Just an idea for those who do not want to invest into a costly continuous dosing pump: Buy a regular one and dose a set amount, for instance 20ml, into a 50ml syringe without (a needle and plunger) positioned above the aquarium water line. Hook an IV dripper to the end and adjust the dripping rate so that the next time pump doses the set amount- syringe is empty. Or do it without a doser! Position container above the aquarium, connect IV dripper to it and let the gravity do the work.
I’m so glad you re-shot this one! It’s a really great intro to kalk dosing. I’ve been on AFR for little over a year and armed with this new information I’m excited to make the switch. Thanks for the great content Alex! 🤓👍
Ive been using Kalk in my ATO FOR 3 years. Start off with a weak solution at first upping the concentration as needed. Seems to work well. SPS and LPS mixed reef is happy. I also use 2 part dozing
Been using Kalk for all of my make up water since about 2002 and the results have been awesome. Mrs Wages Pickling Lime from the canning section at the store is the same thing, just cheaper. In my experience its best to add it to the tank at night when the lights are off. I use a 2 liter jug (I have smaller tanks these days) with a small thru hull valve and drip it like an IV into my tank. This keeps the Ph level much more stable and keeps the Alk and Ca at about max desirable levels. Its been my best kept secret to a thriving SPS tank.
I just started reefing not long ago. Since using Kalk my Alk, Calcium, and pH are pretty stable. I run a 3 gallon only so I manually top off and dose atm trying to learn as much as possible.
Just ordered a pump and kalkwasser. Ive struggled so much with ph its insane. I got an apex after trying a budget nano and its chalked full of coral as time went by. I noticed slow growth and super brittled calcification. The apex showed me a 7.49 low and 7.75 high ph. Since then ive ran my skimmer outside, increase my 2 part dosing to maintain higher alk, air stone, and refugium and now im maintaining 7.65 low and 7.8-7.9 ph high. Im looking forward to learning this slowly and then pushing it to maintain that 8.2 and see just how much more growth I get!
When you have the shot down of the frag portion of the video, minute 3:37 to 3:48…the big orange disc in the corner? I must, must, MUST own one. If you can tell me not only the species, but the color name as well you can make me a VERY happy old lady. When I ever make it to your side of the world I quay need a visit as well as tour guide, lol. Thanks for all your info
The bottom left corner? That's a scoly. Couldn't tell you the name though - it's the only scoly that colour I've ever seen. Although looking back at that clip, it's a bit over exposed so it's not quite as bright as that in real life.
Great video Alex and definitely learnt alot for sure, I'm definitely going to go the kalkwasser way, my only issue is water evaporation is different daily and also at different times of the yr, ie summer and winter months, that's when the evaporation fluctuates,
Great video! I'm new here, what I did so far for my 2 months tank is to do water change :D, I'll plan to dose Kalkwasser as you guided. Can you please also cover magnesium dosing topic? e.g how do we combine Kalkwassar dosing with Magnesium dosing?
Question for you Alex, if the ocean is an average of 8.3 24/7 why dose during the day when it's usually at night when the pH drops the most ? Another brilliant video , all your time and effort making these videos I'm highly appreciated by us all 🙌
I actually dose over night which reduces the pH swing. I'll talk about it more in the next video - imo it's an unnecessary layer of complexity for someone new to kalk but absolutely worth doing as a next step.
Calcium hydroxide was a pain to deal with. My PH wouldn’t stay very high, maybe 12.2. I switched to sodium hydroxide and it is WAY better. Not only is it a solid consistent 12.4 (in the kalk container), I no longer have to stir the solution. It also has the benefit of not lowering my salinity. In fact it slightly raises salinity. So I just use my AWC to remove a gallon or two a day and then replace it with ATO. This is a huge shift in strategy. Huge. Alkalinity has been king for a very long time. “Don’t chase PH” they said. I foresee the biggest shift in reefkeeping strategy since the invention of the Berlin method. My tank PH stabilized around 8.8 or 8.9. I keep it pegged there and no longer pay attention to alkalinity.
Tell me about it. I’m more of an advanced reefer. I’ve had my issues with kalk, seized mp40s, return pumps, overdosing. I did try sodium hydroxide, however it never gave me the ph boost like kalk. Any idea why? Are you using it in power format?
Good video. And I can attest the Kalk with all-for- reef is a fantastic combo. I've been using Brightwell Kalk+2 (added Mg & Sr) with Tropic Marin's one-part for some time now. It makes for a fantastic and simple way to maintain tank chemistry.
@@chazhenrich1432 Personally I use Red Sea's Coral Pro. It's starts with elevated Alk and a number of critical minerals. I just try to maintain 10-11+ Alk after that, and don't worry about traces between water changes. However, I don't give advice. I'm just noting what works for me.
I think that when he gets to a certain number of subscribers. Reef Dork should become the Walter White of the reefing world. He should grow the goatee and everything. Who else thinks thats a great idea.
Thanks for the great guide! One thing I am wondering as novice reefer, is kalkwassers lack of Mg a relevant problem? Should one be supplementing Mg if only dosing kalk?
