Second New DIY Two Part Recipe with Higher pH Boost

cccharliecc · Apr 14, 2018

I think I am going to give this a try once I finish my BRS additives. I only going to do the Alk part though and keep the BRS Ca and Mg additives.
Everything should still be 1:1 then right?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 14, 2018

cccharliecc said:
I think I am going to give this a try once I finish my BRS additives. I only going to do the Alk part though and keep the BRS Ca and Mg additives.
Everything should still be 1:1 then right?

Yes, BRS additives are fine to use for this two part, and it is the same potency as the one that BRS uses.

Remember, the magnesium part is not 1:1 with the others. It is a much lower volume, and also does not need to be added as often, just in the right ratio of 610 mL per gallon of the others.

Xclusive Reef · Apr 17, 2018

A little confused with all this as I am new to dosing but what's the difference between first and second new diy 2 part Randy?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 17, 2018

Xclusive Reef said:
A little confused with all this as I am new to dosing but what's the difference between first and second new diy 2 part Randy?

One has two parts and the other has three. The one with two parts requires an extra ingredient: sodium sulfate.

They both accomplish the same thing with the same potency (assuming you use all three parts in the ratio directed).

Xclusive Reef · Apr 17, 2018

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
One has two parts and the other has three. The one with two parts requires an extra ingredient: sodium sulfate.

They both accomplish the same thing with the same potency (assuming you use all three parts in the ratio directed).

OK so here is my understanding. formula:

Part 1- Alk part
Add 283 grams of sodium hydroxide to 1 gallon of fresh water.

Part 2- Calcium part
Dissolve 500 grams (about 2 ½ cups) of calcium chloride dihydrate.

Prt 3- Magnesium part
Dissolve magnesium sulfate heptahydrate (3 cups) and magnesium chloride hexahydrate (5 cups)
in enough purified freshwater to make 1 gallon total volume.

I have airline going into skimmer, also have outside air coming in to wood stone 24/7. would I continue to keep both these lines?

my alk is at 7.7-8.0 at night.. calcium is at 470 and mag is at 1370. Can I just dose alk to get ph up to 8.1or so? and later add cal/mag as needed?

WWIII · Oct 2, 2018

Has anyone been using sodium hydroxide with ati essentials calcium and magnesium (with trace elements)?

JSpen · Dec 20, 2018

Will this still boost my salinity over time like other two parts?

JSpen · Dec 20, 2018

Also does Dow flake xtra work?

Shinister · Feb 22, 2019

@Randy Holmes-Farley First off, thank you for your continued research and help you provide. I have a question about Mg. I perform about 10-15% water changes weekly and my Mg stays at 1490-1500. Is it still necessary to dose the 610ml of the Mg mix after a gallon of Alk and Ca has been dosed even though my Mg level is good?

This method has been working great btw.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Feb 24, 2019

Shinister said:
@Randy Holmes-Farley First off, thank you for your continued research and help you provide. I have a question about Mg. I perform about 10-15% water changes weekly and my Mg stays at 1490-1500. Is it still necessary to dose the 610ml of the Mg mix after a gallon of Alk and Ca has been dosed even though my Mg level is good?

This method has been working great btw.

I'm glad the method is working!

The magnesium is likely high due to the salt mix, and the additive will likely keep it high. We really do not know the impact of excessive chloride relative to sulfate, which is the only drawback to not dosing the mag part in a situation like yours. I'd probably not dose it.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Feb 24, 2019

JSpen said:
Will this still boost my salinity over time like other two parts?

yes.

Shinister · Feb 24, 2019

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
I'm glad the method is working!

The magnesium is likely high due to the salt mix, and the additive will likely keep it high. We really do not know the impact of excessive chloride relative to sulfate, which is the only drawback to not dosing the mag part in a situation like yours. I'd probably not dose it.

Thank you!

jkcoon · Feb 27, 2019

Randy, I would love to buy you a beer, I have received so much knowledge from your posts over the years... thank you, sir!! Anxious to give this a try, especially here where the midwest winters are raging and the house is all closed up, I can't get my Ph up. thanks again!

C-Reefer · Feb 28, 2019

Where do you find bulk Sodium Hydroxide?

WWIII · Feb 28, 2019

C-Reefer said:
Where do you find bulk Sodium Hydroxide?

Amazon. Here's what I have been using...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0735CK8WT/ref=ppx_yo_mob_b_inactive_ship_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1&th=1

Or you can google food grade lye. That is sodium hydroxide.

Shinister · Feb 28, 2019

WWIII said:
Amazon. Here's what I have been using...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0735CK8WT/ref=ppx_yo_mob_b_inactive_ship_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1&th=1

Or you can google food grade lye. That is sodium hydroxide.

That's the exact one I use. Gotta be careful with this stuff. If you get it on your skin, it'll burn! Cant imagine what it would do if it gets on your eyes.

WWIII · Feb 28, 2019

Shinister said:
That's the exact one I use. Gotta be careful with this stuff. If you get it on your skin, it'll burn! Cant imagine what it would do if it gets on your eyes.

Melt them and possibly cause blindness. Yeah it's nothing to mess around with. I'm actually thinking to stop using it as my daughter is getting older (1.5 years). All my stuff is in the basement and theoretically out of reach, but it does make me nervous. If people are careful it is fine, but gotta pay a little bit more attention with things.

Shinister · Feb 28, 2019

WWIII said:
Melt them and possibly cause blindness. Yeah it's nothing to mess around with. I'm actually thinking to stop using it as my daughter is getting older (1.5 years). All my stuff is in the basement and theoretically out of reach, but it does make me nervous. If people are careful it is fine, but gotta pay a little bit more attention with things.

Have you noticed a PH boost with it? My PH is more stable and it may be my ATS in combination with this but I didnt see a boost.

jkcoon · Feb 28, 2019

stupid question... as this recipe is more caustic, do I need to worry about using different lines on my dosing pumps or anything else?

Shinister · Feb 28, 2019

jkcoon said:
stupid question... as this recipe is more caustic, do I need to worry about using different lines on my dosing pumps or anything else?

It's only been a few weeks but I use the usual RODI type lines and havent noticed any of them getting soft. No problems with the lines on my DOS pump heads either.