growing coraline?

 

You basically have three options: 1) Kalk, 2) 2-part, 3) Calc reactor.

 

Calc reactor obviously wont work for the tank size so you need to either dose 2part or kalk. Remember that alk/calc/mag are consumed in "usually" a very exact ratio so if the tank is consuming alk it will also be consuming the other two, but at what appears to be a slower rate because their concentrations in seawater are much higher.