Second New DIY Two Part Recipe with Higher pH Boost

[Willy315]

Ended up buying sodium hydroxide from Belle Chemical. I was very impressed with how easily it dissolved even at 1.5x the rate on page 1. Thanks again Randy for yet another DIY cost effective solution.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Ended up buying sodium hydroxide from Belle Chemical. I was very impressed with how easily it dissolved even at 1.5x the rate on page 1. Thanks again Randy for yet another DIY cost effective solution.

You’re welcome. Let us know how it works out in the tank.

 

[becon776]

I am in a situation where the pH effect is happening and am now at a pH that I have always tried to attain but never could.

however, my Alk is NOT maintain itself. Always ran at 8 & 430 w ~40ml of brs 2 part per day. Now I am running at 7.39 and 430 despite increasing daily dose to 100ml/day. I dint know what is going on. I figured maybe not enough current to dissolve and pump compartment of sump so I move the alk part to the main tank near a powerhead. When it hits the water it solidifies but then the Powerade chops it up and dispersed throughout tank.
I’m ginna do a check and see if the trident is calibrated correctly before I do anymore adjusting if dose and restless this thread to see if there’s any similar issues encountered

 

[DrMMI]

I am in a situation where the pH effect is happening and am now at a pH that I have always tried to attain but never could.

however, my Alk is NOT maintain itself. Always ran at 8 & 430 w ~40ml of brs 2 part per day. Now I am running at 7.39 and 430 despite increasing daily dose to 100ml/day. I dint know what is going on. I figured maybe not enough current to dissolve and pump compartment of sump so I move the alk part to the main tank near a powerhead. When it hits the water it solidifies but then the Powerade chops it up and dispersed throughout tank.
I’m ginna do a check and see if the trident is calibrated correctly before I do anymore adjusting if dose and restless this thread to see if there’s any similar issues encountered

Had this exact issue happen to me recently. Here is Randy's advice

Cannot keep Alk up

I apologize ahead of time for the long post, but I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything. I recently moved this past July into a bigger home. I have a 260g mixed reef with mostly LPS. Prior to the move, I was dosing about 200ml a day of Ca and sodium hydroxide (needed the pH boost) and alk...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Miami Reef]

I added half a gallon of water to my old HDPE vinegar jug, and then I added a little of my pre-measured 283g NaOH. I would cap on the jar and shake it in between so the heat can disperse.

I had about 100g left and added it in one shot to the rest of the half-gallon jug. When I capped the bottle to shake the jar, I saw a small “pool” of water in a circular shape the size of the bottom of the jug.

I touched this puddle of water, felt it was slippery, then immediately washed my hands off.

When I returned and inspected the jug, I couldn’t find any holes. The jug is holding water fine, and I finished the task, but I have a few questions.

1) Could a hole in an HDPE jug repatch itself?

2) Do you think some of my hydroxide solutions escaped from the jug?

3) Is it possible for a hole to form in an HDPE jug from localized heat from hydroxide granules near the bottom of the jug?

 

[drawman]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

I added half a gallon of water to my old HDPE vinegar jug, and then I added a little of my pre-measured 283g NaOH. I would cap on the jar and shake it in between so the heat can disperse.

I had about 100g left and added it in one shot to the rest of the half-gallon jug. When I capped the bottle to shake the jar, I saw a small “pool” of water in a circular shape the size of the bottom of the jug.

I touched this puddle of water, felt it was slippery, then immediately washed my hands off.

When I returned and inspected the jug, I couldn’t find any holes. The jug is holding water fine, and I finished the task, but I have a few questions.

1) Could a hole in an HDPE jug repatch itself?

2) Do you think some of my hydroxide solutions escaped from the jug?

3) Is it possible for a hole to form in an HDPE jug from localized heat from hydroxide granules near the bottom of the jug?

Do you see any crazing in jug (ie at the bottom)? I had CaOH leak out through small crazing in a thinner jug.

 

[Miami Reef]

Do you see any crazing in jug (ie at the bottom)? I had CaOH leak out through small crazing in a thinner jug.

I don’t see anything like that, but I think I’ll just play it safe and remake it. I know it sounds wasteful, but I don’t want my calcium to be higher, because it will take more alkalinity to reach the same level and I dose equal parts of everything.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I added half a gallon of water to my old HDPE vinegar jug, and then I added a little of my pre-measured 283g NaOH. I would cap on the jar and shake it in between so the heat can disperse.

I had about 100g left and added it in one shot to the rest of the half-gallon jug. When I capped the bottle to shake the jar, I saw a small “pool” of water in a circular shape the size of the bottom of the jug.

I touched this puddle of water, felt it was slippery, then immediately washed my hands off.

When I returned and inspected the jug, I couldn’t find any holes. The jug is holding water fine, and I finished the task, but I have a few questions.

1) Could a hole in an HDPE jug repatch itself?

2) Do you think some of my hydroxide solutions escaped from the jug?

3) Is it possible for a hole to form in an HDPE jug from localized heat from hydroxide granules near the bottom of the jug?

It may be possible to melt a hole in HDPE. That would typically require temps above boiling water temp, but local softening might happen. I’d recommend to add solids with stirring and not let solids sit on the bottom.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Do you see any crazing in jug (ie at the bottom)? I had CaOH leak out through small crazing in a thinner jug.