Mag uptake is generally very low but it is something you'll need to keep an eye on. I only check a few times a year and I rely on ICP tests for that...
What did you use for the tube inside the jug? I have tried to use RO tubing but it curls badly. Great video as always! Thanks for making these as I always learn something new.
Great video - but it has confused my plans I thought I had my head wrapped round. I was going to get a DnD P4 pro and dose for calcium, alkalinity and magnesium and just have a spare one incase I ever find I need to dose for something else. But now I'm thinking I just need two lines, one going to a kalkwasser solution and one going to a magnesium product. Is that right? Also, confused because I thought you needed some sort of reactor for kalk, not just a container with a solution connected to a dosing pump? Thanks for any help
I think you missed one very essential point, despite the other very valuable info. Great video! It has to be mentioned though, that you should mount the intake within your Kalkwasser container a couple of centimenters off the ground, so you never suck up undisolved highly concentrated slurry. This is very important imo
I have been doing that since I started dosing kalkwasser around 6 months ago. It doesn't affect anything. Dosing pump only suck up the slurry few ml's around end of the tubing.
What are your thoughts on: Sea Lab number 28 ?? Is that something that is along the lines as this, as it replenishes and controls the levels of, you guessed it, “28 elements and all 15 essential trace elements”.
I’m new to the hobby, tanks 3 months old, I have one coral in there lol. My PH is 7.6 and I’m thinking about using kalk. Reactor, stirrer or container with dosing pump? Versa would be the best pump? What’s a cheaper alternative to a $300 Canadian pump lol. CO2 scrubber is another option, thoughts?
I'd double check that reading - new tanks without lots of fish tend to have much higher pH readings than that. But if you only have one coral, kalkwasser isn't suitable as it'll raise your alk too much
Do you have anymore info of where you bought your containers from and did you need to put in a second hole to stop a air vacum. Thanks for the great videos you put out, always have great info and east to understand, this helped change my plan to use kalk on my tank. Just finalising everything before the change. Cheers again 👍
@@ReefDorkI’m looking at the DD P1STP and doesn’t look like they come with those adaptors and I am wondering if I can use that dosing pump with John guest tubing
I wouldn’t recommend to solely relay on Kalkwasser. It’s missing the traceelements and it’s a bit harder to dial in perfect. I would combine it with a 2 part, Calcium reactor or a single solution like Ready2reef
I dripped kalkwasser 24/7 my tank looks pretty good never had a problem I do use a pH monitor constantly my pH peeks out about. 8.2. In the later afternoon you can drip 24/7 as long as you monitor your pH never had a problem . KALKWASSER. I like the best. It's cheap it lasts a long time one container it's much cheaper than two part I'm kind of old school kalkwasser is tried and proven Peter Wilkins who developed the stuff according to what I have read it's good stuff benefits protein skimmer maintains your alkalinity and calcium and keeps your pH somewhat elevated all good things for your reef tank. I have a 12 L container hook to a drip pump and always another container ready to exchange I like kalkwasser the best 👌 one container will go a long way
Alex, what about the magnesium? Do you hace to dose it acordingly with the amount of Ca? I was thinking in having a go with kalk and I was waiting for this video 😁
Thanks for this video really needed this one waiting on the “everything you need to kno about kalkwasser” now. I have been struggling trying to get my kalkwasser down pack I been trying to get my Kamoer x1 pro to do a continuous dose but I couldn’t so I put kalk in my ato and it’s keeping my alk between 9-10 and ph between 8.5-9. What do you recommend me doing?
I started dosing the other day and saw a difference in the tank within 24 hours. After a couple of days I got the pH up to 8.1 and today 8.3 The corals have just been happier. Even the pure softies like Xenia are looking more full and happy.
Hey great video, just subscribed. I’ve in a bit of a predicament with wanting to start using kalk. The problem is that I have a fluval flex marine which literally never loses any evaporation because of the lid, I’ve had the tank running for 3.5 months and I’ve never topped it up with RODI water. I just do 20% saltwater changes once a week and check salinity once a week and it’s always bang on 1.025. How would I go about dosing kalk when there’s no evaporation to replace? Cheers bud, gonna binge some of your videos haha.
@@ReefDorkah ok, that’s a shame. Nonetheless cheers for the quick reply, much appreciated. Think I may give All For Reef a try, am I right in thinking I can just add that directly to my tank regardless of the nonexistent evaporation? Cheers.
@@ReefDorkok cool, just ordered some All For Reef now so looking forward to getting that dialled in. Keep up the good work bud, and thanks for all the help. Cheers, and have a good Christmas 👍
I dose 4litre kalkwasser every night reeffactory Dosing pump 24x167ml. When i start Dosing 9 moths ago my kh keeps tropping and i did dose more kalkwasser. My pumps jammed in the precipitate. Then I tested Calsium and it were salifer ca test more 500
Alex I’ve been waiting for this one! Awesome video! Thank you! What about magnesium when dosing kalk and no all for reef? Guess I’ll have to start monitoring mag more rigorously?
