Second New DIY Two Part Recipe with Higher pH Boost

[Jasonak]

The pH in the sump likely rose more than in the tank, if that's where you measure it.

I wanted to say thank you so much for all your help. Not just now and the other times ive asked questions but for all the work youve done. Ive read allot of articles by you lately. Its amazing to have someone of your talents and knowledge there to help out. The hours and hours that you must have spent writing these articles, coming up with these recipes that help so many and answering questions on here is more than I can imagine. I hope you are very rich ! and live a long life ! thank you again!

 

[bozo]

Higher salinity will solve part of that issue, but you can use the calcium and my magnesium parts of DIY (not Balling Part C). Definitely do not use sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate for that alk boost. Using sodium bicarbonate/baking soda.

gotcha

how high of a salinity do you recommend?

im already running at 1.026.

Looks like I’ll be sticking with the OG recipe to boost my levels hehe. Thanks!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

gotcha

how high of a salinity do you recommend?

im already running at 1.026.

Looks like I’ll be sticking with the OG recipe to boost my levels hehe. Thanks!

I'd aim for 35 ppt (sg = 1.0264), but looking at your values, I was expected it was lower, and maybe it is?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I wanted to say thank you so much for all your help. Not just now and the other times ive asked questions but for all the work youve done. Ive read allot of articles by you lately. Its amazing to have someone of your talents and knowledge there to help out. The hours and hours that you must have spent writing these articles, coming up with these recipes that help so many and answering questions on here is more than I can imagine. I hope you are very rich ! and live a long life ! thank you again!

You're welcome.

Thanks very much for the kind words.

 

[Stefaan F]

It's fine to mix a little into a lot of water, then wait and mix more once it cools. Just don't be aerating it excessively or it will suck in CO2 and defeat its high pH purpose.

Hi, should the container of te NaOH be closed semi-airtight?
And will the pH increasing potency lower over time?
I would like to mix solution for 1 or 2 months ant put it in a container like this:

Euroboxen met scharnierdeksel ED 64/42 HG | AUER Packaging

Euroboxen met scharnierdeksel ter bescherming van de inhoud. Stapelbaar · Eenvoudige hantering · Nu voordelig online bestellen!

www.auer-packaging.com

It has a lid, but not an airtight lid. So in 2 months time will the PH increasing potency lower?
I guess polypropylene is safe with NaOH?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Hi, should the container of te NaOH be closed semi-airtight?
And will the pH increasing potency lower over time?
I would like to mix solution for 1 or 2 months ant put it in a container like this:

Euroboxen met scharnierdeksel ED 64/42 HG | AUER Packaging

Euroboxen met scharnierdeksel ter bescherming van de inhoud. Stapelbaar · Eenvoudige hantering · Nu voordelig online bestellen!

www.auer-packaging.com

It has a lid, but not an airtight lid. So in 2 months time will the PH increasing potency lower?
I guess polypropylene is safe with NaOH?

As CO2 enters the container, it will form sodium carbonate, reducing the pH effect but not altering the total alk boosting potency for the container overall (though weight in the container will increase, so alk per unit weight will decline).

Polypropylene is great, as long as you do not let it get too hot, where it will soften. Mix slowly a little solid at a timer to avoid overheating.

 

[Stefaan F]

As CO2 enters the container, it will form sodium carbonate, reducing the pH effect but not altering the total alk boosting potency for the container overall (though weight in the container will increase, so alk per unit weight will decline).

Polypropylene is great, as long as you do not let it get too hot, where it will soften. Mix slowly a little solid at a timer to avoid overheating.

Have you got an idea of how fast the sodium carbonate would form?
It would be very interesting to know how frequent I should make new solution to have a consistent ph effect.
Maybe a very difficult question, because it depends on how much CO2 gets in, but are there people with experiences?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Have you got an idea of how fast the sodium carbonate would form?
It would be very interesting to know how frequent I should make new solution to have a consistent ph effect.
Maybe a very difficult question, because it depends on how much CO2 gets in, but are there people with experiences?

In a closed container like you suggested above, I don't think its a rapid process, and it wouldn't be worrying to much about it.

 

[Miami Reef]

Yes but if you want to be as perfect as possible, it's a different mix. 11:1 chloride to sulfate.

Do-It-Yourself Magnesium Supplements for the Reef Aquarium by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

3. Using both Epsom salts and MAG flake, dissolve 7¼ cups MAG flake and ¾ cup Epsom salts in one gallon of water, and use that to supplement magnesium in amounts determined using this linked online calculator, with the entry "Randy's Recipes 1 and 2 Versions A and B," and ignore for this purpose what those designations mean. This recipe is preferred, but its advantage over recipe #2 is minimal in most cases.


Note also that this recipe (#3) is different from that given in my DIY two-part recipe, because in that case more magnesium sulfate is necessary to offset the rise in chloride that is provided by both the calcium chloride and the magnesium chloride.

Is that recipe 11:1?

I dose sodium hydroxide, calcium chloride, and balling part C. I’m wanting to be as perfect as possible for the magnesium mix.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Is that recipe 11:1?

I dose sodium hydroxide, calcium chloride, and balling part C. I’m wanting to be as perfect as possible for the magnesium mix.

It’s 9.7 to 1 by volume (cups). The 11 might just be a misremembrance on my part, or it might be the weight ratio.

 

[trmiv]

There are three recipes.

In one of them, sodium sulfate is used in order to reduce the number of parts to just 2. That system requires sodium sulfate, and anhydrous material is fine.

