That is not true. Kalkwasser or calcium hydroxide (chemical term) is a balanced calcium and alkalinity supplement which also has the ability to raise pH.

when I ran just kalk my Ca was good but my alk always dropped. when I added my Ca reactor to the mix all was good.

I ran kalk only for about 3 years and on 2 different tanks, both the same, so where is the balanced part? even RHF uses it in his recipies as only 1/2 of a ballanced additive mix.

Steve

Again I'm sorry but you are wrong. Randy does use kalkwasser but does not use it as only 1/2 of a balanced additive mix.

This is taken from Randy's Article -- How to Select a Calcium and Alkalinity Supplementation Scheme

"Limewater (also known by the German term kalkwasser) has been used very successfully by aquarists for a number of years, and it is the system that I use on my tank."

"The calcium ions in the solution obviously supply calcium to the tank, and the hydroxide ions supply alkalinity."

That is all I have time for now but if you don't believe me do some research. You will find that kalkwasser can be used as a balanced additive that supplies calcium and alkalinity.

ok, I think we're getting a little confused, this is from RHF

" In an aquarium with an acceptable pH, there is no concern that the alkalinity provided by limewater is any different from any other carbonate alkalinity supplement. The hydroxide immediately disappears into the bicarbonate/carbonate system. In other words, the amount of hydroxide present in aquarium water is really a function of only pH (regardless of what has been added), and at any pH below 9, it is an insignificant factor in alkalinity tests"

so yes it does add alk, but not relitive to Ca so if you want to raise your Alk but not Ca you can't do it with kalk. and in my case if I wanted to keep my Ca at a NSW level of 380 to 400, but I like an elivated Alk, I needed to run both.

Steve

The Calcium reactor also dissolves the other elements locked up in the coral. This includes your strontium, mb, Carbonate, Calcium, and every thing else. EXCEPT Iodine.

the Kalkawaser is only Calcium hydroxide, so it's strictly calcium. It also jacks your ph wich in turn causes swings in pH. If not done correctly this can cause big trouble.

Waay back when before the two-part method and reliable calcium reactors pretty much all old school reefers had was kalkwasser. I found with my old 46 gallon that it does provide both Ca and Alk, but it can't keep up with much demand since it is evaporation limited.

I use kalk now simply to keep pH up at night.

The bottom line comes down to your needs. If you are cool running suppliments you have to add Kalkawaser and Carbonate buffer. At different times.

One for Calcium (kalk) one for KH (carbonate buffer). There is no way around it. Best to do it at different times to avoid precipitaion of Calcium Carbonate.

The calcium reactor is like a constant feed of both. Keep in mind if you don't de-gas enough you can have pH issues with a reactor as well. An answer to an earlier query, you really don't want or need to direct feed to your return pump. It won't de-gas the reactor effluant and probably have too high of feed rate. Resulting in an over dose of KH and Ca2+

Never had a calcium reactor... never wanted one. High Ca/kH demand, SPS tank. Automate you 2 part (3 part), it's the easiest way!

just a note, you can use your return pump to feed the Ca reactor, but not all the return can go through it. you just "T" off the return side with a 1/4" line and a valve to regulate how much you are supplying.

This is from Randy's Article -- What your Grandmother never told you about limewater


What Is Lime?

According to the National Lime Association, “lime” is defined as either quicklime or hydrated lime. These materials are made by heating calcium carbonate until the carbon dioxide is driven off, forming quicklime (calcium oxide):

1. CaCO3 à CaO + CO2

Water can then be added to form hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide; referred to subsequently in this article as just lime):

2. CaO + H2O à Ca(OH)2

Both lime and quicklime are suitable for making limewater (kalkwasser) and otherwise supplementing calcium and alkalinity in reef aquaria. There are some important differences between the use of lime and quicklime that will be discussed in subsequent sections. These differences relate to the fact that quicklime is slightly more potent and gets hot when water is added to it (equation 2).

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php

I've never known that limewater only supplies calcium is a common misconception?