Calcium Supplementation 3 Ways - Kalkwasser, 2-Part, and Calcium Reactors

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6 жыл бұрын

Reef Aquarium Calcium Supplementation 3 Ways - Reef tanks with a high number of stony corals will have higher calcium demands than tanks filled with no corals or predominantly soft corals. Like many aspects of this hobby, there are many ways to keep up with their requirements. Let’s look at three ways to maintain calcium and go over the pros and cons of each - Kalkwasser, 2-Part, and Calcium Reactors.
Music:
Tracks: “Finding the Balance” “Night Cave” “Groove Grove”
Artist: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
License Terms:
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
Video:
Camera Gear List on Amazon
Canon C200
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS macro
Canon EF MP-E 65mm f/2.8 macro
Sigma Art 18-35mm f/1.8
Free Fly Movi Pro Stabilizer
Copyright Information:
This video was shot and edited by Tidal Gardens. Tidal Gardens owns all intellectual property rights to this content.

Пікірлер: 85

@TechGearTalk 6 жыл бұрын

Great video Than! Super valuable info and nice edit!

@raywells2858 Жыл бұрын

Im more of an old school Reefer and use Kalkwasser almost exclusively via a 1 gallon jug with a valve on it to drip into my tank. This has given me some of my best, most stable, tanks over the last 22 years. Its also been one of the cheapest solutions as well in my experience. Once I reach a point where Kalkwasser cant keep up, I will be adding a calcium reactor. I typically drip Kalkwasser at lights out when PH is at its lowest and in place of all make up water more times than not.

@changegeek4553 4 жыл бұрын

AWESOME job! I used Kalk in my evaporative make up water container and where needed, I supplement manually with 2 part dosing! No issues. Low maintenance. Thanks for the video!

@ZMondoHype 4 жыл бұрын

I’ve watched Tidal Gardens videos for some time, but I’ve never seen the store! The place is insanely neat and organized. Wow! 👏🏻

@andrewbismire6538 6 жыл бұрын

Another great video Than, I'm using kalkwasser as its my first tank and I went for what seemed easiest to get started.

@californiaabound8830 4 жыл бұрын

Great video and it is my favorite place to go for my information. Thanks Than

@johnnymartinez6123 4 жыл бұрын

Great explanation, I now understand 2 part dosing, thank you for sharing your knowledge.I was using soda ash in the past, that's why my PH went up. Thanks again.

@CescaTheDarkHorse 6 жыл бұрын

Nice video Than. Good information on 3 different ways of Calcium supplementation :)

@1975JJD 6 жыл бұрын

I purchased a calcium reactor 3 months ago and my chemistry is much more stable than using 2 part with a dosing pump. The corals seem much happier. I have used kalk in my nano ATO and that worked well with the added benefit of keeping the ph up.

@ReeferGil 6 жыл бұрын

Great information!

@JAMcDonald1 4 жыл бұрын

Very helpful as always, thanks! Please consider adding the names of the corals you display during your narration. Tiny chemistry quibble: Sodium Bicarbonate is NaHCO3. Sodium Carbonate is Na2CO3.

@ldballoon4 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Than. Hello from the D.C. area! I met you at MACNA 2015, at your booth- your voice is still soothing!

@tidalgardens 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Alex!

@9StickNate 6 жыл бұрын

👍 Look at all those beautiful T5s!

@tidalgardens 6 жыл бұрын

Yup, they still work.

@Brennen_Nisporic 6 жыл бұрын

I’ve mainly had experience with calcium reactors. Just recently tried kalkwasser in my auto top off to help raise my ph. Working on a frag system they will probably be using a 2 part dosing pump situation. Calcium reactors are my favorite but a good co2 regulator and ph controller are a must. Making it the most expensive option but definitely the most stable.

@52artigas 6 жыл бұрын

Lower PH is my problem, I will began using Soda Ash to see the results , very good video and even best explained.

@MightyNanoTank 6 жыл бұрын

Kalk for me. Simple and easy in my IM25 Lagoon set-up. Mix it in my ATO and it's done.

@Quiksilver5451 6 жыл бұрын

Great information! I use Brs Kalk in my ato and now am starting to have to also dose 2 part because everything is growing :)...That being said kalk still worries me at times, because i have had my top-off stick on and ended up dosing a saturated solution of Kalk! What a nightmare it is to get everything leveled back out, so be careful!

