new to kalk

[adamRS80]

I'm planning on starting to use kalk with a simple Kent drip system. Right now I'm using B-ionic and my tank is fine but I know that something about Kalk helps keep algae in control, and help with coral growth. Is there any reason why I shouldn't get into it? Other than keeping at eye on my PH, what else do I need to monitor? My last question is what exactly does kalk supply to the tank? I've always added calcium, alk buffer, in some form or another...currently B-ionic. I think it's the alkalinity but I'd like to know for sure. If so can I continue to use the Calcium supplement of B-ionic? My tank is mainly SPS, and some clams. One other random question...how hot is too hot for tank temp? My tank fluctuates between 80 and 85 during the summer. Jim Norris told me his tank was consistantly around 85-86 but I worry that my tank is a little warm. Is this ok?

[StephenA]

I use kalk to maintain CA. I drip Ms. Wage's Pickling Lime about every other day from a HEB milk jug. It keeps my CA at 420. I add Kents SuperBuffer when my Alk gets low. Other than those 2 I don't add anything else to the tank.

I keep my temp at 80-82. I'll buy a chiller when if I ever go over 82.

[matt]

Depending on the animals in your tank, 85F is usually not a problem, but it will cause a general increase in bio-activity on your tank. Also, O2 saturation is lower at higher temps, so make sure you're either using a skimmer or otherwise aerating your water well.

For kalk, there are a number of ways to dose effectively. The nice thing about KW as opposed to 2 part systems is that kalk does not add chloride ions to your tank, and it's high ph tends to neutralize acids that would otherwise deplete your carbonate ions (alkalinity). The theory about kalk helping with algae is that most nuisance algae supposedly prefer a lower ph.

Ultimately, most people that use kalk for their primary form of calcium and carbonate replenishment find that a kalk reactor, which is essentially a big cylinder that keeps the kalk stirred and out of contact with air, is the most convenient way to delivering it to your tank. As far as what KW puts into your tank, it's basically a balanced supply of calcium ions and carbonate ions, the latter through the reaction of hydroxide ions and carbon dioxide. (kalk is calcium hydroxide) One thing, potentially good and bad, is that the addition of kalk really cuts down on the carbon dioxide in your tank, which is needed for photosynthesis during the day. For this reason, many people tend to drip kalk at night, when all the animals are producing carbon dioxide. There's a lot of stuff written about this on the web; see if you can find some of Randy Holmes-Farley's articles.

In terms of supplying ALOT of calcium and carbonate to a tank with lots of fast growing SPS and clams, nothing beats a calcium reactor, which uses carbon dioxide to dissolve calcium carbonate in a cylinder to provide the tank with a constant drip of highly concentrated calcum and carbonate.

[StephenA]

As far as how much to use, I use 1-2 teaspoons of Calcium Hydroxide to 1 gallon of water. Shake it up, let it sit for 2-4 hours then let it drip 1 drop or less per sec over night. Like Matt said, there is a ton of stuff to read on the web!

[adamRS80]

Thanks guys for the advice. Because my tank is pretty small, only 45 gallons, I'm going to try to keep equipment down to a minumum so a Kalk or Ca reactor is a little more than what I'm looking for. It sounds like dripping Kalk would be a good idea and I can always add calcium if I need it. Thanks again.

[GaryP]

One of the supposed advantages of Kalk in regards to algae control is that is supposed to precipitate phosphate out of solution. That makes it a form of nutrient export. High phosphate concentrations are the leading cause of nuisance algae growth. I've never actually seen this explained in regards to the actual chemical reactions that take place. If someone has a link to it I would appreciate them forwarding it to me.

Gary