Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Fertilization Calcis

Calcis is liquid calcium carbonate

Said to be an easy alternative to liming which would help me tremendously with my limited access.


http://www.biosafesystems.com/calcis-aquatics/

Question is, does anybody have any firsthand experience with this?

5 gallons= 1 ton of ag lime is the claim.

"5 gallons yields equivalent of one ton of agricultural lime" according to the web site seems like a "too good to be true" claim. Might depend on the ag lime because there are vast differences in ag lime since it is simply ground up rock. Pureness and the fineness of grind determine both the quantity of acidity it can offset and the speed of action.

In ag lime, the finer the grind the quicker it will act in the soil so it is given a higher neutralizing rating. But also the fine grind tends to not last as long as an amendment. In other words more coarse particles take longer to break down so will tend to have a longer life before liming needs to be done again.

My guess is the liquid probably reacts very quickly but may have to be added more often than if ag lime were used. But that is just a guess. I'm no chemist.

Would be great if it does work as advertised. Have any idea on the cost?

I get ag lime at $36/TON. It would have to be really cheap to compete with that. Mine is close though.

I do see a real benefit though...if you COULD get regular ag lime...but its just harder to come by...like snrub said, maybe it would act fast to fix your problem...but give you time to get regular ag lime?

Just a thought. I couldn't find a price on it...found retailers though.

I'm going to need to lime also I believe but waiting on analysis to get back. Like to see if anyone has used it or knows anything about it as well.

Calcis is called liquid lime, but it isn't. Calcis is also a somewhat expensive alternative to Ag lime, but in a situation where ag lime can't easily be applied, Calcis is an excellent amendment alternative!!!

Calcis is shipped direct from Biosafe and sold through larger chemical suppliers.

Kelly Duffie at Helena Chemical is not only one of the experts here, he sells the Calcis also....

So the 5-1 is correct? What kind of cost are you talking about? I also have to pay 2 dollars a mile for the truck to come. About $80...plus 36 per ton for ag lime. Thanks Rainman!

PG: CALCIS pricing is primarily determined by the container-size (2.5, 5, 30, 55 and 250 gal) and total-quantity, with freight-paid on 60+ gal; preferably to a commercial address.
Ballpark costs will likely run in the mid to upper $20s/gal. Feel free to PM me (or any other CALCIS distributor ) for specifics.
It is undoubtedly more expensive than bulk ag lime, but the handling and application convenience that it offers might well be worth the premium.
BTW, this fluid product has a lot of mass; 15.6 lbs/gal

In my case I'm looking trucking down a steep hill in either the bucket of my tractor (loose or in pails) or a UTV (pails or bags) then carrying another 50yds or so to a boat then spreading from there.

Pelletized lime in bags would probably be the most practical, but looking at around $200/ton as I recall. Then I still have the labor of spreading.

So long as there are no inherent risks (wild swings in PH etc) this seems like the solution for me.

I like the idea of it for sure! How often do you have to reapply? Like the things rainman was bringing up.

There is no firm answer for how often....just like Ag Lime, only testing alkalinity and hardness would show when the calcium levels need to be amended.

Adding bags of ag lime where a spreader truck can't get to would add magnesium also, which helps keep more calcium dissolved into the water.

I was thinking Rex he might want to add as many bags of pelleted ag lime around the shore line in shallow water as he felt like carrying in addition to the Calcis.