Very informative video Alex. I have been dosing Kalkwasser for around 6 months now and corals are growing like weeds. I use D-D P1-STP to dose 1.4ml per minute (system volume is roughly 250L and that's taking care of all the evaporation so my auto top-off has taken down now), but I still have to does ATI essentials plus 55ml x 2 to keep up the Alkalinity. Btw what do you think about reeflowers enriched kalkwasser? I bought one few days ago but still haven't started using it and wondering is it worth the extra money.
I tried it but didn't like it - it leaves a weird watery grey liquid at the bottom of the container instead of the pure white sludge and I read Randy Holmes-Farley calling it bs www.reef2reef.com/threads/enriched-kalkwasser.927167/#post-10448730
I have had good results with kalk but I just ordered some all 4 reef powder and I got 80 bucks worth between them both and that will last me yrs i suspect for my 100 gal system. have not noticed any great change with all four reef yet but only been a couple weeks so idk.
I been having a mix reef tank and I just use regular water changes once a week haven't ever dosed or tried anthing but I been wanting too just sacred ill mess stuff up but wondering if this would help my corals grow quicker
Have I missed something here? Do you use this and add to your auto top up rodi water? I only have an E170 and have a 25 litre container in the cabinet for auto top off could I add to this?
I mix 1 gallon to 1 tsp I put in my little tiny containers they're probably 500 mL with covered lid with a air hose in the back but they are closed I use it at night let it drip I turn it off in the morning when I go to work how long can I leave that fluid in those containers
Hi Alex. Verry good Video. Can you explain in a Video, how you dose Kalkwasser whit the Essentials +? Are you dosing lower Calcium whit the Kalkwasser? In Switzerland we dont dose Kalkwasser whit ATI Essentials +. How are you doing it? Regards Sean
excellent video Alex, I have been using a co2 scrubber to my skimmer intake to boost ph in my tank should I continue to use this if I try using Kalk ? thanks
I am just going through the ugly phase with my waterbox frag tank, eventually when I transfer all my wildlife from my water box cube I shall be seriously thinking about doing the Kalkwaser thang. Oh yes, were do you get those great containers from please?
Great video! If I decide to buy calcium hydroxide from a chemical company, which degree of purity should I aim to? Anothet doubt: what about trace elements?
@@ReefDork hi just come across your channel,.. Very good .. Re Dosing kalk, only have softies at the moment, would it still be beneficial to dose with this Thanks
Hey, can I light a 60 inch reef tank with a reefbreeders photon v2 plus 48 inch one? Or will I need the 50 inch one? I’ll mount it about 15-18 inches high. I want to start with one as I will get lps and then one more when I get more sps corals. What do you think?
are you saying even if ur tank is not that demanding for element that dosing kalkwasser would still be a good idea? as my tank isnt too demanding i rarely have to do anything, but kalk seems like it could benefit me so would dosing it in a less demanding tank be a good idea?
Hi Alex, How do you manage your trace elements whilst dosing kalkwasser? do you dose them using other products or water changes are enough to replenish them? My tank currently sits at around 8.1-8.3 kh and would ideally want it to be around 8.3 most of the time(Its currenlty 8.15 most of the time). Do you think its worth the hassle of dosing kalkwasser to get that slight increase and more stable ph of kh 8.3? Is there a noticable difference?
Watch this at 22:35 th-cam.com/users/liveqgeOCC0mRS8?feature=share Kalkwasser isn't a hassle compared to dosing but 8.1 is a good low level of pH anyway
So if I have understood correctly, I will keep my 2 part ATI+ dosing + add 1 ml/litre aquarium. If the alkalinity raise i decrease my 2 part dosing by 10%? Then I would start with 290 ml at night from 8pm to 14pm. you dose ati 24 times a day? Thx for help! Greetings from GER :)
Thanks for an informative video Dork 👍. For someone like me who has softies and LPS only, I get by with good quality salt (Red Sea Pro) which keeps calc and mag good plus bicarbonate of soda in ATO to maintain dKH. The bicarbonate of soda cost £20 for 25kg which will last an eternity. But still interested whether Kalk can add anything or is it mainly as SPS thing?
I had that problem but that's because I had my doser set to turn on at 8.3 and off at 8.32 , I was then having salinity issues . Lowered it down to 8.26 on and started using a small amount of zlements ph plus at night to help combat the low pH dip
@@ReefDork When I checked a calculator it seemed to suggest to replace the 1dkh I consume a day on a 270l tank, I'd need to dose almost 2.5 litres of saturated kalk compared to 200ml of Seachem reef buffer and 200ml of Seachem reef adv calcium. 2.5l is a lot of kalk!!! Not sure my evaporation is that each day. I'm considering moving to Zlements as even the 400ml total of Seachem 2 part is a lot. I'm quite surprised your tank isn't consuming more alkalinity.
