7 Things I Hate About Dosing Kalkwasser
- Oct 21, 2023
- Anshika Mishra
- 172 0 0
Reefers hate Kalkwasser. In this article, we'll talk about the seven things that make reefers hate Kalkwasser so you can decide if it is right for you based on Reef Dork's experience.
It is messy
Kalkwasser is messy. You can't buy it in a pre-mixed form like you can two-part dosing solutions, which means you'll have to buy it in the powder form.
The Messiness does not stop once you have mixed it up. The outlet will certainly splash white crustiness onto your sump. If you don't clean it up regularly, it will get very crusty and take a fair amount of elbow grease to get it off after a few months.
However, adding Kalkwasser in the middle of the sump and straight in the powerhead can help.
It clogs your pipes.
Kalkwasser clogs the outlet of whatever dosing line you use to dose the stuff. You'll have to clean the gooey buildup every two to three weeks periodically.
It loose potency
Full-strength Kalkwasser has a pH of 12.4, making it great for our tank and beneficial to the corals. But, as it absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere, the pH levels starts to dip, making it less effective.
To get the best out of Kalkwasser, refresh your Kalk every six to eight weeks. The best practice to do that is to add some new powder every 2-3 weeks.
It takes up space.
You can only dissolve a maximum of 1.5 grams of Kalkwasser powder into a liter of RO/DI water. You'll need an enormous container to store the stuff.
No trace element
You'll have to make separate provisions for trace elements. Some two-part design solution contains various trace elements, meaning you don't have to add further bottles to each of the many trace elements that are corals. But Kalkwasser does not do that; it only replaces calcium and alkalinity.
So, if trace elements are your thing, you'll have to think about how you get them into your system if you are only dosing Kalkwasser.
No magnesium
With significant water changes, your water box will last a good 6-month of Kalkwasser alone before the magnesium level starts dropping. That means you have to separately dose Magnesium.
You can get a Kalkwasser solution that claims to contain Magnesium, but Magnesium isn't soluble in saturated Kalkwasser, so there is nothing more than marketing.
Replenishing Magnesium in your tank is easy, and you can buy it online. But, it's a drawback, nonetheless.
Can't adjust calcium and alkalinity individually
With standard two-part solutions, you dose one bottle to care for your alkalinity and one to deal with calcium. And if your corals uptake the two in different amounts, you can dial each bottle as needed.
But Kalkwasser is a one-bottle solution. So, you can't adjust calcium and alkalinity individually. When calcium levels drop to 380 parts per million, try dosing much more Kalkwasser in the hope that it will increase calcium and alkalinity. But, while it bumps the alkalinity, the increase will have little effect on calcium.
About author