Neptune Aquatics

Help needed with Brightwell Aquatics Kalk+2

Hi folks,

I went to LFS yesterday to give Kalk Wasser a try. The LFS had only Brightwell Aquatics Kalk+2 so I bought it thinking it's a reputable company and I'm sure they got it right. Plus it also doses Stronium and Magnesium in Ionic rations. I decided to stop my 2 part dosing so give this a try and see how much it changes the balance in my aquarium (didn't want to overdose and observe and adjust before resuming my 2-part routine). I decided to also mix the powder in my ATO tank so that the tank gets supplemented throughout the day.

BUT here's the big issue I'm facing after mixing with RODI the Kalk Wasser has turned into Bewölktes Wasser (Cloudy Water - yes I used Google Translate). Even after mixing the water with a spare (powerful) pump for about an hour and letting the water settle for another hour, I can't seem to get the water to clear up. It's really milky. I'm concerned that I'll be dosing the tank incorrectly not to mention get the water in the tank cloudy.

Anyone have experience with this who can tell me what I'm doing wrong. Or should I just think I dropped a 20 on the road and forget about this and get something else? If something else, what?

Please help!

Thanks,
Manish
 
Why are you switching from 2 part to Kalk? It’s almost the same thing. I think it’s normal for it to mix up Cloudy, not totally sure tho.
I wouldn’t use it in an ato. The rate added per day will not be consistent that way.
 
I was actually looking at a video from BRS where they suggested supplementing 2 part with Kalk (or the other way) and also they highly recommended to add to ATO. I'm honestly quite new to reefing so trying to experiment and see what works but using this forum to make sure I'm not doing something that is detrimental. :)
 
You don’t want to dose it when it’s milky. I’m not familiar with that exact brand but I used kalk for a while and it would be milky for a while after first mixing but I don’t remember how long it took to settle. When it does settle you want to also make sure that you don’t dose the sludge at the bottom.

I never used it in my ato, although, that’s not uncommon. I wanted more control over how much went in the tank instead of having it just get added at the rate of evaporation.

Are you mixing it at full saturation?
 
It should clear up if you don't touch the solution, now I'm familiar with the "standard" kalkwasser powder, not sure if the +2 addition makes it take longer to clear up, but ummm yeah.
 
I use this same product in my ATO, it doesn’t truly become clear until a few days later. What I’ve done is once I mix and let it settle for one hour I put the ato pump in a plastic container(small cup) to prevent from any of the settled material not be lifted. If any has landed in the container and pump. Run a few seconds while catching the unwanted top off in a cup or something then put back in place.
 
Super helpful folks. I did see that the water in my ATO cleared overnight. I had my ATO pump slightly raised using a plastic platform to make sure I'm not dosing the sludge. I do like the idea JG066 recommend though. That way I can be sure that none of the sludge gets into my tank. I'll report back with my findings. Let's see how this experiment works out.

Thanks again,
Manish
 
Back
Top