Could I use this over night to settle out my ph swing, I'm currently using reef zlements this keeps everything pretty stable apart from my ph, low of 8.13 ish up to a high of 8.4. Thanks 👍🏻
As my tank is fowlr right now but struggle to keep the ph above 7.8 would you recommend using kalk or not as theres no coral to uptake the alk and calcium or would i end up as i suspect with ok ph but elevated alk/calcium, i will be adding coral but certainly not until my tank is more established. Thank you
No, you should only use kalkwasser if you need to increase your alkalinity and calcium. And your fish won't care about your pH level so you're all set 🙂
Kalk in the ATO is a bad idea - evaporation fluctuates so you have no control over how much you dose and it'll mess up your pump over time. But apart from that, yes!
Short answer, no but it depends. I'm about to make a video talking through how I dose it on all my tanks, including what else I do and don't - subscribe to Reef Dork Xtra and I'll upload it in the next couple of weeks.
@@ReefDork already subscribed. I currently dose a two part which obviously contains alk, calc and mag plus all trace elements so I was curious how Kalk could cover these other elements. Have you done may ICPs since using it?
Here's my long-term review of kalkwasser - th-cam.com/video/L-9d5pPnIk4/w-d-xo.html
Just an idea for those who do not want to invest into a costly continuous dosing pump:
Buy a regular one and dose a set amount, for instance 20ml, into a 50ml syringe without (a needle and plunger) positioned above the aquarium water line. Hook an IV dripper to the end and adjust the dripping rate so that the next time pump doses the set amount- syringe is empty.
Or do it without a doser! Position container above the aquarium, connect IV dripper to it and let the gravity do the work.
Can you make more videos like your one last week? One of your best 👍
Very true, we also need more streams with that handsome guest
that ryan guy is a bit controversial though😉
The most informative, simple and easy to digest kalk video on TH-cam 🙌🏾
He is amazing!
Hoping your next video goes more in depth on how much you can add per day with evaporation. That just goes over my head.
I’m so glad you re-shot this one! It’s a really great intro to kalk dosing. I’ve been on AFR for little over a year and armed with this new information I’m excited to make the switch. Thanks for the great content Alex! 🤓👍
This was an excellent beginner video that explained how to use kalkwasser.
I’ve been watching your videos for a few years now. I have found them very helpful. Happy Christmas from Ireland.
No one gonna talk about Alex's marital aid?🤣 Great vdeo mate
Looking forward to the next kalc update Alex 👍🏴😃
Ive been using Kalk in my ATO FOR 3 years. Start off with a weak solution at first upping the concentration as needed. Seems to work well. SPS and LPS mixed reef is happy. I also use 2 part dozing
One worry would be if for some reason your skimmer started overflowing. Your auto top up would then kick on to replace the overflowing. Skimmate…..
Been using Kalk for all of my make up water since about 2002 and the results have been awesome. Mrs Wages Pickling Lime from the canning section at the store is the same thing, just cheaper. In my experience its best to add it to the tank at night when the lights are off. I use a 2 liter jug (I have smaller tanks these days) with a small thru hull valve and drip it like an IV into my tank. This keeps the Ph level much more stable and keeps the Alk and Ca at about max desirable levels. Its been my best kept secret to a thriving SPS tank.
Can a water change. With kalk. Be a good idea. 2.5 gallons. Water changes.
I just started reefing not long ago. Since using Kalk my Alk, Calcium, and pH are pretty stable. I run a 3 gallon only so I manually top off and dose atm trying to learn as much as possible.
Great Vid Reef Dork! 😃I’ve been down your kalkwasser road👍🏻
Great video! I've been enjoying kalkwasser for a few months now, as well as dosing to pH instead of alkalinity. It's so simple and effective!
Just ordered a pump and kalkwasser. Ive struggled so much with ph its insane. I got an apex after trying a budget nano and its chalked full of coral as time went by. I noticed slow growth and super brittled calcification. The apex showed me a 7.49 low and 7.75 high ph. Since then ive ran my skimmer outside, increase my 2 part dosing to maintain higher alk, air stone, and refugium and now im maintaining 7.65 low and 7.8-7.9 ph high. Im looking forward to learning this slowly and then pushing it to maintain that 8.2 and see just how much more growth I get!
“Budget” was a joke. It started that way haha it did not end up budget at all
Using kalk for all top off water and All for Reef 8.5 ml a day. Getting good color and growth.
Beautifully made video. Was just considering dosing kalk and this asnswered every question I had 👏👏
When you have the shot down of the frag portion of the video, minute 3:37 to 3:48…the big orange disc in the corner? I must, must, MUST own one. If you can tell me not only the species, but the color name as well you can make me a VERY happy old lady. When I ever make it to your side of the world I quay need a visit as well as tour guide, lol. Thanks for all your info
The bottom left corner? That's a scoly. Couldn't tell you the name though - it's the only scoly that colour I've ever seen. Although looking back at that clip, it's a bit over exposed so it's not quite as bright as that in real life.
DO U EVEN REEF BRO!!! 😂👍 got me some belly laughs on that.... great information , thanks for all the help understanding Kalk much better
Your videos are fantastic mate, thanks for making them.
JESSE! WE NEED TO ADD THE KALKWASSER!
