View Full Version : Kalkwasseer Article
clown-lover
06-09-2007, 2:15 PM
Ok, so I have been reading on the net and ran across this article about how to add 15 ml of Acetic Acid to mixture which will help to stop the creation of calcium carbonate when dripping Kalkwasser into your tank..
I would like to know everyone's reactions here about this process.. Is it legit? Or is this some off the wall thing. I am not a chemistry major and won't even profess to know anything about it.. But if it keeps my tank cleaner.. I am all for it.
http://www.reefscapes.net/articles/breefcase/kalkwasser.html
That seems to follow the same logic as in this article:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php
I don't drip kalk or kalk / vinegar mix into our tank, but I did look into it several months back as I was considering it. I was going to DIY a kalk reactor, but then decided against it for the time being.
New Reefer
06-10-2007, 3:38 PM
It is a good way to add more calcium without increasing the pH of the tank water. I've used it myself for quite some time, and it works very well.
One warning, though - the added carbon increases the growth of diatom algae. This in itself is not necessary a bad thing, as the diatoms are an essential part of the food chain. The increase can, however, run out of control if you don't have sufficient small critters to eat the diatoms - if so, your tank will end up having a brown algae bloom.
Hennie
clown-lover
06-10-2007, 3:46 PM
It is a good way to add more calcium without increasing the pH of the tank water. I've used it myself for quite some time, and it works very well.
One warning, though - the added carbon increases the growth of diatom algae. This in itself is not necessary a bad thing, as the diatoms are an essential part of the food chain. The increase can, however, run out of control if you don't have sufficient small critters to eat the diatoms - if so, your tank will end up having a brown algae bloom.
Hennie
Well at this point I am in cycle, but am trying keep the calcium up there so the good Coraline Algae will grow as well as making sure that I have everything in the water that I want to have, so when I start adding things nothing is going to go into shock because of changes in water chemistry to being with....
It is good to know that there is someone out there that has done this and about the brown algae.. I guess I am going to have to go look at small critters.
Mark