Worth noting that AFR is DRAMATICALLY cheaper when you purchase it as a powder and mix it up yourself. Comparing just the liquid AFR price against Kalkwasser is a worst case scenario... I'd personally never really recommend buying the liquid unless you absolutely refuse to mix it up yourself (in which case you probably wouldn't want to use Kalk anyways). Solid video, brother!
I run both on just about every system I maintain. Kalkwasser serves as the foundation of my dosing, but for the added benefit of that trace element cocktail, I do a very small amount of AllForReef daily or weekly. One nano tank is exclusively AllForReef, and it does great. Both excellent routes. You’re 100% right - one isn’t necessarily totally superior to the other.
@@ReefDorkXtra Was terrified to use Kalkwasser because I didn’t understand it. Then, probably less than a year ago, I watched every second of every Kalkwasser video you’ve made, and it gave me the confidence to take the dive. Now I’ve got DIY Kalkwasser reactors on everything, as foundational dosing, and dose everything else in supplement 😂 So I would absolutely agree. My corals are growing at (I kid you not) probably twice the rate they were before, and pH is way high compared to what it was prior to running kalk. So hats off to you, sir. You changed the hobby for me significantly, and for the better. Now, to find a way to somehow force Ryan to get on board with this approach….lol
i dose all for reef during day from 10am to 10pm, then i slow dose kalk at night for the ph boost. it keeps my system ph from swinging between night and day.
I use TM AFR been using it for years now my only complaint is the buildup it causes in my dosing lines sometimes it clogs my lines if I don’t clean it.
New to hobby, aquarium now 3 years old and have been using all for reef last 6 months and in that time I'm getting better growth and colour than the previous 2 and half years. Won't be going back to multiple dosing . Probably will look at dosing both for a trial.
I use all for reef powder. Saves loads. Wouldn't change now. Think it's great. How are you hanging the corals on the walls on both the cube behind and the larger tank?
Not sure i agree with the price comparison, if you buy the 1600g powder can of all for reef it will mix up 10 litres making it £4.70 per litre compared to the £30 pre-mixed in the video, the powdered form is a massive saving
@@Dibilibix27 I am dosing maximum amount of kalkwasser, basically replacing almost all of my evaporation with it (By dosing just a clear kalk). And dosing allforreef as needed, depending on where my alkalinity is at.
That was the title, yeah - the full story of that video is that you shouldn't dose kalk to boost pH at the expense of increasing alk to dangerous levels, which is what I see people doing quite often.
Have you tried both? Why is it that you can only use kalk based on what your evaporation is. I just can get my evaopation figured out exactly since I top off by hand. but bought an ato. Isnt it an xtra expense with kalkwasser needing a stirrer or what ever its called. its called. I am definitely changing, just not sure which. How do you dose kalk. i heard ato is old school and not a good way. Can you hand dose it? My ph is iusally 7.8 to 8 so I love the ph benefit i would get but at the same time it could be dangerous if some how overdosed. Brs warns people to buy a ph probe! I have read so many review that people have said theeir corals have exploded with growth with AFR! So The owner or ceo says its the essential element but I do about about 35 % wc bi weekly so not even sure if I need the elements
Check out my Kalkwasser guide video for a simple explanation. I've made a few vids that should explain it more simply. I have used both, yeah. It's not that you dose kalk based on your evaporation, you're just limited to how much you can dose by your evaporation limit. Kalk is a freshwater solution so if you lose 1 litre per day of freshwater to evaporation and add 4 litres per day of kalkwasser, you'll dilute your salt which will reduce your salinity. So in that example, you can only dose up to 1 litre of kalk per day. You don't need a stirrer, you can just mix kalk in a tub and dose it out of that - dead cheap. pH probes are good to have but very much not essential - I ran kalk in 3 tanks without a probe. All For Reef doesn't do anything special, it's just a dosing solution with trace elements like many others. It won't increase your pH, kalk will.
