[jsgates]

Ok, my tank in doing nicely and all my levels are good. Coraline algae is on some of my live rock, but is not spreading. I am about to add my first two, fish 2 True Percula Clowns. I ha ve a Starburst Polyp, some mushrooms, Candy Cane Coral, and & a Short Tentacle Plate coral. All corals are doing well, and so are my inverts. Time to get my next test kit. I'm ordering a Seachem Calcium test kit next, as i want to check the calcium levels in the tank and give it a boost if needed. This will not only benefit my corals & inverts, hopefully it will boost my coralline algae. I have also heard that the green hair algae on my live rock will give way to the coralline. I do not have a sump, so I don't know how I would dose Kalkwasser. I have an 80 ga bowfront tank with a Remora Pro HOB skimmer w/ Magdrive 3 pump. I have also noticed that Kent Marine makes a Liquid Calcium additive. Anyone use this? I looking the for the best way to manage my calcium levels without a sump. Any help is extremely appreciated. Things are moving along good.

[stephaniesquires]

kalkwasser
I would try an aclimation drip system Pisces Pro Acclimator
I'm sure people with more experience will give you their methods...

[jimw369]

Originally Posted by stephaniesquires

kalkwasser
I would try an aclimation drip system Pisces Pro Acclimator
I'm sure people with more experience will give you their methods...

Jsgates is looking for a way to manage Ca without a sump. How do you drip kalk without a sump? You could put it in your top off water but you need a sump for that too. I guess you could just pour the kalk mix in your tank but I wouldnt recommend it.

Easiest way starting out is a 2 part additive. Kents, Bionic 2 part, and there are others. You can add to the main tank if you want.

[stephaniesquires]

Can't you drip from a bucket sitting on top of the tank??

[jimw369]

Originally Posted by stephaniesquires

Can't you drip from a bucket sitting on top of the tank??

In this wonderful world of Saltwater, yes, anything is possible.

My thoughts are to teach Jeremy the easiest and safest way to add calcium to his tank. 2 part Ca additives are just that.
He is just starting to test as he says he is getting a test kit soon.
Jeremy has been into salt for 1 month and has a very low Bio-load at this point. Dripping kalk from above Jeremys tank is possible but not necessary at this time.

Jeremy...NEVER put anything into your tank that you do not test for. Very important!!

That is a good read about kalk though.

[jsgates]

Thanks for the help Jim. Wanted to make sure and use the safest method for adding the calcium directly to the tank. Test kit should be here sometime middle of the week. Marine Depot is a great place to order from, but shipping is kind of slow.

[jimw369]

Originally Posted by jsgates

Thanks for the help Jim. Wanted to make sure and use the safest method for adding the calcium directly to the tank. Test kit should be here sometime middle of the week. Marine Depot is a great place to order from, but shipping is kind of slow.

2 part Ca is a good way starting out IMO.

I personally do not order from Marine Depot but have heard nothing but good from others.

What kind of test kits did you order? Just curious.

Here is a good read about water chemistry and a reef calculator to help you figure out how much 2 part to add to achieve your desired parameters.

Reef Chemistry Calculator

A Simplified Guide to the Relationship Between Calcium, Alkalinity, Magnesium and pH by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

[stephaniesquires]

I think I may be confused about calcium... I thought Kalkwasser was the preferred method to raise calcium. I'm not sure where I got this idea now.. I know it raises PH, but I thought the Kalk. drip or added slowly didn't cause it to jump. Did I read the wrong article??

[jimw369]

Originally Posted by stephaniesquires

I think I may be confused about calcium... I thought Kalkwasser was the preferred method to raise calcium. I'm not sure where I got this idea now.. I know it raises PH, but I thought the Kalk. drip or added slowly didn't cause it to jump. Did I read the wrong article??

