Silicate dosing and testing help

[Formulator]

I am going to start silicate dosing to promote sponge growth and support my planned attempt to keep a linckia star.

I just got a salifert test for silicate (siliconoxide), which registered as undetectable (zero). I have sponge excel silicate solution. What is my target tank concentration and what is a typical dosing schedule?

Also, I understand there are several forms of silicate. Is my salifert kit appropriate for monitoring silicate dosed with sponge excel?

 

[Miami Reef]

If it was me, I’d probably dose 1-2ppm once a week and not even bother testing. It depletes relatively quickly from diatom growth.

@taricha knows about sponge excel. I dose sodium silicate from Loudwolf from Amazon.

 

[taricha]

Salifert Silicate test seems to give zeros for everybody regardless of the source.
Hanna is very good for low values.
Seachem works well enough to distinguish 0.5 vs 1.0 vs 2.0 ppm so it's probably good enough.

 

[Formulator]

Salifert Silicate test seems to give zeros for everybody regardless of the source.
Hanna is very good for low values.
Seachem works well enough to distinguish 0.5 vs 1.0 vs 2.0 ppm so it's probably good enough.

Bummer. Guess I should have consulted the community before buying the salifert kit. They have been so reliable for all my other testing needs over the years, I just assumed they made a decent silicate test…

Do you have experience with sponge excel? The bottle directions say to only add 0.05 ppm at a time. That seemed really low to me, but I was afraid to go all in per the suggestion to dose 1-2 ppm. I just added 0.1 ppm as a trial dose this afternoon. I noticed it precipitates in the tank water, though cleared up fairly quick. That is normal I hope?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I used the Hach silicate kit, and this is my dosing recommendation.

Silica In Reef Aquariums

Why would I recommend dosing silica? Largely because creatures in our tanks use it, the concentrations in our tanks (at least in mine) are below natural levels, and the sponges, mollusks, and diatoms may not be getting enough to thrive.

reefs.com

Silica Dosing Recommendations​

Why would I recommend dosing silica? Largely because creatures in our tanks use it, the concentrations in our tanks (at least in mine) are below natural levels, and the sponges, mollusks, and diatoms may not be getting enough to thrive.

How much and what to dose?​

I’d suggest dosing sodium silicate solution, as it is a readily soluble form of silica. It is very inexpensive. I initially used a high quality laboratory grade, but I’d expect the bulk grades sold to the world at large to be good enough (and I use it now). Remember, you aren’t dosing much, and the solutions available are very concentrated. You may find “water glass’ in certain stores because it is used by consumers for things like preserving eggs. Buying chemicals can be problematic for many people, however, and this hobby chemistry store sells to individuals. Ten dollars (+ shipping) gets you enough to last 150 years of dosing with a 100-gallon tank, so cost is not an issue. I just ordered some from them myself and it came broken open, unfortunately. Some of you may have gotten Christmas presents that had ¾ of a gallon of sodium silicate solution coating them as they passed my package in the mail. Nevertheless, I
still have enough for several years!).

Many “water glass” or sodium silicate solutions are sold with the concentration indicated by “° Baume”. Degrees Baume is a measure of the specific gravity, and values in the 40’s are typical of these concentrated solutions. A concentration of 41° Baume equates to 29% SiO2 by weight. Note that the density is high (1.38 g/mL for 41° Baume), so volume measurements should take this into account. Maybe eventually, some of the hobby supplement manufacturers will provide a supplement.

Safety note: Sodium Silicate solution is very basic (high pH). In fact, the pH can be substantially higher than limewater, so it is very corrosive to tissue and to metal devices. Be careful to not spill it on yourself, wear some eye protection, and if you spill it on something metal, wash it. In all cases, extensive washing with water is recommended in case of spills or exposure.

Based on my dosing experience, aquarists are probably safe dosing the equivalent of 17 uM (1 ppm SiO2) once every 1-2 weeks. That is based on the fact that my tank used that much in less than 4 days without having any sort of “bad” reaction. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with starting at a tenth of that and ramping up. And, of course, if you do get too much in the way of diatoms, just back off on the dosing. I presume that all that I added to my tank went into various organisms that us it (sponges, diatoms, etc), but perhaps I have more sponges than other aquarists, and diatoms consequently may be more of a concern in some tanks than in mine.

I’d also advise occasionally checking the soluble silica concentration in the water, in case the demand in your tank is substantially less than mine. If the concentration started to rise above 50 uM (3 ppm SiO2), even in the absence of diatoms, I’d probably reduce the dose rate because that is close to the maximum concentration that surface seawater ever attains.

Here’s how to determine dosing amounts. I’ll assume that you want 17 uM (1 ppm SiO2) dosing, and you can scale from there. If the concentration of the supplement is 29% silica by weight (41° Baume), then it is 290,000 ppm silica. To get to 1 ppm silica, you then need to dilute by 290,000 fold. If you add 1.3 grams of this supplement (0.96 mL) to a tank with 100 gallons (378,500 mL), then the final concentration will be about 17 uM (1 ppm SiO2). I’d disperse the concentrated silicate solution into some fresh water before adding it to the tank, and then add it to a high flow area. Because the pH is high, you likely will see some cloudiness that is mostly magnesium hydroxide. The magnesium hydroxide will dissolve without a problem, but to be safe, add the supplement in a high flow area.

 

[Formulator]

I used the Hach silicate kit, and this is my dosing recommendation.

