The Unit Posted July 15, 2003 Share Posted July 15, 2003 I have a 15 gal nano and i would like to raise the calc and alk. i want to keep LPS corals but no i dont have the right calcium levels. i think i want to use kalk but i dont have a sump or a known way to drip it into my tank. So i might go with B-Ionc. Well which do u feel would be better foy my tank? i will have a large torch for my clowns to host and i have a small hammer, oh and sun polpys, and i want coraline....thanks for any help Link to comment
T?@7 Posted July 15, 2003 Share Posted July 15, 2003 B-ionic is really easy. Kalk is too, probably easiest if dripped. I vote for b-ionic if you are new to dosing your nano. Link to comment
fishbabies Posted July 15, 2003 Share Posted July 15, 2003 i made a drip bottle from a plastic water bottle with tubing poked through a hole in the cap, string to suspend the bottle upside down, and a carb hole in the bottom of the bottle that can be covered with electrical tape when the bottle is upright. i use one of those office pinch clips to clamp the tubing to regulate flow. you can also get an IV tube pincher from a med supply store or some pharmacies. it can be adjusted from a steady drip to one drip every 5-10 seconds. looks ugly, but i usually set it up when i leave for work Link to comment
Goliath Posted July 15, 2003 Share Posted July 15, 2003 I use ESV B-Ionic Alk and Calc mixes. I have had great success with this setup. My Fragspawn is growing great and my Xenia loves the constant 8.4 PH from the Slk dose. I have had the tank up and running for about 5 months now and my Coraline growth is really taking off. I have no tried the Kalkwasser way but I do know that gets great responses as well, but I like my B-Ionic. Link to comment
The Unit Posted July 16, 2003 Author Share Posted July 16, 2003 i am a bit nervouse as i cant really find a way to drip the kalkwasser in o my tank[i would love to- that way i could controll the evap plus dose my tank]....but i guess i really should find out where my levels are before i buy anything Link to comment
CalciumOverdose Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 calcium reactor's are for maintaining calcium if you wish to raise alk/kalk levels, its better to use buffers. here are some of additives you can use to raise your calcium level kent: liquid calcium liquid reactor turbo calcium seachem: reef advantage calcium reef calcium warner marine: concentrated calcium tropic marin: bio-calcium Kalkwasser: any brand works: and to maintain alk & calcium: kent tech CB ESV B-ionic two little fishies C- balance Link to comment
T?@7 Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 BTW- kalk doesnt RAISE calcium, it just holds it constant. Link to comment
Vincerama Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 Unit, I started dripping kalk about a week ago, my coralline is starting to spread now! Here is how I drip kalk. It's a peanut butter jar, a short length of airline tubing, an airline valve and some silicon aquarium sealant. I jut put the jar on top of my hood and drip it into the HOB filter... V Link to comment
Vincerama Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 Oh yeah,. the rubber band is just so I can lift the tube up to prevent drips without messing with the valve setting. I found that the kalk builds up a bit in it, so I drip some vinegar/water through it when it looks whitish. The coke can is there for size comparison. I really don't get much more evaporation per day than that little jar can hold. V Link to comment
Vincerama Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 ACtually, I think that kalk DOES raise calcium. I say this based on the fact that I checked levels, dosed for a few days, then checked again. Went from 320 (too low) to 420. Keep in mind that the calc test I was using has a granularity of 20 and the colours are a bit hard for me to determine, but I'm fairly sure I'm right. (my opinion, not hard fact!) The period of time it takes to drip that small jar depends on drip rate, you really have to try it out. I set it low (1 drip per 2 seconds or so) to last the night. What is actually important is how much water is being replaced. What you can do is take the (clean) jar, close the valve, then dip it into the tank. It will displace water. Push the jar into the water until the water level is where you want it. Take note of how far the jar is in the water, you can approximate that you have to fill the jar to that level with kalk to bring your water back up to your desired level! If you ate TWO jars of peanut butter, then you can keep one clean (without the drip line, etc) and use IT to displace water to determine amount of kalk to drip. Eventually, you will figure out how much to fill it for a days worth. Obviously it doesn't HAVE to be peanut butter! (oh, and it's a plastic jar and I drilled a vent hole in the jar lid so that the jar actually drips! Have fun! I'm pretty sure my coralline is better for it! I just got a 30 pound bag of aragonite too, so I'm going to load my (not yet installed) sump with it to further help with the alk/calc! V Link to comment
T?@7 Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 Sounds good! Im gonna start to drip pretty soon i believe. Link to comment
Toooloud Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 Kalk, can raise your Cal levels.. But not really intended to.. the ideal if Dripping Kalwasser mix is to replenish the Cal that your corals are eatting up, Ideally you want to get your tank to the levels ( Cal , ALK and Ph) that you want.. then drip the Kalk with your evaporation water to keep the levels up.. takes some time.. most start off with 1 teaspoon per gallon of water and move up from there as neeeded.. In my 35G tank i drip 1 1/2 teaspoons of KALK with the topup water and it keeps me a steady 420 Cal, and its great. Link to comment