@birdzy 4 жыл бұрын

You never mentioned anything about the chloride buildup that can happen when dosing 2-part. Regular water changes are needed to keep it in balance.

@lisadimercurio9473 6 жыл бұрын

I use kalk and 2 part if needed. Great video Than

@Ellery-USA 6 жыл бұрын

I've used all 3 methods one time or another but today I use 2 Part + Kalk as part of my ATO. I have a KH Guardian Pro + AIM to use dKH and pH to regulate the Alkalinity and determine if I want to top off with Kalk or with freshwater. The problem I had with my AquaC Rx was that it was tough to keep the effluent lines clear and clog free.

@jeningscasey 6 жыл бұрын

Say you run a mixed reef tank and you use a high quality reef salt for water changes. If you are not dosing are you harming stony corals or just hindering growth?

@NationalReefing 6 жыл бұрын

Kalkwasser and controller/BRS 1.1ml doser is my staple. I tried adding 2-Part but became more hassle than convenience. Look fwd to testing CalRx + Kalk when coral growth demands more Alkalinity. Nice overview video!

@kenhickey4730 6 жыл бұрын

Than as always very informative, thank you . I do aqua forest 2 part but will be switching to Triton other methods soon because I like to do water changes. Yea I know, nuts rightist like the results of keeping trace elements in line although nitrate is low….

@rpeebles 6 жыл бұрын

Been dosing 2 part for a while now. Only using 40 ml per day so will be sticking with this a while. The gear head in me still wants to get a kalkstirrer to raise my ph and eventually a calcium reactor but 2 part is working for now..

@IS-db6pn 6 жыл бұрын

Before hurricane María wiped almost all reef tanks in Puerto Rico (including mine), I used 2 part with 2 BRS dosing pumps controlled by a Vertex Cerebra controller and parameters were very stable. Magnesium was replenished by water changes, which were done weekly (10-15%). Hopefully, electricity comes back soon and I can restart the aquarium but it doesn't look like it will happen any time soon.

@KreefAquariumhobby 6 жыл бұрын

I just started dosing the ATI Essentials.

@Leigh33 6 жыл бұрын

Hi Than and thanks for yet another greatly educational upload. I do have a question regarding 2 (3) part..... after much initial testing, I have been manually dosing twice weekly to maintain levels, 5ml of each and dose the alk at least half hour later. Should or could I just dose these amounts into the ATO Res, obviously then double the dose and only once a week. It takes just over a week to use the whole res though and I'm not sure if the tank would become depleted due to it not being in the system as per usual.... I hope you understand what I'm trying to get across. 😕 Cheers buddy.

@jamesonity 4 жыл бұрын

2nd

@DrinkhtooO 6 жыл бұрын

2 part in my 240 and kalk in the 75. Eventually would love to go to a reactor on the 240

@madrox4132 6 жыл бұрын

I'm using Kalkwasser in ATO with daily supplemental manual 2 part dosing. Calcium reactor's my next big purchase. Planning on a Geo unit with a masterflex peristaltic pump and carbon doser. A continuous duty peristaltic pump that's Apex controllable would be nice with the new Trident being released. One could theoretically have a calcium reactor that requires literally no intervention aside from refilling.

@ramonperez5506 5 жыл бұрын

At 7:40, you show a bucket that has a pipe and valve installed on it. Can you provide any info on the pieces needed to do that? I would like to make the same exact thing.

@ZachShannon 6 жыл бұрын

I started out by dosing kalk, then moved on to two part but it began to become too expensive to dose, so I moved to a calcium reactor. Haven't looked back since

@kellysreef4614 6 жыл бұрын

I use Kalk in my ATO water with 15ml of vinegar/gallon when I mix it. That maintains my parameters rock steady. That being said, I also keep a jug of BRS Sodium Bicarbonate & a jug of BRS Calcium Chloride on standby just-in-case

@dannycastaneda1974 3 жыл бұрын

@@karennation3580 I think it was mentioned in the video that vinegar allows for a higher saturation, meaning higher PH.

@yuyiboy 6 жыл бұрын

I adjust cal and alk with 2 part, and maintain with Kalk in my top off water.

@ScottM 6 жыл бұрын

Great video than and since I primarily run Kalk with vinegar. I have tried 2 part and just got tired of it because I did not have a doser. I know financially a calcium reactor is not in the future for some time.