Preferred....might depend on who you talk to. This is my opinion. Starting out new in salt use a 2 part Ca additive. As your load grows and your demand for Ca also, look to add kalk to your top off water in the form of a Kalk reactor. As you load increases again you can move forward to a Ca reactor. As your load increases again you can employ your kalk reactor and Ca reactor at the same time or blow the budget and get a bigger Ca reactor. Thats the natural progression for adding Ca as I see it. Im sure others have there own opinion.

Slow dripping Kalk is the old time tested method of adding and or maintaining Ca.

The main idea behind the article you linked in your post was that of adding vinegar to your kalk mix. By doing this we make the kalk mix work to its fullest capacity. More efficient if you will.

3 paragraphs that are important are:

So, you've actually hit on one good reason WHY we want to add the Vinegar to the mixing container -- the Acetic Acid in the Vinegar provides the equivalent of enough CO2 to take the reaction all the way to the desired end products for which we drip Kalk -- that is, to produce free Calcium ions and free Bicarbonate ions in solution in our tanks.

By using enough Vinegar, we can mix to our heart's content right in the container, and don't need to worry as much about dripping the solution slowly into the tank. We have already driven the reaction all the way to the desired outcome, and provided ample CO2 to produce a balance of free Calcium ions and free Bicarbonate ions. This, incidentally, is why Kalk is said to be "ionically balanced" - it produces a one-to-one balance between Calcium and Alkalinity. (This is why we dose 2 part additives to keep our systems balanced) My words.

Don't go whole-hog on the Vinegar from the start until you are sure your tank needs it and will take it without experiencing radical changes in pH, Calcium, Alkalinity, Magnesium, and the health of your critters and your Nitrifying bacteria. Measure ph, Alk, Calcium, Magnesium, and Nitrates with Salifert kits as you work up to more Vinegar.
Observe your livestock, especially if you have any really delicate corals or fish, to see that they behave normally as you use more Vinegar

May I suggest the Water Chemistry course by MACO?
I will be there learning too!

Good questions. Good links. Thanks!

[stephaniesquires]

Thanks!! Cant wait for the MACO classes to start - I think it will be really helpful..

[jsgates]

I am using Seachem Test Kits. I currently have the Marine Basic Test Kit, and have ordered the Seachem Calcium Test Kit. I have heard good things about the Seachem Test Kits, and their accuracy.

[jimw369]

Originally Posted by jsgates

I am using Seachem Test Kits. I currently have the Marine Basic Test Kit, and have ordered the Seachem Calcium Test Kit. I have heard good things about the Seachem Test Kits, and their accuracy.

Seachem, Salifert...Cool Beans!

Get testing that water and post your params. Then we will look at that Reef Calculator link I gave you!

[jsgates]

Ok Jim. Here are the parameters. My Seachem Calcium Test kit & Kent Marine 2 part calcium additive came in Friday. Tested water this morning using my Seachem test kits got the following readings......everything is still great.........except the calcium reading I got. Here are the parameters:

Specific Gravity: 1.026
PH: 8.2
Alkalinity: 5.0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0
Free Ammonia: 0
Total Ammonia: 0
Calcium: 200 mg/l

Sounds like I need to get that calcium level up! I'm using Kent Marine Tech CB 2 part calcium additive, and added my first dose this morning after testing. Instructions say to dose each day until desired calcium level is achieved. Does this mean that I need to do a Calcium test everyday, or can I dose for a couple of days and then test? Calcium is low right now. Any tips or suggestions are appreciated.

[jimw369]

I would test everyday before I add the ca supplements but thats just me. I want to see what I am gainning on a daily/weekly basis. Need to keep track of your Ph also be testing everyday on that while trying to adjust other params. Go back to the Reef calculator link I gave you and find out how much supplement it will take to achive you desired levels. Dont dose all that is needed at once!

Just get to that point and we can get started. Do you have any seachems reef buffer?

What critters are in the tank? That might tell us how aggressive we want to be raising the Ca, alk levels.