Great video Alex and definitely learnt alot for sure, I'm definitely going to go the kalkwasser way, my only issue is water evaporation is different daily and also at different times of the yr, ie summer and winter months, that's when the evaporation fluctuates,
Yeah, i've just set mine to dose a bit less than the daily minimum (3.2L) so that doesn't matter. Max evap in the summer is just over 4L.
Great video thanks! Just ordered a kalk reactor, my 2 part is too hard to keep each parameter stable. Looking forward to it!
Guess I need to sale all my bags of soda ash and calcium powder. Thanks for make it easy to learn how to dose Kalkwasser
Thank you for the videos brother you are the man!
I don’t like kalkwasser dosing personally, but what another great video for beginner kalk dosing reefers :) well done dork
Great video! I'm new here, what I did so far for my 2 months tank is to do water change :D, I'll plan to dose Kalkwasser as you guided. Can you please also cover magnesium dosing topic? e.g how do we combine Kalkwassar dosing with Magnesium dosing?
Great video as always
Another excellent vid Alex!
Question for you Alex, if the ocean is an average of 8.3 24/7 why dose during the day when it's usually at night when the pH drops the most ?
Another brilliant video , all your time and effort making these videos I'm highly appreciated by us all 🙌
I actually dose over night which reduces the pH swing. I'll talk about it more in the next video - imo it's an unnecessary layer of complexity for someone new to kalk but absolutely worth doing as a next step.
@@ReefDork kalkwasser is amazing, completely transformed my tank 🙌
Calcium hydroxide was a pain to deal with. My PH wouldn’t stay very high, maybe 12.2. I switched to sodium hydroxide and it is WAY better. Not only is it a solid consistent 12.4 (in the kalk container), I no longer have to stir the solution. It also has the benefit of not lowering my salinity. In fact it slightly raises salinity. So I just use my AWC to remove a gallon or two a day and then replace it with ATO.
This is a huge shift in strategy. Huge. Alkalinity has been king for a very long time. “Don’t chase PH” they said. I foresee the biggest shift in reefkeeping strategy since the invention of the Berlin method.
My tank PH stabilized around 8.8 or 8.9. I keep it pegged there and no longer pay attention to alkalinity.
I like this idea because salt creep can lower salinity. While sodium hydroxide may help compensate for this phenomenon.
@@joshuavild6999 makes it a lot easier because you can peg salinity as well as PH.
Tell me about it. I’m more of an advanced reefer. I’ve had my issues with kalk, seized mp40s, return pumps, overdosing. I did try sodium hydroxide, however it never gave me the ph boost like kalk. Any idea why? Are you using it in power format?
Good video.
And I can attest the Kalk with all-for- reef is a fantastic combo.
I've been using Brightwell Kalk+2 (added Mg & Sr) with Tropic Marin's one-part for some time now. It makes for a fantastic and simple way to maintain tank chemistry.
What salt are you using
@@chazhenrich1432 Personally I use Red Sea's Coral Pro. It's starts with elevated Alk and a number of critical minerals. I just try to maintain 10-11+ Alk after that, and don't worry about traces between water changes. However, I don't give advice. I'm just noting what works for me.
I think that when he gets to a certain number of subscribers. Reef Dork should become the Walter White of the reefing world. He should grow the goatee and everything. Who else thinks thats a great idea.
Unbelievably informative!!!
Great video Alex!😊
What kind of fish is that at 8:53 - almost dead center? Love the video. Was dosing in my ato but this makes more sense as it just isn't consistent.
It's a Naoko wrasse
Your videos about kalkwasser were exactly what i needed. How a long kalkwasser solution can stay in container ( 2 weeks ,1 months or longer) ?
A month at least in my experience
Ive finnalty took the plung to dosing kalkwasser, equipment ordered Ecotech Versa and Calcium hydroxid from APC, wish me luck :D
Good man! Make sure you report back 🙂
@@ReefDork I will do! Your videos has inspired me man :D
Thanks for the great guide! One thing I am wondering as novice reefer, is kalkwassers lack of Mg a relevant problem? Should one be supplementing Mg if only dosing kalk?
If it’s low, dose it. If it’s not, don’t.
Mag uptake is generally very low but it is something you'll need to keep an eye on. I only check a few times a year and I rely on ICP tests for that...
What did you use for the tube inside the jug? I have tried to use RO tubing but it curls badly. Great video as always! Thanks for making these as I always learn something new.
Ro tubing but I left it in boiling water with a bbq skewer in the middle of it to straighten it out before I fitted it
@@ReefDork Thanks, I'll give that a shot!
Love white crack… makes my corals glow! Good video… using stirrer with a cheap kamoer pump. 👍
Great video - but it has confused my plans I thought I had my head wrapped round. I was going to get a DnD P4 pro and dose for calcium, alkalinity and magnesium and just have a spare one incase I ever find I need to dose for something else. But now I'm thinking I just need two lines, one going to a kalkwasser solution and one going to a magnesium product. Is that right? Also, confused because I thought you needed some sort of reactor for kalk, not just a container with a solution connected to a dosing pump?