Silica In Reef Aquariums

Why would I recommend dosing silica? Largely because creatures in our tanks use it, the concentrations in our tanks (at least in mine) are below natural levels, and the sponges, mollusks, and diatoms may not be getting enough to thrive.

reefs.com

Silica Dosing Recommendations​

Why would I recommend dosing silica? Largely because creatures in our tanks use it, the concentrations in our tanks (at least in mine) are below natural levels, and the sponges, mollusks, and diatoms may not be getting enough to thrive.

How much and what to dose?​

I’d suggest dosing sodium silicate solution, as it is a readily soluble form of silica. It is very inexpensive. I initially used a high quality laboratory grade, but I’d expect the bulk grades sold to the world at large to be good enough (and I use it now). Remember, you aren’t dosing much, and the solutions available are very concentrated. You may find “water glass’ in certain stores because it is used by consumers for things like preserving eggs. Buying chemicals can be problematic for many people, however, and this hobby chemistry store sells to individuals. Ten dollars (+ shipping) gets you enough to last 150 years of dosing with a 100-gallon tank, so cost is not an issue. I just ordered some from them myself and it came broken open, unfortunately. Some of you may have gotten Christmas presents that had ¾ of a gallon of sodium silicate solution coating them as they passed my package in the mail. Nevertheless, I
still have enough for several years!).

Many “water glass” or sodium silicate solutions are sold with the concentration indicated by “° Baume”. Degrees Baume is a measure of the specific gravity, and values in the 40’s are typical of these concentrated solutions. A concentration of 41° Baume equates to 29% SiO2 by weight. Note that the density is high (1.38 g/mL for 41° Baume), so volume measurements should take this into account. Maybe eventually, some of the hobby supplement manufacturers will provide a supplement.

Safety note: Sodium Silicate solution is very basic (high pH). In fact, the pH can be substantially higher than limewater, so it is very corrosive to tissue and to metal devices. Be careful to not spill it on yourself, wear some eye protection, and if you spill it on something metal, wash it. In all cases, extensive washing with water is recommended in case of spills or exposure.

Based on my dosing experience, aquarists are probably safe dosing the equivalent of 17 uM (1 ppm SiO2) once every 1-2 weeks. That is based on the fact that my tank used that much in less than 4 days without having any sort of “bad” reaction. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with starting at a tenth of that and ramping up. And, of course, if you do get too much in the way of diatoms, just back off on the dosing. I presume that all that I added to my tank went into various organisms that us it (sponges, diatoms, etc), but perhaps I have more sponges than other aquarists, and diatoms consequently may be more of a concern in some tanks than in mine.

I’d also advise occasionally checking the soluble silica concentration in the water, in case the demand in your tank is substantially less than mine. If the concentration started to rise above 50 uM (3 ppm SiO2), even in the absence of diatoms, I’d probably reduce the dose rate because that is close to the maximum concentration that surface seawater ever attains.

Here’s how to determine dosing amounts. I’ll assume that you want 17 uM (1 ppm SiO2) dosing, and you can scale from there. If the concentration of the supplement is 29% silica by weight (41° Baume), then it is 290,000 ppm silica. To get to 1 ppm silica, you then need to dilute by 290,000 fold. If you add 1.3 grams of this supplement (0.96 mL) to a tank with 100 gallons (378,500 mL), then the final concentration will be about 17 uM (1 ppm SiO2). I’d disperse the concentrated silicate solution into some fresh water before adding it to the tank, and then add it to a high flow area. Because the pH is high, you likely will see some cloudiness that is mostly magnesium hydroxide. The magnesium hydroxide will dissolve without a problem, but to be safe, add the supplement in a high flow area.

Excellent write up as usual. Thanks Randy!

 

[taricha]

Do you have experience with sponge excel? The bottle directions say to only add 0.05 ppm at a time. That seemed really low to me, but I was afraid to go all in per the suggestion to dose 1-2 ppm. I just added 0.1 ppm as a trial dose this afternoon. I noticed it precipitates in the tank water, though cleared up fairly quick. That is normal I hope?

Yep. The spongexcel works fine, and is accurate to the label concentration. (So is the Loudwolf water glass)

I agree that the dosing schedule on spongexcel is unnecessarily slow.
I found noticeable diatom growth picked up at a couple of tenths PPM sio2, and wasn't noticeably faster at 1 or 2 PPM sio2. So I also think 1 PPM sio2 is a fine target of convenience.

 

[Formulator]

@Randy Holmes-Farley, I just read the whole article. Very informative. Did you ever figure out a way to keep ornamental sponges alive longer than the 18 months you mentioned in your story?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

@Randy Holmes-Farley, I just read the whole article. Very informative. Did you ever figure out a way to keep ornamental sponges alive longer than the 18 months you mentioned in your story?

Between silicate dosing and organic carbon dosing, yes. I had at least one yellow sponge under an overhang that grew considerably. I did not actively add any sponges, however, to better evaluate.

Heres an old copy and paste of my thoughts so I don’t misrepresent what now was a while ago:

My primary success (aside from cryptic and encrusting sponges and was with a yellow "ball" sponge from Live Aquaria. It grew in a cave/tunnel under my live rock to nearly fill the opening, growing extended protrusions over the years.

Silica kits seem to work well for levels of a few ppm SiO2, which seems a reasonable target.

Note that only about 3/4 of sponge species use silicate, so don't e deterred from dosing by people saying they grow sponges well without silicate (unless they identify species and you know those use silicate).

IMO organic carbon dosing (I strongly prefer vinegar in this use) may also help both directly as sponges may use acetate (some studies show this), and they may consume bacteria that are driven to grow.