How should I dose?

[rbaby]

How should I dose my tank? I am unfamiliar with Kalk and Alk and all that stuff. I just use this trace-elements bottle and put a drop or two in my tank. I am also unfamiliar with what buffering means and how I can keep my pH stable at 8.2?

[cornstar]

1. Test Ca, KH

2. Add the required amount of calcium and carbonate hardness generator (CaCO3) to get the optimun levels.

 

A good KH will help maintain a good pH.

 

Trace elements are good to add, but Ca and KH are more important.

[Cha'son redfish]

rbaby,

 

I'm a relative newcomer to reefs (6 months or so) but I've kept freshwater stuff for eons, so I can help you with the alk and buffering, and share my experience with the kalk and trace elements.

 

1) Alk refers to "alkalinity" which is another way of saying "carbonate hardness" or "buffering". All the same. Some kits test and give results in dKH (a German shorthand for carbonate hardness) or in meq/l (milli-equivalents per liter). Basically these two figures tell you how much carbonate and bicarbonate you have in the water. This is VERY important b/c many corals and corraline algae need carbonate. I prefer a dKH around 10. More than that and you're on a slippery slope, too much is NOT always good. Safe, in my experience, up to about 18dKH.

 

Carbonate also *helps* keep pH near 8.2-8.4. It reacts with acids produced by the animals and neutralizes them. High alk does not mean "good pH" though.

 

2) Kalk is kalkwasser, which is german for "limewater" or "chalkwater". Don't dump $10 for a half-pound of kalk. Go to the grocery store and buy a 1 lb can of Ball brand Pickling Lime for $2. Same thing (some bicker over quality, it works just fine!!!). Basically it's all calcium hydroxide. Take a gallon of cold tap water (or purified RO/DI water if you have it), add a spoonful of kalk, shake a little to mix (there will be white stuff on the bottom), let it settle for an hour, and dose LIGHTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I use a 6 oz plastic butter cup with a couple pinholes in it to dose kalk solution. The water/kalk mix is very, very high in pH and will demolish your animals if you dose too heavy (if the cup has a stream instead of rapid drops of fluid, you're pushing it).

 

3) Trace elements---- some otherwise reputable companies make what I consider "junk food" for your reef. Do your research wisely. I trust anything made by "Two Little Fishes", a company ran by Julian Sprung, probably the world's most competant reef keeper (a true pro, the harvard of the aquarium trade).

I'd personally NOT use trace elements other than a calcium supplement (because you can, and MUST MEASURE calcium levels, and you can't measure trace elements).

 

Remember that cholesteral is a "trace element" of sorts, for humans. But you certainly don't want to eat a pound of it a day. Regular (biweekly) water changes with a good grade salt will do all you need.