@tidalgardens 6 жыл бұрын

I understand. Reactors are a big up front cost between the device itself, the CO2 equipment, and the media.

@jluusaltwateraquarium8320 5 жыл бұрын

Hey sir I have Redsea 170 34gallons tank.... How often I dosing in my tank I have soft corals and Acropora corals... Thanks...

@jacobmoorman117 6 жыл бұрын

Nice camera work. What do you use to stabilize the camera?

@tidalgardens 6 жыл бұрын

Most of it was on a tripod, but when I was walking around early in the video I use a Movi Pro.

@skynet883 6 жыл бұрын

Is kalkwasser consider the beginners way?

@falcolf Жыл бұрын

Have you tried Seachem Calcium and Magnesium complete?

@F.S420 6 жыл бұрын

1:33 Supersaturation can only occur if energy is put into the system like heating the solution. What you have is a saturated solution

@darrinhawkey8913 6 жыл бұрын

i dose 145ml a day of kalk after testing once a week i will use 2 part if one or the other is low

@fadetoblack.- 6 жыл бұрын

how much are the prices going up after all this?

@michaelrelaz4808 6 жыл бұрын

Kalk and 2 part together for me. Maybe once my tank is full of colonies I’ll invest into a calcium reactor. But in the meantime it seams pointless. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

@tonyblack7046 6 жыл бұрын

Hey i have a question that non of my lfs could answer for me..i hope you can help me out but first ill give you a quick story of my tank. It's the red sea reefer 625xxl the tank is an upgrade 6 months ago corals and frags just shy of a year old. Most are sps some lps no nothing else. With 3 clams. Im using a 6" diameter cal reactor with two little fishies reborn media. I have a milwaukee mc122 ph controler to control my ph in reactor witch i jabe set to 6.5. Now heres the issue my alk is stable at 9 but calcium goes from 420 to 330 with in 10 days. I do a 30% water change to get it back up every 10 days. What the hell am i doing wrong? Or what is going on? Please help ive spent a lot of money to get a reactor going and now im seriously contemplating on going with 2 part dossing instead

@jestronixhanderson9898 4 жыл бұрын

I run 2 part (cheap when using damp rid and bi carb) and recently doing Kalk as well, mainly for PH. I cook my bicarb to help with PH , I also run air in from outside and my PH won’t go above 8. So hoping kalk will raise it up a tad. I have noticed an improvement after running air in.

@dannycastaneda1974 3 жыл бұрын

So did the kalkwasser raise your PH?

@JV-nl7lh 6 жыл бұрын

In the summer I dose 2 part because with the windows being closed I can adjust the PH by only using ALK or PH buffer and not having to worry I will over shoot the CA. In the winter I can open the windows so I dose Kalk with no fear of having a high ALK, PH, or CA.

@lawiez 6 жыл бұрын

officer, please let me explain! i know it looks suspicious, but it's kalkwasser, it adds calcium and alkalinity in a balanced solution for my reef tank! please don't let me swim with the fishes! i'd definitely recommend using kalkwasser, since it is the most economical way to maintain calc and alk. i'd also recommend having 2 part handy, just to make the minor tweaks while you dial in your tank's consumption.

@kakam458 6 жыл бұрын

My mom visited once n throught I was doing cocaine cus I had spilled some on my table

@tidalgardens 6 жыл бұрын

It would hurt so bad to snort kalkwasser.

@zacharydroy 6 жыл бұрын

If you've done coke, you probably have... lol

@jnava121 5 жыл бұрын

Its great if you got low PH ! Haven't tried snorting kalk and adding cocaine to my ATO though. Seems expensive

@sethwilliamson 4 жыл бұрын

I've tried all 3 methods, my personal preference is: Kalk > Kalk + Vinegar > Calcium Reactor + Kalk > Calcium Reactor alone > 2-part (with or without Kalk)

@ReefSpy 6 жыл бұрын

2-part all the way for me. I'll probably graduate to a calcium reactor at some point.

@Leigh33 6 жыл бұрын

ReefSpy I'm gonna wait til I've grown up for that one buddy...... (I'm 43 now so not much chance of that happening he says.....) 😂😂

@tidalgardens 6 жыл бұрын

I really like calcium reactors. They keep the water chemistry very stable.