What material? Crazing may suggest a material such as polycarbonate that is unsuitable at high pH.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I am in a situation where the pH effect is happening and am now at a pH that I have always tried to attain but never could.

however, my Alk is NOT maintain itself. Always ran at 8 & 430 w ~40ml of brs 2 part per day. Now I am running at 7.39 and 430 despite increasing daily dose to 100ml/day. I dint know what is going on. I figured maybe not enough current to dissolve and pump compartment of sump so I move the alk part to the main tank near a powerhead. When it hits the water it solidifies but then the Powerade chops it up and dispersed throughout tank.
I’m ginna do a check and see if the trident is calibrated correctly before I do anymore adjusting if dose and restless this thread to see if there’s any similar issues encountered

That local and immediate precipitation of magnesium hydroxide is normal and it will redissolve. If it is not dispersed before calcium carbonate precipitates, then that CaCO3 won’t redissolve.

But you may just be seeing the expected higher demand from higher pH, both by corals and abiotic precipitation increases.

 

[drawman]

What material? Crazing may suggest a material such as polycarbonate that is unsuitable at high pH.

I can't remember 100% but I believe it was polypropylene. I know it was one that was thought to be safe but the material was quite thin. I've since switched to a thicker HDPE.

 

[Mortgaged Reefs]

hey randy i have a question regarding potency of the sodium hydroxide (recipe 1) in comparison to brs 2 part soda ash.

i currently dose 140ml of brs soda ash daily to maintain 8dkh. how much will i be required to dose in sodium hydroxide (283 grams of sodium hydroxide in 1gal of rodi) ?

my calculation is coming up to the same amount am i correct?

also will it be more beneficial to use calcium hydroxide as cal source and sodium hydroxide as alk source or does calcium hydroxide raises both alk and cal? and if yes to raising both whats the alk raisabilty of kalk? maybe use both in combination if alk can be maintained by both sides without causing a spike.

How much did you decide to dose and how big is your tank?

 

[Willy315]

You’re welcome. Let us know how it works out in the tank.

I was barely hitting 8.0 before

 

[Mjl714]

It's a chemist's chess game where all the needed ingredients can fit in a true two part.

The sulfate is supplied by the magnesium part in this 2/3 part recipe (via magnesium sulfate). Magnesium sulfate (despite being cheap and readily available at a drug store) cannot be put into either half of a true two part. Magnesium hydroxide precipitates from the alk part and calcium sulfate precipitates from the calcium part.

In the other one (the true two part), only magnesium chloride is used for magnesium and it is put into the calcium part. You cannot use magnesium sulfate since sulfate cannot be put into the calcium part. Hence the need for sodium sulfate to provide the needed sulfate.

Randy,

Furthering my understanding of your “chemist’s chess game,” I would appreciate your thoughts on my discontinuing the addition of sodium sulfate. My 75 gallon mixed reef has been benefitting from your original high ph alk since Nov ‘21. Alk dosing consists of a saturated solution of sodium hydroxide 282.8g + sodium sulfate 68.7g dissolved into a gallon of rodi. If it matters, I’m still using brs calcium chloride for the ca part. Now I never specifically dose magnesium, because my regular (not reef crystals) Instant Ocean weekly water changes of approx. 5%, via 1 gallon every other day, maintains the mg. Do you think excluding sodium sulfate from my alk dosing would negatively impact my reef?

Thanks for your insightful comments.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I was barely hitting 8.0 before

Looks good!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Randy,

Furthering my understanding of your “chemist’s chess game,” I would appreciate your thoughts on my discontinuing the addition of sodium sulfate. My 75 gallon mixed reef has been benefitting from your original high ph alk since Nov ‘21. Alk dosing consists of a saturated solution of sodium hydroxide 282.8g + sodium sulfate 68.7g dissolved into a gallon of rodi. If it matters, I’m still using brs calcium chloride for the ca part. Now I never specifically dose magnesium, because my regular (not reef crystals) Instant Ocean weekly water changes of approx. 5%, via 1 gallon every other day, maintains the mg. Do you think excluding sodium sulfate from my alk dosing would negatively impact my reef?

Thanks for your insightful comments.

I really do not know the relative importance of the chloride/sulfate ratio in seawater. I do not expect it is critical since ratios seen by ICP (and likely also in salt mixes) seems to vary to a fair extent, and many people ahve kept fine reefs without worrying about it at all.

IMO, the best and simplest (but perhaps not cheapest) DIY is sodium (bicarbonate/carbonate/hydroxide, whichever you prefer), calcium chloride, and Balling Part C to balance everything out. Then just add more magnesium if and when you need more than the Balling Part C and water changes provide.

 

[Mjl714]

I really do not know the relative importance of the chloride/sulfate ratio in seawater. I do not expect it is critical since ratios seen by ICP (and likely also in salt mixes) seems to vary to a fair extent, and many people ahve kept fine reefs without worrying about it at all.

IMO, the best and simplest (but perhaps not cheapest) DIY is sodium (bicarbonate/carbonate/hydroxide, whichever you prefer), calcium chloride, and Balling Part C to balance everything out. Then just add more magnesium if and when you need more than the Balling Part C and water changes provide.

Thank you. I’m going to stop the sulfate and add balling c.

 

[-Alex-]

Thank you for sharing this recipe!

My aquarium has now been running for more than a year with the recipe + Balling Part C
in combination with a calcium reactor that is only on during the day.
My PH is very stable & at a perfect level

This combination works amazingly well for me.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thank you for sharing this recipe!

My aquarium has now been running for more than a year with the recipe + Balling Part C
in combination with a calcium reactor that is only on during the day.
My PH is very stable & at a perfect level

This combination works amazingly well for me.

Glad to hear that!

Happy Reefing!

 

[tzoli77]

Hi Randy,
I have been using this recipe for over a year now, working perfectly. As the dosage increases, the ph value is now slipping over 8.7. I would like to use a recipe 1 liquid for the higher alk demand from now. My question is, can I mix the 2 solutions and dose it with one dosing pump head?