I have been a Tropic Marin AFR user for almost a year now. The biggest down fall with the AFR in my opinion is you will at some point experience an imbalance of elements due to coral or coralline algae growth and different uptake rates of elements needed. Supplementing small amounts of Balling Method A,B or C. (Alk, CA or Mag) will be needed to maintain chemical balance. You will have to monitor all of your parameters even though Tropic Marin states you only need to monitor Alkalinity. I experienced a very low level of Magnesium after my coralline algae began growing. I have since changed my salt mix to one with a higher Magnesium level. By the time I figured out the problem it was too late for a Torch coral in my reef. My Magnesium dropped to below 1200 PPM I learned that Euphyllia like higher levels of Magnesium. I now keep mine slightly elevated between 1350 & 1450 PPM. I still continue to use AFR but it's mainly for the benefits of the trace elements. I will be sending a water sample off for ICP testing very shortly. I have not done an ICP yet and want some baseline readings to see if any of the trace elements are deficient. I have read statements from other hobbyists who have sent ICP tests out, commenting their ICP test showing low Potassium levels. Tropic Marin adds their A- & K+ Elements in the AFR mix. Both of these products are available separately. Neither of these additives list Potassium as an ingredient. I am hoping since I do weekly water changes that this gets replenished with the water change. I don't claim to be an expert this has been my personal experience with using AFR. As long as my ICP test comes back with satisfactory trace element numbers. I will continue to using the Balling Method & Tropic Marin products and follow up with quarterly ICP tests to keep an eye on things.
Been using AFR for about 3 years and in that time I've also had to supplement magnesium 2 or 3 times due to coraline growth but that's the only thing, i do 15 - 30% water changes weekly so i think everything else is being replenished by that
I think that one should compare Kalkwasser rather with Carbocalcium than with AllForReef🦊 than, AllForReef and Carbocalcium are both based on Calcium formate = the formic acid salt of Calcium. I wonder why Calcium Citrate, Calcium Acetate, or Calcium Lactate are not used. One can buy all these salts from chemical companies. there is however a video about a calcium reactor that uses vinegar instead of CO2: ua-cam.com/video/sC8FtsXnAvg/v-deo.html This would produce calcium acetate.
Hi Alex, another dorky question from me, Calcium Hydroxide and Sodium Hydroxide are used to boost pH and act as a Alk supplement, just found out there is magnesium hydroxide. Can it also be used as a dosing solution to boost pH and add Magnesium? and also in the live chats I've heard Ryan using Magnesium Hexa-hydrate. does that have any pH benefits? why Use hexahydrate and not Magnesium Chloride ?
Magnesium chloride hexahydrate doesn't do anything for pH as far as I'm aware but I don't have any experience with sodium or magnesium hydroxide. There's probably a good reason kalkwasser is most popular though...
Magnesium hydroxide isn’t soluble. Personally correct Mg with MgSO4, some use MgCl2, to be honest consider using magnesium acetate, but haven’t try yet
Why doesn‘t annyone use „Magnesiumwasser“?🤡From the same sources you could also buy Magnesium Hydroxide(MgOH) which is very similar to Calcium Hydroxide(CaOH)🦊
I dont test mag. My routine is AFR, kalk, dose cal and alk. Water change monthly. I might have to add a jug of mag every now and then. Ive read mag test kits are very inaccurate and there's no need to test. Just add in some every jow and then. Probably just pour some in with water change water
@@ReefDorkXtra my tank has been running for about 8 months i have around 20 lps corals and 2 big gsp rocks. Can you look at my latest short video and let me know what you think if to dose kalk or afr please im still learning.
@@Coral-reef. I won't be able to tell, but if you have that many corals you'll definitely need to dose something - best way to find out is weekly tests for alkalinity, calcium and magnesium
@@ReefDorkXtrahey man im still confused about this. I dont have a automatic top off i do top off manually so how do you recommend i dose kalkwasser since my ph is low at 7.4
Isn't another 'minus' point for Kalkwasser, that it can be a faff to set up due to needing a Kalk stirrer and that it can end up clogging things up? I think AFR is very accessible, especially for newer reefers and especially in the first few years. I've only had my tank going for just over a year and initially found dosing as a whole quite confusing; I started dosing individual elements manually before getting a doser and when I did I opted for AFR which made things so much easier for me, Kalk feels like a bigger 'leap'. I would also agree with some others, the powder form is much cheaper (and a fairer comparison to Kalk in only powder form) and is very simple to make up.