Thanks for any help
I spy a jellyfish tank in the background… did I miss that video? 🤟🏻😜
I think you missed one very essential point, despite the other very valuable info. Great video! It has to be mentioned though, that you should mount the intake within your Kalkwasser container a couple of centimenters off the ground, so you never suck up undisolved highly concentrated slurry. This is very important imo
Yep, totally. There's a dozen or more bits like this I wanted to cover that I'll go over in the 2nd vid 🙂
@@ReefDork looking forward, this topic should become more attention, I had huge benefits from it
I have been doing that since I started dosing kalkwasser around 6 months ago. It doesn't affect anything. Dosing pump only suck up the slurry few ml's around end of the tubing.
What are your thoughts on: Sea Lab number 28 ?? Is that something that is along the lines as this, as it replenishes and controls the levels of, you guessed it, “28 elements and all 15 essential trace elements”.
Honestly? It looks like total and utter bollocks! I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.
Great video, Thank you
I’m new to the hobby, tanks 3 months old, I have one coral in there lol. My PH is 7.6 and I’m thinking about using kalk. Reactor, stirrer or container with dosing pump? Versa would be the best pump? What’s a cheaper alternative to a $300 Canadian pump lol. CO2 scrubber is another option, thoughts?
I'd double check that reading - new tanks without lots of fish tend to have much higher pH readings than that. But if you only have one coral, kalkwasser isn't suitable as it'll raise your alk too much
Do you have anymore info of where you bought your containers from and did you need to put in a second hole to stop a air vacum.
Thanks for the great videos you put out, always have great info and east to understand, this helped change my plan to use kalk on my tank. Just finalising everything before the change.
Cheers again 👍
Tanksdirect.co.uk. I did put a hole in on the first one but on the 2nd, I just removed the rubber ring on the lid so it doesn't form an airtight seal.
@@ReefDork did you buy the specific dosing tanks they supply or just one of their std water tanks. There's a big difference in price
Alex great video as always thank you! I have a question, how do you connect the John Guest tubing to the dosing pump which uses PVC flexible tubing?
I use adapters that come with the ecotech versa
@@ReefDorkI’m looking at the DD P1STP and doesn’t look like they come with those adaptors and I am wondering if I can use that dosing pump with John guest tubing
I wouldn’t recommend to solely relay on Kalkwasser. It’s missing the traceelements and it’s a bit harder to dial in perfect. I would combine it with a 2 part, Calcium reactor or a single solution like Ready2reef
or triton core 7 for example
I dripped kalkwasser 24/7 my tank looks pretty good never had a problem I do use a pH monitor constantly my pH peeks out about. 8.2. In the later afternoon you can drip 24/7 as long as you monitor your pH never had a problem . KALKWASSER. I like the best. It's cheap it lasts a long time one container it's much cheaper than two part I'm kind of old school kalkwasser is tried and proven Peter Wilkins who developed the stuff according to what I have read it's good stuff benefits protein skimmer maintains your alkalinity and calcium and keeps your pH somewhat elevated all good things for your reef tank. I have a 12 L container hook to a drip pump and always another container ready to exchange I like kalkwasser the best 👌 one container will go a long way
Do you still dose magnesium? If so how often?
Thanks for the video!
Great videos
Where did u get the square water containers
Tanks Direct
Alex, what about the magnesium? Do you hace to dose it acordingly with the amount of Ca? I was thinking in having a go with kalk and I was waiting for this video 😁
I don't add anything at the moment on my 2nd tank, but I rely on the dosing solutions for it on my main tank
How do you keep the RO line from touching the bottom of the tank? Did you add an attachment at the bottom?
Thanks for this video really needed this one waiting on the “everything you need to kno about kalkwasser” now. I have been struggling trying to get my kalkwasser down pack I been trying to get my Kamoer x1 pro to do a continuous dose but I couldn’t so I put kalk in my ato and it’s keeping my alk between 9-10 and ph between 8.5-9. What do you recommend me doing?
I started dosing the other day and saw a difference in the tank within 24 hours. After a couple of days I got the pH up to 8.1 and today 8.3
The corals have just been happier. Even the pure softies like Xenia are looking more full and happy.
Hey great video, just subscribed. I’ve in a bit of a predicament with wanting to start using kalk. The problem is that I have a fluval flex marine which literally never loses any evaporation because of the lid, I’ve had the tank running for 3.5 months and I’ve never topped it up with RODI water. I just do 20% saltwater changes once a week and check salinity once a week and it’s always bang on 1.025. How would I go about dosing kalk when there’s no evaporation to replace? Cheers bud, gonna binge some of your videos haha.
You can't I'm afraid, no evaporation = no kalkwasser
@@ReefDorkah ok, that’s a shame. Nonetheless cheers for the quick reply, much appreciated. Think I may give All For Reef a try, am I right in thinking I can just add that directly to my tank regardless of the nonexistent evaporation? Cheers.
