Instructions and Guidelines

Kalk+2 is intended for use by experienced hobbyists who are familiar with kalkwasser (calcium hydroxide-based) products. The calcium concentration (”[Ca2+]”) and pH in the aquarium should be determined by using an accurate test kit prior to supplementing. Do not add this product directly to an aquarium without diluting in water as directed, and do not overdose; it must be added in a controlled fashion with a dosing device. Create a stock solution by dissolving 6 grams (~1 tsp) of Kalk+2 in 1 US-gallon of fresh water (preferably purified) and allowing at least one hour for any settling to occur; each ml of the saturated sol’n will increase the [Ca2+] in 1 US-gallon (3.785 L) of water by 2.3 ppm, strontium concentration by 0.04 ppm, and magnesium concentration by 0.06 ppm. Decant only the clear solution into the aquarium.  Discard any sediment.  This decanted solution must then be dosed/dripped into the aquarium at such a rate that salinity does not fall below 1.021 g/cm3 and pH does not increase by more than 0.1 every hour, nor is it ever allowed to exceed a value of 8.5. Dosing at night when pH in a reef aquarium is naturally depressed is often performed to avoid exceeding the maximum allowable pH value. If the [Ca2+] in an aquarium is gradually dropping despite using this product as directed, the rate of evaporation may be insufficient or pH may be too high to dose sufficient calcium to compensate for the rate of removal by reef-building aquarium inhabitants and/or undesirable chemical reactions. In this case, a secondary calcium supplement may be needed to occasionally re-establish the natural seawater concentration of calcium in the aquarium.