So i just started using kalkwasser last night started slowly only 250ml last night. I dosed in my first chamber(wavemaker in chamber so lots of flow) and i didnt see a boost in ph at all? My ph probe is 2 chambers away in my return section. Im i doing something wrong? Or just not dosing enough yet?
Hi Alex, Alex here. Awesome videos! I currently dose 20ml all for reef per day, 11ml 8.4 and 0.05ml Red Sea algae control. My evaporation is 1420ml per day. So I’m trying to work out how much to dose would it be half that? Also wanted to continue to use AFR but not sure on dosing amounts
Best way is to start dosing small amounts of kalkwasser and build up until you notice your alkalinity increasing. When I started kalk I actually had to increase my two part dosing as well because the pH boost made my corals grow so much faster
Worth noting that AFR is DRAMATICALLY cheaper when you purchase it as a powder and mix it up yourself. Comparing just the liquid AFR price against Kalkwasser is a worst case scenario... I'd personally never really recommend buying the liquid unless you absolutely refuse to mix it up yourself (in which case you probably wouldn't want to use Kalk anyways). Solid video, brother!
I run both on just about every system I maintain. Kalkwasser serves as the foundation of my dosing, but for the added benefit of that trace element cocktail, I do a very small amount of AllForReef daily or weekly. One nano tank is exclusively AllForReef, and it does great. Both excellent routes. You’re 100% right - one isn’t necessarily totally superior to the other.
I think using kalk as the foundation and supplementing with some other comprehensive dosing solution is the best way 👍
@@ReefDorkXtra Was terrified to use Kalkwasser because I didn’t understand it. Then, probably less than a year ago, I watched every second of every Kalkwasser video you’ve made, and it gave me the confidence to take the dive. Now I’ve got DIY Kalkwasser reactors on everything, as foundational dosing, and dose everything else in supplement 😂 So I would absolutely agree. My corals are growing at (I kid you not) probably twice the rate they were before, and pH is way high compared to what it was prior to running kalk. So hats off to you, sir. You changed the hobby for me significantly, and for the better. Now, to find a way to somehow force Ryan to get on board with this approach….lol
@@kalamazoo_reefer yes!
How much do you dose into the nano and how often.
i dose all for reef during day from 10am to 10pm, then i slow dose kalk at night for the ph boost. it keeps my system ph from swinging between night and day.
I use TM AFR been using it for years now my only complaint is the buildup it causes in my dosing lines sometimes it clogs my lines if I don’t clean it.
I had that problem with my AFR line clogging until I submerged it underwater. Once I made the change the problem went away.
@@robertlivingston2919I did the same thing. Easy solution.
New to hobby, aquarium now 3 years old and have been using all for reef last 6 months and in that time I'm getting better growth and colour than the previous 2 and half years. Won't be going back to multiple dosing . Probably will look at dosing both for a trial.
I have been using for years ,4-5+, calcium hydroxide and all for reef together with occasional MG separate dosing which works well.
I use all for reef powder. Saves loads. Wouldn't change now. Think it's great.
How are you hanging the corals on the walls on both the cube behind and the larger tank?
I use 3D printed 45 degree mounts (that I sell at ReefDork.Etsy.com 🙂)
Not sure i agree with the price comparison, if you buy the 1600g powder can of all for reef it will mix up 10 litres making it £4.70 per litre compared to the £30 pre-mixed in the video, the powdered form is a massive saving
I use both. They compliment each other well! ✌️
How do you reach the sweet spot between the two?
@@Dibilibix27 I am maxed out on kalk and everything on top of that is AFR.
@@ReefUnderTheRoof I didn't understand. Sorry. Could you explain in a different way? Thanks
@@Dibilibix27 I am dosing maximum amount of kalkwasser, basically replacing almost all of my evaporation with it (By dosing just a clear kalk). And dosing allforreef as needed, depending on where my alkalinity is at.
@@ReefUnderTheRoof Perfect! Thanks! And do you have a full sps reef? Using some algae, carbon, uv to filter?
I use all for reef, but I need to supplement magnesium which can get tricky.
Didn't you make a video 6 months ago saying Kalkwasser Is NOT For pH ?
That was the title, yeah - the full story of that video is that you shouldn't dose kalk to boost pH at the expense of increasing alk to dangerous levels, which is what I see people doing quite often.