@@loadedgullloadedgull2991 yep, that's right
@@ReefDorkok cool, just ordered some All For Reef now so looking forward to getting that dialled in. Keep up the good work bud, and thanks for all the help. Cheers, and have a good Christmas 👍
I dose 4litre kalkwasser every night reeffactory Dosing pump 24x167ml. When i start Dosing 9 moths ago my kh keeps tropping and i did dose more kalkwasser. My pumps jammed in the precipitate. Then I tested Calsium and it were salifer ca test more 500
Alex I’ve been waiting for this one! Awesome video! Thank you! What about magnesium when dosing kalk and no all for reef? Guess I’ll have to start monitoring mag more rigorously?
Correct. Mag uptake is generally very low but it's something to keep an eye on.
Very informative video Alex. I have been dosing Kalkwasser for around 6 months now and corals are growing like weeds. I use D-D P1-STP to dose 1.4ml per minute (system volume is roughly 250L and that's taking care of all the evaporation so my auto top-off has taken down now), but I still have to does ATI essentials plus 55ml x 2 to keep up the Alkalinity.
Btw what do you think about reeflowers enriched kalkwasser? I bought one few days ago but still haven't started using it and wondering is it worth the extra money.
I tried it but didn't like it - it leaves a weird watery grey liquid at the bottom of the container instead of the pure white sludge and I read Randy Holmes-Farley calling it bs www.reef2reef.com/threads/enriched-kalkwasser.927167/#post-10448730
I have had good results with kalk but I just ordered some all 4 reef powder and I got 80 bucks worth between them both and that will last me yrs i suspect for my 100 gal system. have not noticed any great change with all four reef yet but only been a couple weeks so idk.
Very tempted, i lose so much to evaporation and the tank heading towards acro and montipora dominated
I been having a mix reef tank and I just use regular water changes once a week haven't ever dosed or tried anthing but I been wanting too just sacred ill mess stuff up but wondering if this would help my corals grow quicker
Have you ever tried a liquified puritan reactor? Apparently it’s a good substitute for a protein skimmer.
No, never heard of it...
Have I missed something here? Do you use this and add to your auto top up rodi water? I only have an E170 and have a 25 litre container in the cabinet for auto top off could I add to this?
Yes you can dose it from the container
I mix 1 gallon to 1 tsp I put in my little tiny containers they're probably 500 mL with covered lid with a air hose in the back but they are closed I use it at night let it drip I turn it off in the morning when I go to work how long can I leave that fluid in those containers
Hi Alex. Verry good Video. Can you explain in a Video, how you dose Kalkwasser whit the Essentials +? Are you dosing lower Calcium whit the Kalkwasser? In Switzerland we dont dose Kalkwasser whit ATI Essentials +. How are you doing it? Regards Sean
I just dose Ati essentials in equal measure as you normally would over a 24 hour period
Hattest du es bereits probiert? Bin gerade am durchrechnen :P
Great video now that Ur dosing kalkwasser I assume ur kalkwasser reactor is back on e bay?
Sold it months ago...
Great video Alex, I'm curious can you use a kalk stirrer just on your ato? And would this be as effective 🤔
Yep
excellent video Alex, I have been using a co2 scrubber to my skimmer intake to boost ph in my tank should I continue to use this if I try using Kalk ? thanks
You probably won't need to. I hate scrubbers personally - expensive and need changing too often!
where did you buy the water container from??? the air-tight container to hold the mixed Kalk.
Tanksdirect.co.uk
Hello, if you choose one then which one would you like ? All for Reef or Kalkwasser ? Thank you
Kalkwasser
@@ReefDork Thank you 💪
Where can I get some of those dosing containers
I am just going through the ugly phase with my waterbox frag tank, eventually when I transfer all my wildlife from my water box cube I shall be seriously thinking about doing the Kalkwaser thang. Oh yes, were do you get those great containers from please?
Tanksdirect.co.uk
Which fish is the one @8:50 ? Not the foxface (rabbitfish), but the one with the yellow stripe and rounded dorsal and pectoral fins
Naoko wrasse
Great video!
If I decide to buy calcium hydroxide from a chemical company, which degree of purity should I aim to?
Anothet doubt: what about trace elements?
As high as possible - 98% is what I'll buy next time. Trace you can dose separately if you feel you need to.
@@ReefDork hi just come across your channel,..
Very good ..
Re Dosing kalk, only have softies at the moment, would it still be beneficial to dose with this
Thanks
does anyone know the name of the fish at 8:51 the yellow and blue wrasse looking one in the upper middle of the tank
Naoko wrasse
Does that stuff work with kalk sterir
Fantastic video as always! I’ve just dropped my first video! Thanks for inspiring! :)
Great video. As always Alex. Is the utter chaos frag in the water box for sale😜
Massive isn't it?! Kind of yes, but I haven't listed it yet so kind of no!
@@ReefDork it’s a stunner. I’d definitely be very interested. I’m local to you anyways. Where do you list your stuff for sale?
Hey, can I light a 60 inch reef tank with a reefbreeders photon v2 plus 48 inch one? Or will I need the 50 inch one? I’ll mount it about 15-18 inches high. I want to start with one as I will get lps and then one more when I get more sps corals. What do you think?
