Lets me take a second first to say I am excited to have found this forum and the podcasts. I have listened to about 13 episodes in the last day and they done in a very professional manner in which even a newbie like be can understand, and I thank you for that :) I have even picked up a few things I need to attend one of which this thread is regarding.

I have been a member of The Boston Reefers Society in which I have been a member for about a year. I have a 180 gallon in-wall mixed reef along with a 40 gallon sump and a above tank 10 gallon refugium. Ok and now to the question.

Ok... after listening to the talkingreef podcast regarding dosing kalk I realized I really should be doing this. I am currently dosing the Randy Holmes-Farley 2 part including mag. additive. I was under the assumption that was all I needed until listening to that broadcast. My levels are pretty stable meaning 440 CA and my ALK stays around 8-10 dHK. Only level that seems to flex a bit is my PH. In the evening it is about 8.25 and in the am about 7.98. I don't think it is a real problem
but the more stable I can make the the better ....right? :)


If I were to dose I need a way to accomplish this in a large system, I have appx. 230 gallons total and evaporate about 3/4 of a gallon this time of year. Currently I have a 32 gallon brute barrel that my ro/di unit goes into (no float switch) in which I have a pump connected to a hose. Every night I top off the sump by simply sticking the hose into the sump and fill to my desired level. The way it was explained in the podcast was to just add kalkwasser to the topoff water but I am constantly adding water to that brute barrel and the level is constantly changing depending on how lazy I am keeping the barrel full.

Any suggestions for doing this? I want to keep things as simple as possible also :D



Again thanks for the service you are doing for the reefing community. It is people like yourself that make it a joy to have such a great hobby. Here is a link to my website for a visible of what I have link (http://www.mcgrade.com/Reef%20tank%20Page/Main%20Page.htm)

well, first off welcome to teh community, the show, and for all the great comments.

now i have to ask, why is it you feel tha tyou need to dose kalk??

dont get me wrong its a great thing to add, and does a great job mailtaining Alk and CA, but from what it looks like your Ca levels are high, and you from the coral you have (from looking at your site) it doesnt look liek your Ca consumption woudl be too high.

Kalk might help your PH, if you manually dose it in the morning, but again, i dont think you your Ca consumtions would call for it.

so share your reasoning, and lets see if i am missing something :D

Hi Rob, thanks for the quick reply.

I guess the "need" for dripping kalk may not be there due to my levels being pretty stable but would just like to make sure, as somebody pretty new in the hobby I want to make sure I am doing everything I can to keep things happy in the tank.

yes, at this point im sure your fine (but your really the judge of that)

dont get caught up in needing to find a problem for your solution...
as those frags grow, and you get more, the problem of Ca levels will come.. but for right now enjoy life.. :)

yes, at this point im sure your fine (but your really the judge of that)

dont get caught up in needing to find a problem for your solution...
as those frags grow, and you get more, the problem of Ca levels will come.. but for right now enjoy life.. :)

Thanks Rob, will do.......... :D

Kevin,

Welcome to TR! Nice to see another "New Englandah" in the mix here.

If you are having no problems using the recipe that Randy provided (which by the way is very effective as according to those who use it) and it is not cost prohibitive, then I agree that you should keep with your current routine. If it is easier for you to drip the kalk as a substitute, you could try it, but more important is 'consistency' in your system and practices. The bottom line is "if it's not broke, then don't fix it". If you try kalk and you can't match the results you are getting now, go back to the 2 part program. It seems that you really don't have a big calcium uptake and things are pretty stable right now.

Your swings in PH are not unusual. Lots of people have highs and lows that coincide with their photo period. You mention that you have above the tank refugia and a sump below. Do you have this system set up on a "reverse photo period"? What I mean by that (you may know, but this could benefit others) is if you have your display set to be lit from 11 AM to 10 PM or thereabouts, you could set lighting and timers for both the sump and refugium to come on at 10 PM and off at 11 AM. By doing this, you effectively have SOME part of your total system undergoing photosynthetic activities 24/7 and will have little or no PH swing at all. (depending on balance of water and inhabitants that use the light).

Give it a try!

Dave

Hi David,

I can't use the reverse lighting due to my refugium is above/right of the display tank.

Ahhh... never say "never" Kevin!

I had the same kind of set up before and was able to make a 'blind' of sorts to keep the refugium lighting from illuminating the display. Also, keep in mind that even at night there is a certain amount of light that makes it to the natural reef crests.

You are a BRS member, surrounded by a LOT of experience and people who would immediately drive up to visit/help (for a couple Sam Adams). If/when I'm on my way to Aqua Addicts or something, I'd love to stop by and see your rig. I'm sure we can come up with something. I'm a true believer in revers photo period. It solved a LOT of problems in my 75G reef.

D

I'm a true believer in revers photo period. It solved a LOT of problems in my 75G reef.

D

i agree, i have had great luck with this methods also...

Welcome to TR Kevin!

Ahhh... never say "never" Kevin!

I had the same kind of set up before and was able to make a 'blind' of sorts to keep the refugium lighting from illuminating the display. Also, keep in mind that even at night there is a certain amount of light that makes it to the natural reef crests.

You are a BRS member, surrounded by a LOT of experience and people who would immediately drive up to visit/help (for a couple Sam Adams). If/when I'm on my way to Aqua Addicts or something, I'd love to stop by and see your rig. I'm sure we can come up with something. I'm a true believer in revers photo period. It solved a LOT of problems in my 75G reef.

D


Thanks David, you are more than welcome anytime to swing over to check things out. I agree BRS has been invaluable. People have been very helpful but I like to travel "outside the box" to get different views and opinions :cool:

I think a blind type blocker might be in the project plans this weekend for sure......great idea.

Travel outside the box is a MUST in this habit...er hobby.. if you ask me. You should collect any and all ideas from others and then meld it together in a package that makes sense for YOUR APPLICATION. There are lots of differing ways to get something done. I prefer to use the "Best Practice" approach and emulate a proven system or a combination of proven systems.

Travel and searching outside the box is what got me to TR. It is also why you see my standard handle "JustDavidP" on more than a dozen different hobbyist sites. EVERY one of you/us has SOMETHING to give...and as long as the information is out there... I'm a harvesting fool..and a friend to all of the various communities.

D