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Old 12-11-2004, 12:33 PM   #1
Sandman
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Default Kalk + Vinegar Addictive System.

to be more exact, its actually: Calcium Hydroxide (kalk) + Acetic acid (vinegar), which will give you calcium acetate. calcium acetate's importance in reef chemistry cannot be overlooked.

When you simply mix kalk with water, you'll get an aqueous solution of calcium and hydroxide ions, and of course, a great amount of heat too! The calcium ions obviously provide calcium to the tank and the hydroxide ions provide the alkalinity. It is important to note that corals can only consume alkalinity as bicarbonate, not hydrozide ions. fortunately, these hydroxide ions can react with the carbon dioxide (in the air and in the tank) to produce bicarbonate and carbonate.

When you dissolve kalk in diluted acetic acid, not only you can achieve a better dissolution, the essential calcium acetate is produced. In solution, calcium acetate forms calcium and acetate ions. While the former has been discussed above, the latter provides a way to export nitrates.

5CH3COO-(acetate) + 8NO3-(nitrate) --> 10CO2 + 4N2 + 13OH- + H2O

My formula for calcium acetate:
15mL of 5% acetic acid
0.5 teaspoons of calcium hydroxide
1 L of water.
Vinegar in the market contains about 20% acetic acid (correct me if i'm wrong). Just dissolve 1 part of vinegar to 4 parts of water.

Remember to monitor the pH closely when mixing this receipe. Good luck.
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Old 12-11-2004, 12:37 PM   #2
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for those who wanna read more:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm

http://web.archive.org/web/20030608...n=&RecordNo=181

have fun!
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Old 12-11-2004, 02:22 PM   #3
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I tot you can get Vinegar in the market that are 5% acetic acid ? Bought mine from coldstorage , stated 5% acetic acid .
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Old 12-11-2004, 06:22 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cwloo
I tot you can get Vinegar in the market that are 5% acetic acid ? Bought mine from coldstorage , stated 5% acetic acid .
yap .. its only 5%
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Old 12-11-2004, 06:51 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BarraCuda™
yap .. its only 5%
then that's good. you guys can use it directly. remember to monitor your pH closely. once you got the right dosage first time, then it's going to be easy then on. its safe to have excess calcium hydroxide but NOT THE OTHER WAY ROUND!
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Old 12-11-2004, 07:16 PM   #6
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What I did is to add vinegar to kalk powder and make sure that there is always some residue left and pour direct into the tank.

The residue ensures that the Ca and KH added will be balanced
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Old 13-11-2004, 02:56 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BarraCuda™
What I did is to add vinegar to kalk powder and make sure that there is always some residue left and pour direct into the tank.

The residue ensures that the Ca and KH added will be balanced
Got a Qs... after mixing up a batch of Kalk.... The residue, do you add more water to reuse them? been reusing my Kalk mix at least twice/thrice before I create a batch with new Kalk powder..
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Old 13-11-2004, 05:37 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Limsteel
Got a Qs... after mixing up a batch of Kalk.... The residue, do you add more water to reuse them? been reusing my Kalk mix at least twice/thrice before I create a batch with new Kalk powder..
those residue might just as well be calcium carbonate (the product of calcium hrdoxide - kalk reacting with the atmospheric CO2).
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Old 14-11-2004, 07:12 PM   #9
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Bro,

You mean with this method you don't need to drip anymore? I know that saturated KW is about pH 12. Is it much lower in this case which is why you don't need to drip?

Quote:
Originally Posted by BarraCuda™
What I did is to add vinegar to kalk powder and make sure that there is always some residue left and pour direct into the tank.

The residue ensures that the Ca and KH added will be balanced
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Old 14-11-2004, 07:40 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deep_end
Bro,

You mean with this method you don't need to drip anymore? I know that saturated KW is about pH 12. Is it much lower in this case which is why you don't need to drip?
yap .. the pH is around 6 so I just pour directly.
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