Using Kalk paste

[newreefer03]

I want to kill off some zoanthids and encrusting gorgonia on some some close to some sps. How do people apply the kalk paste to do that? Do it outside the tank or inside? Any risk to the sps nearby? Or if outside the tank how long do you keep it on, then rinse it? TIA

 

[willray]

Pluck them off if you can.
I used a small plastic syringe from the dentist.Mix it well so there aren't any clumps.It is heavy and will stay where you put it.try a pratice squirt in a large bowl or simualr so you get an idea of how it reacts,moves,sticks....Oh be very, very careful.only a few at a time.

 

[Mike A]

What are you using to make the kalk paste ?

Just a cautionary note, a friend was almost blinded when he mixed kalk paste up using calcium oxide in a syringe. The chemical reaction generated heat and caused the syringe to explode. Even using calcium hydroxide, be careful !

That said, once you've carefully mixed the paste, you can shut down all of the pumps and apply the paste using the syringe to the areas you want to nuke. Don't apply too much, as it tends to run down any slopes and you run the risk of having some of that paste run off and land on a coral or invert, damaging or killing it.

Let the kalk paste sit on the target for about 5 minutes to let it do it's thing.

If you've got a lot of stuff to nuke, don't do it all at once. Do 1/3 to 1/4 at a time so you're not messing up your water chemistry using a lot of kalk at once.

When you're done, fire up the pumps and it will wash away the areas you nuked.

 

[Chuck Spyropulos]

For encrusting coral species here is my technique:

If you mix the paste so that it is almost dry, yes almost dry, it will have a consistency of a thick putty. Then you can stick it on the coral with your fingers or a long stick (I use the handle end of my algae scraper). Then carefully smear it onto the target coral. The coral will begin to slime and actually make the paste stick to it even better. Work by using small amounts of paste until you slowly cover the target colony. As mentioned above, shut off all of your circulation pumps before you do this. I left my return pump on and just turned off my Tunze Streams. After a few hours I turned them back on and the paste was washed off and did not bother other colonies in my tank, even those close to the target colony.

I have successfully used this technique many times, mostly to kill creeping pavonna coral. The key is to not add too much water to the kalk or it will be difficult to handle and to place. For the zoanthids, I would go with Mike's suggestion or scrape them off with a scalpel if there are not too many.

 

[Greg Hiller]

I've also used Mike's method, but I suggest that you siphon away the kalk paste before you restart your pumps.