limewater or calcium reactor

dadonoflaw · 10-10-2006, 06:10 PM

i was looking at the kalk videocast episode and i was wondering if the limewater doses calcium to the aquarium so that a calcium reactor is no longer necessary or how does this work?

RealChange · 10-10-2006, 07:56 PM

im also interested in this. i have a calcium reactor but was wondering if it would be benificial to dose kalk also...

Stevej72 · 10-10-2006, 08:40 PM

From what I have read ( I do not dose Kalk yet ) kalk is used to maintain calcium and Alk. which also helps balance your PH. Dosing Kalk Is better than the two part additives, but if you have a large Ca. uptake ( IE. lots of stony corals or clams ) then it might not be enough. so you would then need a Ca reactor

HTH

**Amphibious** · 10-10-2006, 11:49 PM

One of the mysteries of this hobby is how there are many roads that lead to the same end. It depends on who is driving the vehicle. My 135 is loaded up with about 50 coral frags. Haven't counted lately and I've added some recently plus have three more coming Friday. I have stayed away from the Calcium reactors, Kalk and lime water additives in favor of Ocean's Blend 2 part plus their Magnesium additive. If you are not adding Magnesium, get a test kit and test it. Natural sea water is 1250 ppm. When the importance of Magnesium was first explained to me I tested and my Mag reading was 850 ppm. No mater how hard I tried to maintain Calcium at 450 -500 ppm it would drop to 300 - 350 ppm in 24 hours or less. The funny part was my corals weren't growing for using that much Calcium. Since I've been dosing Mag I'm able to maintain 450 to 500 ppm Calcium, my Ph is more stable and so is my Alk.

I'd highly recommend checking your Mag. I keep my Mag around 1400 and things are looking good.

RealChange · 10-10-2006, 11:56 PM

my mag is around 2000 isnt 1400 kinda low. i have a very hard time raising it with seachems mag suppliment. i dose and dose but no raise. weird, im beggining to think that stuff is bogus.

dadonoflaw · 10-11-2006, 12:03 AM

yea i was just reading an article about the importance of magnesium in reef aquaria. so if the proper magnesium levels are maintained then ca and alk will remain fairly stable or is additional dosing still necessary?

**Amphibious** · 10-11-2006, 12:03 AM

Hmmm, I think your Mag test kit is off. I doubt Mag can be kept that high. Too, much isn't always good. 1250 ppm is Natural sea water, 1400 is pushing it and 2000 is out of sight. What brand of test kit are you using?

**Amphibious** · 10-11-2006, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dadonoflaw

yea i was just reading an article about the importance of magnesium in reef aquaria. so if the proper magnesium levels are maintained then ca and alk will remain fairly stable or is additional dosing still necessary?

Yes and Yes. Maintaining proper levels of Mag wil help stabalize Cal and Alk but as your corals absorb it you will have to replace what is used up. With out the proper level of Mag your calcium precipitates out of the water and isn't available to corals and your Alk will climb. Everything is out of balance.

That's the way I understand it. I maintain 1400 ppm Mag, which allows me to maintain 450 to 500 ppm Cal and 4 meg/L total Alk.

dadonoflaw · 10-11-2006, 12:20 AM

so i still would need to get a ca reactor kalk reactor

tcobos · 10-11-2006, 02:50 AM

I want to piggy back on what Amphibious said.... I use the 2 part ESV B-Ionic Calcium Buffer..I dose everyday about 30 ml for each on my 70 gal... I also dose with Kents Magnesium.. I have seen an incredible jump in calcium stablization. I used to have trouble keeping my calcium at the right levels... Now that Im dosing everyday w/the Bionic, And making sure I add about 5 ml per week with Kents Magnesium... I dont have any problems with the right levels... A ca reactor & kalk reactor are great when you get tired of dosing everyday...

dadonoflaw · 10-11-2006, 03:27 AM

i would also imagine that it would be cheaper in the long run

RealChange · 10-11-2006, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amphibious

Hmmm, I think your Mag test kit is off. I doubt Mag can be kept that high. Too, much isn't always good. 1250 ppm is Natural sea water, 1400 is pushing it and 2000 is out of sight. What brand of test kit are you using?

oops! what i ment was 1200... geez where did i get 2000 from.. neways i cant get it to go above 1300 no mater how much i dose. im using a salifert test kit.

**Amphibious** · 10-11-2006, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dadonoflaw

i would also imagine that it would be cheaper in the long run

Maybe, maybe not. I must say, I've never had a clac reactor so I'm speaking "out of bounds" here. But, there are problems associated with gadgetry like having to adjust flow and don't you have to buy CO2 to get the calc to disolve? I prefer to dose daily with the Ocean's Blend. It makes me a more hands on aquarist.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RealChange

oops! what i ment was 1200... geez where did i get 2000 from.. neways i cant get it to go above 1300 no mater how much i dose. im using a salifert test kit.

I think oops was a simple brain fart.

Salifert kits are the best hobbyist test kits, IMO. So, that's probably an accurate reading. Gotta remember, every system is a little different and suttle differences show up that are not explainable with out doing scientific research to find the reason. It's just not that important to do. Be satisfied with 1300, it's good enough.