Algae

Marine Depot. $18.00 for 4lbs. ESV=municpal water quality specs. The local Wally stocks only in canning season according to the emplyees I talked with last year. Just missed it.

Dosing Kalk Ala Calfo There a a number of aquarists dripping Kalk,some for good reasons some not so good. Right now I prefer to use a slurry. There are both advantages and disadvantages. Here is how Anthony Calfo suggests dosing Calcium Hydroxide via a "slurry" in his new edition of Coral Propagation, which I highly recommend, and Wet Web and Reef Lounge or (such)? First of all , since you are not removing impurities in the Kalk it is essential to get a good grade of Kalk. There is a food grade, lab grade, municipal water grade, etc. each of these are tested to different standards. Not surprisingly, some re-packagers do not list what grade they are selling. Mrs. Wages is good food grade Kalk. Here is a link to various grades. http://wwww.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php Having trouble with the above link, my apologies. You take an accurate CA reading over 2-3 days to determine your Ca usage per day, but you can do that later. It is best to dose at lights off time since this is when co2 is highest and it buffers for the night. I've got such high co2 in my house I can dose during lights-on, it's just less effective. You need cold water (RODI), since Kalk dissolves at a lower temperature (Calfo has his in a fridge). The amount of water is not important. I mix what my daily top-off (usually 16-320 oz) is going to be, so it can vary widely(also a benefit). With a 100 gallon tank (assuming your calcium & dKH are not wacked) I would begin with 1 tsp-5ml.) Whisk this mixture in a container thoroughly, but not to excess. Pour SLOWLY into an area of high velocity (I simply rotate a Koralia powerhead toward the surface and in the direction I am going to pour) You MUST have your pH probe in the main tank and be monitoring the pH value to make sure it does not jump past .2 or so while you are dosing. This reading will do a brief spike. Come back in 30-45 minutes later and get a truer pH reading. It sounds a little intense, but you only have to do the pH probe routine a few times. In the long run it works for me. YMMV. Her is an article about using vinegar with Kalk Best Wishes http://www.reefscapes.net/articles/breefcase/kalkwasser.html

Kalk to raise pH I began using Kalk to raise pH, which was not the best reason to use it. Since at that time I only had soft corals( 'til 3 days ago and a Rose Milli, thanks to Nyles) I didn't need a lot of Calcium. I started using a modified "Calfo slurry" (with vinegar) to raise my pH primarily. What happened was, that because calcium hydroxide is a "balanced" additive, I could simultaneously raise my CA and pretty much maintain my Alk. I can raise my pH with Kalk, but again it will drop slightly each day. and I have not been able to safely raise it into the 8.4 range, consistently (not more than .2 quick jump). Because pH is a logarithmic measurement scale it does equate to dosing easily. I then modified my thinking process and I now use Kalk for what it was intended and that is to raise CA and maintain dKH.Although I would still like to raise my pH, it is not as important to me as it once was. Once you figure your daily need for Ca, you've got it wired. I've got 2 kilos of Seachem 8.3 buffer that I don't need very often, getting dusty. A LFS owner was aghast that I was using Calcium Hydroxide. The fact is; that when used correctly, Kalk is safe, inexpensive, time tested, and effective. I think if you use it prudently you will be sold. I love Kalk.(nono) Any baking soda vs.washing soda derived buffer is going to be short lived in a Carbon Dioxide rich environment. I would like to hear what some others have to say as solutions for raising pH. I think that there are a number of people that actually understand Randy Holmes (at Advanced Aquarist). I am pretty new to this obsession, BUT I am REALLY good at pretending I know what I am talking about.

That is exactly what I needed to know. Thanks Chewie!

I'm ready to replace my exterior overflow box and I'd like to eliminate the bulkhead gasket and bond the PVC bulkhead directly to the acrylic overflow box. The gasket has always been the weak link so this is the rationale. I've got a feeling that this bonding has been done before. I realize that this will make the overflow box/bulkhead but that is just fine since I can put a union down below for cleaning, moving, etc. The question is: What glue/solvent to get a strong bond? (scratch) Any help would be greatly appreciated.

PM sent to you.

Had a hard time linking. You may have to cut & paste. www.keysglee.com/images/news/3_30_sh/solareshill_3_30.pdf

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Refractometer I've got the Marine Depot model prevoiusly linked. It is ATC and can be calibrated with solution or distilled water. The eyepiece is diopter adjustable. It has worked flawlessly for the last 8 months@ 2-3 times per week. Finished with suprising quality (hard chromed). It does not fall out of calibration, easily.

Smann: How did you hook up your overflow/collection to your Euro 135. It looks like an schedule 80 elbow. Any interior riser, etc? Give some details if you can. I have a 135 and would like to feel safe to do more aggressive skimming. PS: You have a REALLY nice tank!

The Smell You Love To Hate? LOL I once worked with a guy that was UNUSUALLY attracted to smells odors and liked to share his truly perverse experiences with others. He was so thoughtful. It quickly became an, uneasy, standing joke. Saying that; I hate to admit that I will (occasionally!) smell the skimmate. This is just to make sure that it is, indeed, collecting all the nastiness and in no way indicates that I may have a monkey on my back. I will not smell it, I will not smell it....

Tang Doing Great! Miles: Your Tang is doing great. Within 10 seconds after being introduced he/she began going after the algae on my rocks. So far he has eaten Formula 2 flake, mysis, algae wafer on a clip, and Reef Formula Flake. Pretty impressive! A real eater.(laugh) I was very impressed by your tank. I wanted to visit longer but, I wanted to be respectful to your schedule and your guests. Hopefully we can have some time in the future? When I used my refractometer on the transport bucket it registered 131. I calibrated it one week ago and will do so again. I slowly equalized the difference in my tank and everything was OK. I showed a temperature of 73.5 on my thermometer in the bucket. I again, very slowly, rose the temperature. Let me know when you want to move your green Ricordae. I would also, like to have it. Best Wishes, Franklin

A Really Nice Tang I would really like to make a good home for your tang but I wonder if my setup is large enough? Let me try to send you some data on setup and we can talk. I been trolling the list for a long time and I actually looked for your post where you suggested a possible visiting others members tanks. It sounds like a great idea. Anyway I'd like to talk with you! You can call me at 461-8743. Franklin Snow