Have you tried both? Why is it that you can only use kalk based on what your evaporation is. I just can get my evaopation figured out exactly since I top off by hand. but bought an ato. Isnt it an xtra expense with kalkwasser needing a stirrer or what ever its called. its called. I am definitely changing, just not sure which. How do you dose kalk. i heard ato is old school and not a good way. Can you hand dose it? My ph is iusally 7.8 to 8 so I love the ph benefit i would get but at the same time it could be dangerous if some how overdosed. Brs warns people to buy a ph probe! I have read so many review that people have said theeir corals have exploded with growth with AFR! So The owner or ceo says its the essential element but I do about about 35 % wc bi weekly so not even sure if I need the elements
Check out my Kalkwasser guide video for a simple explanation. I've made a few vids that should explain it more simply.
I have used both, yeah. It's not that you dose kalk based on your evaporation, you're just limited to how much you can dose by your evaporation limit. Kalk is a freshwater solution so if you lose 1 litre per day of freshwater to evaporation and add 4 litres per day of kalkwasser, you'll dilute your salt which will reduce your salinity. So in that example, you can only dose up to 1 litre of kalk per day. You don't need a stirrer, you can just mix kalk in a tub and dose it out of that - dead cheap. pH probes are good to have but very much not essential - I ran kalk in 3 tanks without a probe. All For Reef doesn't do anything special, it's just a dosing solution with trace elements like many others. It won't increase your pH, kalk will.
I have been a Tropic Marin AFR user for almost a year now. The biggest down fall with the AFR in my opinion is you will at some point experience an imbalance of elements due to coral or coralline algae growth and different uptake rates of elements needed. Supplementing small amounts of Balling Method A,B or C. (Alk, CA or Mag) will be needed to maintain chemical balance. You will have to monitor all of your parameters even though Tropic Marin states you only need to monitor Alkalinity. I experienced a very low level of Magnesium after my coralline algae began growing. I have since changed my salt mix to one with a higher Magnesium level. By the time I figured out the problem it was too late for a Torch coral in my reef. My Magnesium dropped to below 1200 PPM I learned that Euphyllia like higher levels of Magnesium. I now keep mine slightly elevated between 1350 & 1450 PPM. I still continue to use AFR but it's mainly for the benefits of the trace elements. I will be sending a water sample off for ICP testing very shortly. I have not done an ICP yet and want some baseline readings to see if any of the trace elements are deficient. I have read statements from other hobbyists who have sent ICP tests out, commenting their ICP test showing low Potassium levels. Tropic Marin adds their A- & K+ Elements in the AFR mix. Both of these products are available separately. Neither of these additives list Potassium as an ingredient. I am hoping since I do weekly water changes that this gets replenished with the water change. I don't claim to be an expert this has been my personal experience with using AFR. As long as my ICP test comes back with satisfactory trace element numbers. I will continue to using the Balling Method & Tropic Marin products and follow up with quarterly ICP tests to keep an eye on things.
Been using AFR for about 3 years and in that time I've also had to supplement magnesium 2 or 3 times due to coraline growth but that's the only thing, i do 15 - 30% water changes weekly so i think everything else is being replenished by that
Omg is this a book 📖 lol
@Ruffles206 Yes! However there are no pictures so you won't be interested.
How would you dose kalk manually
Best not to really but if you have to, add a small amount then test alk the next day and repeat until your alk is stable
In my opinion max dose kalkwasser powder is 1/2 teaspoon once hour in 100 litre. I know because i am poor reef addict and run 3 tanks 😂
Csn you compare kalk and 2 part.
The best producto nowadays is the king "all for reef"
I think that one should compare Kalkwasser rather with Carbocalcium than with AllForReef🦊
than, AllForReef and Carbocalcium are both based on Calcium formate = the formic acid salt of Calcium. I wonder why Calcium Citrate, Calcium Acetate, or Calcium Lactate are not used. One can buy all these salts from chemical companies.
there is however a video about a calcium reactor that uses vinegar instead of CO2: ua-cam.com/video/sC8FtsXnAvg/v-deo.html
This would produce calcium acetate.