In the second pure DIY, you need three parts, and no sodium sulfate. The sulfate comes from the Epsom salt.

In the third recipe (my preference), you need three parts and use Tropic Marin Balling Part C for the third part. No sodium sulfate is used in that recipe.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of each of these? I’m currently doing the third recipe, but at 180 ml of parts A/B a day the 360 ml a day of part c is killing me. I only have room for 1 gallon containers so I’m going through a container of part c every 10 days. I’m tempted to do recipe 1 just to keep it simple.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

What are the advantages/disadvantages of each of these? I’m currently doing the third recipe, but at 180 ml of parts A/B a day the 360 ml a day of part c is killing me. I only have room for 1 gallon containers so I’m going through a container of part c every 10 days. I’m tempted to do recipe 1 just to keep it simple.

The third recipe is the most ionically balanced and is the best one, but is more costly. In a no or low water change scenario, it is much preferred. Water changes mitigate some of its advantages.

Unless you have a reason to want 2 parts instead of three, I'd likely pick the three part and avoid having to but sodium sulfate, but if you have it already, it's fine to use.

 

[trmiv]

Any idea if Aquaforest Reef Mineral Salt would work in place of Part C? It comes in a 5000g size for $41.79 which makes it quite a bit cheaper than part c. No idea what ratio it needs to be dosed though.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Any idea if Aquaforest Reef Mineral Salt would work in place of Part C? It comes in a 5000g size for $41.79 which makes it quite a bit cheaper than part c. No idea what ratio it needs to be dosed though.

Yes, we have talked about it before. I know nothing about a quality comparison, but it is described as the same basic material as Balling Part C.

 

[Shark.Bait]

Just to confirm, you would use Aquaforest Reef Mineral Salt in the way the directions state (1:1 dosage with calcium), correct?

We are NOT doing the same alkalinity to part C 2:1 ratio.

Reef Mineral Salt

Not your typical reef salt! Aquaforest's Reef Mineral Salt was designed specifically for use with the Balling Method. Lack of mineral supplementation can lead to long-term deficiencies, resulting in excessive slowdown of growth and pale colouration of corals. Aquaforest Reef Mineral Salt is a...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

thank you

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Just to confirm, you would use Aquaforest Reef Mineral Salt in the way the directions state (1:1 dosage with calcium), correct?

We are NOT doing the same alkalinity to part C 2:1 ratio.

Reef Mineral Salt

Not your typical reef salt! Aquaforest's Reef Mineral Salt was designed specifically for use with the Balling Method. Lack of mineral supplementation can lead to long-term deficiencies, resulting in excessive slowdown of growth and pale colouration of corals. Aquaforest Reef Mineral Salt is a...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

thank you

No, I do not recall trying to figure out a dose. Maybe we did, but someone needs to work through the calculation starting with the potency of the AF calcium part. I can do that, but do not have time right now. Maybe you can help by finding the calcium potency of the AF "Calcium Dry Solution" (what a ridiculous name lol).

The amount to dose will equal the amount of Aquaforest Calcium Dry required to maintain levels. Reef Mineral Salt should be used at a 1:1 ratio with the calcium intake of the aquarium. If you need to dose 25 ml of Calcium Dry Solution per day, then you would need to dose 25 ml of Reef Mineral Salt solution daily too.

Reef Mineral Salt Reef Mineral salt should be used in conjunction with Calcium Dry, KH Buffer Dry, and Magnesium Dry to help maintain ion stability.

 

[Shark.Bait]

Thank you @Randy Holmes-Farley. I don't think they provide a potency as a percentage but I did find this information regarding the "dry" calcium lol: Dissolve 50 g of Calcium in 1000 ml RODI water. 100 ml of Calcium solution raises the calcium level in 100 l of water by 18 mg/l (ppm). 10 g of Calcium in 100 l of water raises the calcium level by about 36 mg/l (ppm).
Contains: calcium chloride – CaCl2 (CAS: 10043-52-4).

 

[Shark.Bait]

There is also a little calculator here that could likely be used to work backwards.

Product calculate - Aquaforest

aquaforest.eu

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thank you @Randy Holmes-Farley. I don't think they provide a potency as a percentage but I did find this information regarding the "dry" calcium lol: Dissolve 50 g of Calcium in 1000 ml RODI water. 100 ml of Calcium solution raises the calcium level in 100 l of water by 18 mg/l (ppm). 10 g of Calcium in 100 l of water raises the calcium level by about 36 mg/l (ppm).
Contains: calcium chloride – CaCl2 (CAS: 10043-52-4).

thank you.

The DIY recipe in this thread will require 48.6 mL to boost 100 liters of water by 18 ppm.

Thus, the DIY here is 2.06 times as potent as the calcium part of the AF solution described.

Thus, instead of dosing 1 ml of the mineral salt mix for each 1 mL of calcium part dosed, you would dose 2.06 ml of the mineral salt solution for each 1 mL of the calcium part used.

 

[Shark.Bait]

thank you.

The DIY recipe in this thread will require 48.6 mL to boost 100 liters of water by 18 ppm.

Thus, the DIY here is 2.06 times as potent as the calcium part of the AF solution described.

Thus, instead of dosing 1 ml of the mineral salt mix for each 1 mL of calcium part dosed, you would dose 2.06 ml of the mineral salt solution for each 1 mL of the calcium part used.

Thank you so much. Sounds close in potency to balling Part C then, roughly 2:1 with calcium/alkalinity component.