Kalkwiesser & Vinegar

[Reeferer]

So I have started dosing kalk to my system. I have about 75gal total. I am mixing vinegar in the following proportions.

1/2 teaspoon kalk : (5ml-25ml)vinegar : 1 liter water

An article I read said that 5ml to 25ml of vinegar should be used depending on how much kalk is needed in the system.

I have been dosing 10ml of vinegar in the ratio above and my levels are still dropping. I use 3 liters a day to suplement my water evaporation from the tank. It is my thought that I need to increase my vinegar ratio to 15-20ml in order to maintain my calcium & Alk levels.

Q1. What do people think about dosing kalk & vinegar?
Q2. Is my ratio correct? What do other people use for a ratio?
Q3. Downsides with dosing vinegar?

TIA

 

[afboundguy]

I did the kalk and vinegar thing when I was dripping kalk and a few days in a row the dripper got clogged up and I got a bacteria bloom because of the sudden lack of vinegar.

Vinegar acts kind of like vodka dosing as in it creates more bacteria but if their food is taken away then die and the tank gets all cloudy and slimy.

So I have a negative experience with it but it wasn't an automated system. I have an ATO now but I'd still be hesitant because each day the amount of top of water put in the sump can vary so you'd have varying amounts of vinegar going into your system. I'd almost be more comfortable with a separate doser doing just vinegar or prob vodka.

Benefits of doing vinegar and kalk is that you can increase the amount of calcium and alk that the water can suck up. I forget what the exact value is but at a certain point you can just keep adding kalk and the water won't take it in but vinegar allows a higher ratio...

And as with anything to do with kalk it's all about starting small and adjusting... Either way you choose to go good luck!

 

[Joel A]

why get fancy with it?? I understand the reason some people do it, but if you don't need too, why would you?

It complicates things IMO and if you're dosing kalk for the first time you probably don't need to complicate things

 

[DoctaQ]

i think the dosing of vinegar which is similar to dosing vodka is independent of kalk for the reason of lowering nitrates and phosphates. that dose should be based on your water volume and not your top off, but you definateley need a skimmer. hth

 

[Reeferer]

thanks guys. One more question. Do people who dose kalk also dose 2 part? Or should dosing kalk keep your calcium & Alk in check without needing 2 part?

 

[afboundguy]

Usually if you do kalk and 2 part you use a lot less of 2 part. It's really all about finding the balance in your tank...

 

[Reeferer]

Awesome...Thanks Dave

 

[deynon09]

i think the dosing of vinegar which is similar to dosing vodka is independent of kalk for the reason of lowering nitrates and phosphates.

I thought vinegar had a lowering affect on pH?

 

[DoctaQ]

it does, and even more through the bacteria that is created but the growth of those bacteria decrease nitrate and phosphate then the bacteria can be skimmed out. i think its called organic carbon dosing something or other.
people usually use vodka but sugar i think and vinegar can be used

i just read about kalk and vinegar
the vinegar allows the kalk to be concentrated to a higher solution i think.
kalk has a saturation point in freshwater and cannot be mixed into saltwater, this means that kalk can only be used as top off and if the demand for top off ( evaporation) cannot keep up with calc and alk usage then people have to start running fans to up the evaporation or dosing with two part stuff. vinegar solves some of that problem i beleive.

good article
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php

vinegar and kalk are halfway down the page

 

[frank180reef]

I drip the mixture in my sump where my skimmer resides, should I shut it off when I drip the kalk/vinegar in?