Hi Alex, another dorky question from me, Calcium Hydroxide and Sodium Hydroxide are used to boost pH and act as a Alk supplement, just found out there is magnesium hydroxide. Can it also be used as a dosing solution to boost pH and add Magnesium? and also in the live chats I've heard Ryan using Magnesium Hexa-hydrate. does that have any pH benefits? why Use hexahydrate and not Magnesium Chloride ?
Magnesium chloride hexahydrate doesn't do anything for pH as far as I'm aware but I don't have any experience with sodium or magnesium hydroxide. There's probably a good reason kalkwasser is most popular though...
Magnesium hydroxide isn’t soluble. Personally correct Mg with MgSO4, some use MgCl2, to be honest consider using magnesium acetate, but haven’t try yet
Mixing 1/2 teaspoon kalkwasser powder in smal mount of tank water and pour in 100l reef tank evening and morning. It's cheap and make corals grow 😂
Why doesn‘t annyone use „Magnesiumwasser“?🤡From the same sources you could also buy Magnesium Hydroxide(MgOH) which is very similar to Calcium Hydroxide(CaOH)🦊
Magnesium doesn't dissolve in saturated kalkwasser so it won't increase the magnesium levels in your tank. Got to dose it separately I'm afraid.
I dont test mag. My routine is AFR, kalk, dose cal and alk. Water change monthly. I might have to add a jug of mag every now and then. Ive read mag test kits are very inaccurate and there's no need to test. Just add in some every jow and then. Probably just pour some in with water change water
If i do a 10 gallon water change every week in a 55 gallon do i still need to dose kalkwasser or all for reef ? Im still learning....
Yep, absolutely. Test your calcium, alkalinity and magnesium weekly and you'll see a drop over time (assuming you have corals).
@@ReefDorkXtra my tank has been running for about 8 months i have around 20 lps corals and 2 big gsp rocks. Can you look at my latest short video and let me know what you think if to dose kalk or afr please im still learning.
@@Coral-reef. I won't be able to tell, but if you have that many corals you'll definitely need to dose something - best way to find out is weekly tests for alkalinity, calcium and magnesium
@@ReefDorkXtrahey man im still confused about this. I dont have a automatic top off i do top off manually so how do you recommend i dose kalkwasser since my ph is low at 7.4
Isn't another 'minus' point for Kalkwasser, that it can be a faff to set up due to needing a Kalk stirrer and that it can end up clogging things up? I think AFR is very accessible, especially for newer reefers and especially in the first few years. I've only had my tank going for just over a year and initially found dosing as a whole quite confusing; I started dosing individual elements manually before getting a doser and when I did I opted for AFR which made things so much easier for me, Kalk feels like a bigger 'leap'.
I would also agree with some others, the powder form is much cheaper (and a fairer comparison to Kalk in only powder form) and is very simple to make up.
You don't need a kalk stirrer, you can just dose it straight from the bottle. But it probably is a little more faff.
So i just started using kalkwasser last night started slowly only 250ml last night. I dosed in my first chamber(wavemaker in chamber so lots of flow) and i didnt see a boost in ph at all? My ph probe is 2 chambers away in my return section. Im i doing something wrong? Or just not dosing enough yet?
Just go slow and increase the dose slightly each day and the increase will come. Just make sure you don't increase your alkalinity
@@ReefDorkXtra oh okay yes I lowered my all for reef dosing in half and will be testing alot to see. Is how I have it set up ok?
can‘t you add CaOH powder directly to the sump, using an automatic feeder?
No, absolutely not! That's a quick route to a tank wipeout - has to be mixed in rodi water.
why?🤡@@ReefDorkXtra
I'm currently using 2-part dosing (soda ash, calcium, and magnesium). Dose Kalkwasser boost the pH levels more so than just dosing soda ash?
Yep
Very helpful, concise video. Thank you!
I use both
Why compromise? Use both
Hi Alex, Alex here. Awesome videos! I currently dose 20ml all for reef per day, 11ml 8.4 and 0.05ml Red Sea algae control. My evaporation is 1420ml per day. So I’m trying to work out how much to dose would it be half that? Also wanted to continue to use AFR but not sure on dosing amounts
Best way is to start dosing small amounts of kalkwasser and build up until you notice your alkalinity increasing. When I started kalk I actually had to increase my two part dosing as well because the pH boost made my corals grow so much faster