[SteveP]

Hi all,

Having finally bit the bullet and ordered a proper dosing pump for my 75, I was wading through some articles that read more like chemistry primers than reefkeeping advice, particularly around the dosing of Kalkwasser.

I intend to dose Kalkwasser in my makeup water. It is dropped into the sump right where the incoming flow from the display tank enters, so a highly agitated area of the sump with plenty of water flow and air mixing. My tank loses less than a gallon of water a day to evaporation etc, so I will be dripping only what is required to maintain the level in the sump (after some fine tuning).

Question : Is it worth mixing the kalkwasser with vinegar prior to dripping ? Some articles I read extoll the virtues of this approach as giving a better ion balance, more free carbon for NO2 -> N2 respiration, less calcium carbonate precipitation etc. Given that I will be dripping so little, should I even bother ? I must admit I have never done it this way before.

Basically I am aiming to push the Calcium levels up to about 400 or so (they are currently at about 350-360) and then maintain them there. Tank is very lightly stocked with mostly live rock and a couple damsels at present. Ultimate goal is mainly softs and a few LPS.

Steve

[Ninong]

Steve,

I wouldn't bother adding vinegar to your limewater unless you are already at a point where fully saturated limewater (2 tsps calcium hydroxide per gallon of R.O./D.I. water) being used as the sole replacement for evaporation is unable to keep up with calcification demands in your tank. At that point it might be useful to add vinegar to the R.O./D.I. water before adding the calcium hydroxide to increase the solubility of the calcium hydroxide. This tip originally came from Dr. Craig Bingman in an article he wrote several years ago. I would start with one Tbsp of vinegar per gallon of water and see how that works out. If necessary you could move up to two Tbsp per gallon. I believe the maximum is three Tbsp per gallon but his article is no longer available online so I can be 100% certain of that, I'm only about 95% certain.

I almost forgot to say that you would need to increase the amount of calcium hydroxide per gallon above the recommended 2 tsps per gallon so that there will be some extra to take advantage of the vinegar. I suppose 1 Tbsp per gallon should be sufficient.

If your calcium right now is at 350-360 ppm, you might want to add a little calcium chloride or some of the calcium component of one of the two-part additives for awhile until you reach 400 ppm, then the Kalkwasser will maintain your level.

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by Ninong

Steve,

I wouldn't bother adding vinegar to your limewater unless you are already at a point where fully saturated limewater (2 tsps calcium hydroxide per gallon of R.O./D.I. water) being used as the sole replacement for evaporation is unable to keep up with calcification demands in your tank. At that point it might be useful to add vinegar to the R.O./D.I. water before adding the calcium hydroxide to increase the solubility of the calcium hydroxide. This tip originally came from Dr. Craig Bingman in an article he wrote several years ago. I would start with one Tbsp of vinegar per gallon of water and see how that works out. If necessary you could move up to two Tbsp per gallon. I believe the maximum is three Tbsp per gallon but his article is no longer available online so I can be 100% certain of that, I'm only about 95% certain.

I almost forgot to say that you would need to increase the amount of calcium hydroxide per gallon above the recommended 2 tsps per gallon so that there will be some extra to take advantage of the vinegar. I suppose 1 Tbsp per gallon should be sufficient.

If your calcium right now is at 350-360 ppm, you might want to add a little calcium chloride or some of the calcium component of one of the two-part additives for awhile until you reach 400 ppm, then the Kalkwasser will maintain your level.

Thanks - I'll think on that some. I'm still working out the evaporation rate etc for the tank (and considering losing the glass shields on the top under the hood which will up the evaporation rate too), so exactly how strong a kalk mix will be needed is still unclear.

Appreciate the info

Steve

[Poseidon]

When i started using Lime I erred on the side of caution too. i would say go slow, start with a Tbs of lime in your make up water, then test the next day, if you are increasing GREAT, keep adding teh Tbs until you get to where you want it, then start backing off. I am currently adding 1 tsp to maintain 425 ppm Ca and 8 dKh.