cholly

Coming from reef aquariums, calcium is one subject I've spent a lot of time on. CaCl is regularly sold as a one-part calcium additive for reef tanks (and thus not preferred; the two-part products that also maintain dKh are much better for that purpose), so if anyone is having a hard time finding it you can just buy it off the shelf. One such product:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...7&pcatid=16827

Anyone consider using kalkwasser powder as an alternative though?

 

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dwalstad

Dear David F,

I'd be careful here.

Firstly, please don't use vinegar to bring pH down. You may get a bacterial bloom (cloudy water), as the acetic acid in vinegar is like fastfood for bacteria. Unfortunately, I recommended vinegar in my book's first edition-- a mistake. You should be able to add a little calcium carbonate so that it brings the GH up to a suitable level (I would aim for GH = 6-8 ). If you "overshoot", just dilute with tapwater. I find that the pH gradually stabilizes within NPTs without having to do anything.

Secondly, if your GH and KH are 25 ppm, then your water is now very, very hard. However, you state that your water is "still very soft". That can't be, and I can't tell from your letter whether your water is now very soft or very hard.

With soft water, you have many choices. You could:

• add a commercial products designed to harden softwater and/or RO water ("reef salts" for cichlid tanks would probably work)
• follow the "Calcium Dosing Procedure" outlined in this thread
• stick with your calcium carbonate tablets, but also add a little magnesium and potassium

 

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