[jsgates]

Ok, I've tested the calcium level again after 2 doses and I'm still getting a reading of 200. Is this normal? If the calcium level is low to begin with, could my corals have used up what I dosed already? I have candy cane coral, short tenatale plate coral, starburst polyp, & some mushrooms..........as well as a good set of inverts. Guess I will just continue to dose and test daily until my levels rise some. Just wondering if this is normal.

[jsgates]

Calcium level has increased to 225 after two more days of dosing. Tested all parameters before doing a 20% water change. PH was up from 8.2 to 8.3 & ALK was up to 6.5 from 5. What do I need to be adding to keep the alkalinity from shooting up when increasing the calcium? I thought the 2 part Calcium additive was supposed to keep the Alkalinity in check while raising the CA level. Am I missing some thing? Other than the CA level being low, the tank is doing great. I also have had a Yellow Finger Gorgonian & a Florida Condi Anemone in the tank for 3-4 weeks now and everything is doing well. Tank has been running around 3 - 3.5 months now. All fish are doing well also. Noticed today that the coraline is starting to take off a bit on the Fiji live rock.

[jimw369]

Originally Posted by jsgates

Calcium level has increased to 225 after two more days of dosing. Tested all parameters before doing a 20% water change. PH was up from 8.2 to 8.3 & ALK was up to 6.5 from 5. What do I need to be adding to keep the alkalinity from shooting up when increasing the calcium? I thought the 2 part Calcium additive was supposed to keep the Alkalinity in check while raising the CA level. Am I missing some thing? Other than the CA level being low, the tank is doing great. I also have had a Yellow Finger Gorgonian & a Florida Condi Anemone in the tank for 3-4 weeks now and everything is doing well. Tank has been running around 3 - 3.5 months now. All fish are doing well also. Noticed today that the coraline is starting to take off a bit on the Fiji live rock.

Whats the problem? Calcium is going up Alk is going up. Looks like the system is balanced just low on calcium. Ph is great. You did not read the links I gave nor did you look at the reef calculator. You have been given the tools and the information to make this work but have not researched on your own and you lack understanding. You need to learn much more about water chemistry. Keep asking questions and some one will hold your hand and walk you through it.

[rlcline76]

Originally Posted by jsgates

Calcium level has increased to 225 after two more days of dosing. Tested all parameters before doing a 20% water change. PH was up from 8.2 to 8.3 & ALK was up to 6.5 from 5. What do I need to be adding to keep the alkalinity from shooting up when increasing the calcium? I thought the 2 part Calcium additive was supposed to keep the Alkalinity in check while raising the CA level. Am I missing some thing? Other than the CA level being low, the tank is doing great. I also have had a Yellow Finger Gorgonian & a Florida Condi Anemone in the tank for 3-4 weeks now and everything is doing well. Tank has been running around 3 - 3.5 months now. All fish are doing well also. Noticed today that the coraline is starting to take off a bit on the Fiji live rock.

It is a slooooooow process.

[jsgates]

I have looked at the reef calculator, and really like the flash version of it. Great tool! I have also read the calcium portions of the other article you posted. The thing I am having trouble understanding here is the alkalinity reading. According to my Seachem test kit (my only reference when testing), the alkalinity should be maintained between 4 & 6 in an aquarium. That I why I was concerned with a reading of 6.5. PH is 8.3 which is fine. Isn't high alkalinity outside of a certain range bad. I'm just kind of nervous dosing CA right now and watching my levels...........don't want to make any mistakes and harm my fish......which are doing quite well.

[rlcline76]

dKH is within range anywhere between 8 & 12. I generally have calcium readings at 450 ppm with KH at 9-10.
I read this thread before. If it doesn't seem right, get a different test. I have both Salifert and Sera for certain things.

[rlcline76]

Review

http://www.reefbuilders.com/forums/g...arameters.html

[jsgates]

Thanks! Only readings I was going on were the "recommended" ranges listed in my seachem test kit.