Red Sea Calk

[nahtanoj]

well after i heard the guy from red sea talking about Calk, i couldn't wait to try it. been going 4 days now so i thought i'd let you know my current experience so far.
the "claims"
1) measurable coral growth- too soon to tell
2)keeps ionic ratios in balance- does seem to do the trick, it raised my CA and ALK within 2 days to a about 430 for ca, and 9 for alk.
3)does not affect PH- i'd have to agree, my ph has been just about rock solid at 8.2. with 2 part i would notice swings of 8.0-8.3, plus me being forgetful i'd add one part and forget the other, with this its one dose a day, very simple.
4)safe and easy to use- yes
5)no undesirable side affects- none that i can see*

*ok, the clause, my moment of stupidity and lack of ability to read revealed to the public. the kit comes with the powder and a alk test kit, which to say the least is confusing. you have to use 2 different sheets to understand how to read the test kit, one of them requires a lot of reading, i skim. SO, what you do is put in a drop at a time, like all tests, until the color changes...the test paper tells you if it is at 2.5ml left in the dropper you are good, if LOWER than 2.5 ADD, if OVER 2.5 dose LESS. APPARENTLY it also says flip the dropper to point up, the BELOW is a number BIGGER than 2.5, the above is a number SMALLER. my number kept getting smaller, in my mind BELOW 2.5 not above, i went and got a different tester to verify amount, the alk was going up, and i should read the directions better.
i just couldn't figure out why it would be dropping when i was upping my daily dose.

i'll give a better update in a month or so when i fully get the dosing down.

jon

[JoeJ]

:p, sounds like the silly mistake I was doing with the Salifert ALK test kit. I didn't believe my tank results, so I forced myself to run the 8.3 dKH control sample and figured out what I was doing wrong: looking at the syringe the wrong way.
Controls izz good.

[low]

jonathan,

i managed to get a hold of some red sea calk too and i cant wait to start using it. i dont want to read any directions either, so im going to use your tips:)

[nahtanoj]

you will like it. it has really kept my tanks alk/ca/ph in check, and my coral color is starting to turn less "brown" as our rude friend jessy pointed out.

[low]

i know. she is very rude. sometimes i dont like her that much. but i hope she doesnt read this thread.:p

[Jessy]

i know. she is very rude. sometimes i dont like her that much. but i hope she doesnt read this thread.:p

too late.... you're bomb is in the mail Please open it away from your tank so I can pillage my spoils later....oh and not in yer house either, cuz I want that too

[victortrav]

hey jon keep us posted.
im trying to finger out what route to go with dosing this may be the route.

[JoeJ]

Just curious: I know you are using Scripps; have you measured Mg levels? Scripps, in my hands, measures out to be 1050 ppm and I've used Reef Advantage Mg to bring it up to 1350 ppm.

you will like it. it has really kept my tanks alk/ca/ph in check, and my coral color is starting to turn less "brown" as our rude friend jessy pointed out.

[nahtanoj]

my mg sits at 1250-1300, i dose it once every week or 2 when i think about it. my usage of mg is very slow, so once i've gotten it to that level, its pretty much staying there with minimum effort.