Down to the bottem of Kalkwasser.

[MrMongoose]

I was told it pools phosphates....and now I have been told its phosphate free......Whats up? It would be so much more easy to mix kalk than do two part everyday.

[GTR]

Limewater will somehow bind your system's PO4's. The thinking is those might be released at some point. The key to this is that the PO4's are not removed but only bound... I think that's an accepted fact. We are trying to remove them via the skimmer and they will not be available in that form.
SteveU

[MrMongoose]

Right on, cool just wanted a little explination. I'm blowing through my B-Ionic though 15ML or Part1 and 22ML of Part2 per day......Good thing I got the big boy 1 gallon jugs

[Adam]

B_Ionic is cool...it makes stuff grow..like corraline algae...Im gonna have to get some someday..I used to use it it worked great.

[Catastrofe]

Dude, I'm going through 60ML each of 1 and 2 daily! I'm looking for the economy size 55 gallon drum!

[Diesel3443]

Dude, I'm going through 60ML each of 1 and 2 daily! I'm looking for the economy size 55 gallon drum!

Time for a reactor

[javajaws]

I was told it pools phosphates....and now I have been told its phosphate free......Whats up? It would be so much more easy to mix kalk than do two part everyday.

Some phosphate (inorganic orthophosphate - PO4) may get precipitated out into calcium phosphate when using kalk. However, I don't think it has been proven what happens to the precipitated calcium phosphate. So long as the precipitated calcium phosphate remains in the water column it should be skimmable (as opposed to any un-precipitated orthophosphates which are not easily skimmable). However, if any of that calcium phosphate settles in the rock or sand (or otherwise is not skimmed from the tank) the phosphate will be "bound" and stuck in the tank (but generally "unavailable") until the calcium phosphate re-dissolves and the phosphate is free again.

If the orthophosphates are not precipitated out by kalk, then you have to ask yourself where else will they be going? They will be used by bacteria, algae, etc...some of which will get skimmed out and some which won't. If you can maximize that which gets skimmed (Zeo anyone?) then you don't have anything to worry about because you'll hopefully be exporting more than you're importing.

So IMO, I don't think kalk has a net effect here....you still have to make sure you can export more than you import.

- Jason

[Aged Salt]

As Steve & Jason have mentioned KW may cause P04 precipitation which tends to gradually accumulate within the system. For this reason & it's pH & alkalinity increases, it is not recommended to be used with ZEOvit method. Bob

[G.Alexander]

I agree with Bob, but I like to add, the more nutrients (PO4) are in once tank, the more will be accumulated by using lime water over the time. This is not a special Zeo thing, but running the tank without, will help to keep this problem away.

G.Alexander

[Krux]

how do you folks balance the ph shifts from your calcium reactor without dripping kalk, in my system if i don't constantly drip kalk to maintina ph, the numbers can fluctuate by as much as 1.2 per day (7.2-8.4) even when only running the calcium reactor durring the daylight hours. with the reactor online the variation is only from about 7.8 to 8.1

is kalk and po4 binding any less of an issue in an already low nutrient tank which consistently has read 0 in po4 for over 6 months or will it still inevitably get you into trouble?

[invincible569]

krux, my PH runs from 7.8-8.1.

First off.. do you have a skimmer? Assuming you do, do you think its grabbing enough O2 for it to chemically convert into your water? Another option to help would be to have fans over your tank. This also blows O2 over your tank. In a natural ocean, O2 is mixed from above by thunderstorms, rain, waves, etc. Try and mimic this somehow in your tank if you can. Also, make sure you have flow EVERYWHERE in your tank. The less flow, the slower and less a chemical reaction will occur. Why do you think tanks with less flow have more problems and they dont look as good? Also, if you have too, run your skimmer air input to the outside of your home if you can so you can be sure you are getting pure 02 instead of C02 all over your home from human excretion.

[Krux]

i am running 2 4" icecaps, and a dual 9" fan over the tank, and a single 8" fan over the sump. skimmer is a beckett rated to over 300 gallons on the 75. turnover in the tank is via a 3000gph closed loop with 4 returns, and a 1500 gph return pump at the surface. total is between 45 and 50 times turnover per hour within the tank.

i rencently read about the airline feed, no way to get it outside without running tubing up along the cieling and through about 20' of hose, not sure if this would place too much pressure on the beckett, causing it to aspirate imporperly, but it is worth a shot. for now it is vented from out side the stand at least.

the biggest killer is the calcium reactor, i suppose i can dial it back significantly, which i am probably going to have to do as the dkh in the system seems too high. i'll try running the reactor at half effeciency for a while and turn off the kalk reactor and check on the swings. the deltec design utilizes a co2 recirculation system, so not much is escaping intto the tank, but the ph is pretty low. it does feed directly into the skimmer via a jg valve i had installed, so that the skimmer can blow off any incidental co2 that does travel in.

any thought on a air feed line being too long? no problem?

[invincible569]

It shouldnt matter on the length of the tube just as long as their arent any splits or cracks in it causing the pressure to lessen. Its like a straw and cracking the middle of it when your drinking.