How come you didn't continue to use the kalk stirrer seen in previous videos?
I got it 2nd hand but it didn't work so I got rid of it. Got a brand new one arriving this week coincidentally
Nice! Nearly as good as last weeks vid! 🔥
You also forgot to invite Prestige Reef?!
I dosed 100% kalk then swapped slowly to AFR and now im swapping back to kalk from AFR because of the pH issues.
are you saying even if ur tank is not that demanding for element that dosing kalkwasser would still be a good idea? as my tank isnt too demanding i rarely have to do anything, but kalk seems like it could benefit me so would dosing it in a less demanding tank be a good idea?
Yes, kalk is a good way of replacing alkalinity and calcium on a low demand tank.
@@ReefDork amazing! didnt expect a reply so fast thank you for that info i will be looking into this!!
Hi Alex,
How do you manage your trace elements whilst dosing kalkwasser? do you dose them using other products or water changes are enough to replenish them?
My tank currently sits at around 8.1-8.3 kh and would ideally want it to be around 8.3 most of the time(Its currenlty 8.15 most of the time). Do you think its worth the hassle of dosing kalkwasser to get that slight increase and more stable ph of kh 8.3? Is there a noticable difference?
Watch this at 22:35 th-cam.com/users/liveqgeOCC0mRS8?feature=share
Kalkwasser isn't a hassle compared to dosing but 8.1 is a good low level of pH anyway
So if I have understood correctly, I will keep my 2 part ATI+ dosing + add 1 ml/litre aquarium. If the alkalinity raise i decrease my 2 part dosing by 10%? Then I would start with 290 ml at night from 8pm to 14pm. you dose ati 24 times a day? Thx for help! Greetings from GER :)
Correct.
I dose ATI every hour over 24 hours and kalkwasser for 12 hours overnight.
@@ReefDork is there any way to estimate how much the kh will increase when dosing kalk?
Where did you buy your jugs?
Thanks for an informative video Dork 👍. For someone like me who has softies and LPS only, I get by with good quality salt (Red Sea Pro) which keeps calc and mag good plus bicarbonate of soda in ATO to maintain dKH. The bicarbonate of soda cost £20 for 25kg which will last an eternity. But still interested whether Kalk can add anything or is it mainly as SPS thing?
If your corals uptake calcium and alkalinity, you can use Kalk so it's not just for sps
Do you think there's a risk of the kalk solution that must be dosed exceeding the daily evaporation? This is something I worry could happen.
I had that problem but that's because I had my doser set to turn on at 8.3 and off at 8.32 , I was then having salinity issues . Lowered it down to 8.26 on and started using a small amount of zlements ph plus at night to help combat the low pH dip
Not if you know what your evaporation is but water level checks will sort that.
@@ReefDork When I checked a calculator it seemed to suggest to replace the 1dkh I consume a day on a 270l tank, I'd need to dose almost 2.5 litres of saturated kalk compared to 200ml of Seachem reef buffer and 200ml of Seachem reef adv calcium. 2.5l is a lot of kalk!!! Not sure my evaporation is that each day. I'm considering moving to Zlements as even the 400ml total of Seachem 2 part is a lot. I'm quite surprised your tank isn't consuming more alkalinity.
Could I use this over night to settle out my ph swing, I'm currently using reef zlements this keeps everything pretty stable apart from my ph, low of 8.13 ish up to a high of 8.4. Thanks 👍🏻
Yes, as long as you reduce your alkalinity dosing of course.
Hi is there any more updates on the fluval sea evo
Coming soon...
I dose tropic marin 2 part ( 3 part actually ) and want to support it whit kalkwasser since my ph is always low how should I do that ? Help
As my tank is fowlr right now but struggle to keep the ph above 7.8 would you recommend using kalk or not as theres no coral to uptake the alk and calcium or would i end up as i suspect with ok ph but elevated alk/calcium, i will be adding coral but certainly not until my tank is more established. Thank you
No, you should only use kalkwasser if you need to increase your alkalinity and calcium. And your fish won't care about your pH level so you're all set 🙂
@@ReefDork cheers, appreciate the quick reply on a sunday morning
Currently dosing 50ml a day of Brightwell Alk, would Kalk in the ATO be the best way to do go about it? and just supplement the rest with two part?
Kalk in the ATO is a bad idea - evaporation fluctuates so you have no control over how much you dose and it'll mess up your pump over time. But apart from that, yes!
@@ReefDork Thanks for the reply! I will add it to a dosing pump and dose small amounts to start.
Do you need to dose trace elements when dosing Kalk? Thanks
Short answer, no but it depends. I'm about to make a video talking through how I dose it on all my tanks, including what else I do and don't - subscribe to Reef Dork Xtra and I'll upload it in the next couple of weeks.
@@ReefDork already subscribed. I currently dose a two part which obviously contains alk, calc and mag plus all trace elements so I was curious how Kalk could cover these other elements. Have you done may ICPs since using it?
Noob Question, if I dose it in my sump will it stuck in my mechanical filtration or not?
No, it'll just dissolve into the water