@importspeed 6 жыл бұрын

I've done lime water and 2 part. I have had better success with 2 part. I'd like to try a calcium reactor one day but it has a greater up front cost that I haven't felt the need to obtain yet. Great video!!!

@googIereallysucks 6 жыл бұрын

If I'm using kalk in my top off, is it needed to clean it out every time I refill my top off to clean out the left over sediment? If I don't and I keep adding the same amount does it make my top off stronger and stronger?

@DeeFromBrooklyn 6 жыл бұрын

I like the 2-part formula but I prefer using b-Ionic which has additional Trace elements

@tidalgardens 6 жыл бұрын

I've seen many tanks do really well with b ionic.

@scottyjackson6665 Жыл бұрын

assuming you have a calcium carbonate based sand, wouldn’t the sand act as a calcium reactor during periods of darkness/CO2 production?

@tidalgardens Жыл бұрын

Probably not too much. If your pH is dropping so low as to dissolve sand, it is probably too low for the rest of the tank.

@PSCThrillSeeker 6 жыл бұрын

Started with Kalkwasser, but quickly switch over to 2-Part which I like a lot better. I don't see a calcium reactor in my furture

@dangappa 6 жыл бұрын

I dose a lot of kalkwasser and 300 ml of both calcium and alkalinity.

@brianfinch2597 5 жыл бұрын

i like doing a manual slow drip on a diy kalk dripper with a valve...super accurate and super simple

@jacobside2656 6 жыл бұрын

I dose 2 part. I want to try kalk because of it being more "balanced" but the frying everything in the tank if too much is added has always scared me off.

@tidalgardens 6 жыл бұрын

I have screwed up kalkwasser as recently as last month, so it's always a possibility if your technique slips up.

@wheelsdeal 6 жыл бұрын

I've never understood how Kalk is used in the ATO container since evaporation is not the same all year.I have 2 times more evaporation in the summer than in the winter so how is it managable?

@mikecreeftank2560 6 жыл бұрын

wheelsdeal I use a separate 10gal Brut can with a BRS dosing pump hooked up to Apex.

@davidshammas7608 6 жыл бұрын

I cant wait until my pavona looks like that.

@franklinmichael671 6 жыл бұрын

6:42 what coral is that?

@tidalgardens 6 жыл бұрын

Pavona

@franklinmichael671 6 жыл бұрын

Awesome thanks!

@ericv435 6 жыл бұрын

2part(3part) cal-redsea, mag-colombo, alk-dsr,

@captivebredcanada 6 жыл бұрын

While I have tried Kalk I don't really remember liking it. Messy, harder to know how much to use ect. If you don't have a lot of evaporation you're never going to get enough in. Calcium reactor was very much set and forget, but had some issues getting the right drip rate + pain to refill Co2. If i was sps dominated I probably would still use a reactor. For the past 5+ years I've used 2 part. Probably longer than 5 years. BRS additives are cheap and its the easiest to use either by hand or with dosing pumps. Test and test again in 24hrs and then use a calculator to figure out how much to dose and you're done until coral load changes. I usually test my alk twice a week and if I'm adjusting I'll check calcium and magnesium too. 2 part is really 3 part but mag should not be needed daily.

@Cycnoches2012 6 жыл бұрын

Kalk by hand

@prizesleepmusic 4 жыл бұрын

My system is 120 gal 3 yrs old Sps dominated which is connected to reefoctopus calcium reactor with seachem extra large coarse media pH set at 6.0-6.2 in calrx Yesterday did my test Effluent 10 ml/min Cal 120 Alk 28.6 Mag 1950 Co2 60/min Tank parameters Cal 190 Alk 7.6 Mag 1750 PH 8.2 I tried but unable to raise my calcium now m dosing ati essential calcium 450ml What shall I do plz suggest Can I add kalk and stop dosing calcium

@bellumxyz1421 6 жыл бұрын

Kalkwasser is actually pronunciated like: Kalkvassa Anyways, great video!

@smithjohn647 6 жыл бұрын

Make this a 2 minute vid by saying two words. "Purple up." Its the dummy safe way to dose the tank for calcium. No chemical burn, no worries. You dose one you need the others. Potassium and iodine. My LPS & montipora are doing good.

@eddiesoler2250 6 жыл бұрын

Good info till you got to recommending 2 part to be dosed at separate rates. Big mistake!!! A and B needs to be dosed at equal amounts. If there is a swing, then manual adjustments need to be made. Read up.