brad_gholson Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 i think i have read that kalk and aragonite dont work good together. i could be wrong but i think i have heard something about that Link to comment
Toooloud Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 i have a Aragonite Crushed coral DSB, and i have no issues with it! Link to comment
The Unit Posted July 16, 2003 Author Share Posted July 16, 2003 thanks for the help all...i think what i am going to do is start off with b-ionic and some safealert test kits to get my calcium and alk where i want it, and while i am doing this makes some sort of dripper to replenish the evap. And when i feel this is working rather well i will move over to kalk to hold the calcium and have a nice tank....thanks to all again Link to comment
Vincerama Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 I read about aragonite and kalkwasser as well... An article by Tom Miller I think the key is not to overdose, otherwise the two can live in harmony. Basically, if you overdose, the calcium carbonate will precipitate and bind the aragonite together. Well, I actually wanted the arag sand for a nicer tank substrate, to mix with the live sand I have in there already (10 pounds of substrate is not actually enough for a 10g, in my opinion). But since I'm adding a sump, I thought I'd toss some aragonite in there as well, so I can put my spare LR (ie; my tank is crowded, but I don't want to toss anything!) in there and hopefully the pods will thrive in the sump/fuge. V Link to comment
chvynva916 Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 Something important to note: Kalk should be dosed SLOWLY. I dose my about a drop every second or two in my 10 gal tank. Dosed too quickly it will have the reverse effect on your tank (ca will precipitate out). Link to comment
fishbabies Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 yes....DOSE VERY SLOWLY....and keep your eyes on your LR and equipment for any snow looking stuff that might collect.....i dose at one drop for every 10-15 seconds Link to comment
CalciumOverdose Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 Originally posted by T?@7 BTW- kalk doesnt RAISE calcium, it just holds it constant. i beg to differ.. kalkwasser ...Calcium hydroxide is one of the purest form of calcium.. because of its high level of Ph (12 – 12.5), it is recommended to be dripped. so depending on your current calcium levels, it may be recommended to drip more to raise your calcium.. Link to comment
Brooklyn Johnny Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 I now dose both B-Ionic and kalkwasser in my nano. I'm up to 12 mLs a day of B-ionic on top of the ~ 1/2 gallon full strength kalk (1 teaspoon per gallon) I drip per night. Originally I started with the B-ionic. I didn't move to kalk until I got my pH meter on my nano, which is a good investment in my opinion. I started with a more dilute solution of kalk, and slowly moved up to full strength. I then found that it could not keep up, and I've slowly had to increase the dosage to insane amounts. My pH tends to fluctuate much faster than on any of my larger tanks, and especially when dosing kalk. The amount that drips into my nano amounts to about 1 drip every two seconds. I stress again the pH meter. My pH has risen to dangerous levels a couple of times, once up to 8.9 after a forgotten drip. Wheter or not kalk will raise/maintain/lower your calcium and alkalinity levels depends entirely on uptake. In certain situations it raises, and in certain situations it doesn't (as is the point I got to). I too recommend you start with B-ionic. In the future you could move on to kalkwasser, starting with a dilute solution to be on the safe side. Kalkwasser offers many added benefits. I drip at night and this results in a more stable pH through a 24 hour period. Also, it will precipitate out phosphates, one of the reasons that kalk tanks have insane coralline growth. Good luck with your B-ionic... Johnny Link to comment
myelin Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 Originally posted by Vincerama Unit, I started dripping kalk about a week ago, my coralline is starting to spread now! Here is how I drip kalk. It's a peanut butter jar, a short length of airline tubing, an airline valve and some silicon aquarium sealant. I jut put the jar on top of my hood and drip it into the HOB filter... V I went looking for an airline valve today, but didn't see ont at PetCo, Petsmart, or the LFS. Where can I get one of those boogers? Link to comment
Skeezer Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 Koolaid, I picked up something of the sort at a Super Walmart in the garden center area--they have a little section for a water-drip system. One of the items is t-valve thing similar to what Vince pictured and it works quite well Link to comment
myelin Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 Cool, I need to go grocery shopping today, so I'll pick one up then. Thanks. Link to comment
myelin Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 Just FYI, I was in PetCo the other day, and in the reptile section, they have a container that is a water dripping system. It has a green top, and comes with an adjustable valve and tubing. The price was $6.99, and came with everything you would need. I might pick that up if I can't find this valve. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.