Poor man's dosing
- Thread starter Cake_Boss
- Start date
baking soda is for alkalinity. Using baking soda will lower the pH a little. Baked baking soda with increase the pH.
I personally use Arm and Hammer washing soda which is the same thing as baked baking soda.
I use a bucket of deicer for my calcium supplement.
I use the magnesium from Bulk Reef Supply for my mag supplements.
As for the amounts......I use this site.
http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html
I personally use Arm and Hammer washing soda which is the same thing as baked baking soda.
I use a bucket of deicer for my calcium supplement.
I use the magnesium from Bulk Reef Supply for my mag supplements.
As for the amounts......I use this site.
http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html
Calcium/PH up~ Mrs. Wages pickleing lime=kalkwasser=calcuim hydroxide~mix 1 tblsp. into 1 gallon fresh water and DRIP into system (VERY high PH)
Alk/PH down~ Arm & Hammer= mix 2-3 tblsp. into 1/2 gallon and top off tank slowly, in sump if possible
Now those are both food grade products regulated by the FDA, Mg is an anomaly to me as people get all anal about RO/DI-TDS-Nutrient/Contaminate issues but...., piles of the de-icer in warehouses and silos that has little or no regulation on the actual content analysis being moved via front end loader and dump truck are far from pure.
Alk/PH down~ Arm & Hammer= mix 2-3 tblsp. into 1/2 gallon and top off tank slowly, in sump if possible
Now those are both food grade products regulated by the FDA, Mg is an anomaly to me as people get all anal about RO/DI-TDS-Nutrient/Contaminate issues but...., piles of the de-icer in warehouses and silos that has little or no regulation on the actual content analysis being moved via front end loader and dump truck are far from pure.
I've been doing this "frugal dosing" for over 4 yrs now. The Mag portion is both Epson salt and Mag chloride. I bought the 50lb Excell snow melt for the Calc, and the baking soda 10lb bags from Sams. To answer your q on how much to add - Like everything else, that depends on the size and consumption of your system. Most people use the recipe that Dv3 posted to put it in liquid form. I however put one dry tea spoon of the alk and calc every day in the sump, and a 12oz glass (from the 1 gal recipe) of the mag once a week. That works for me - You'll have to dose and measure a lot until you find the right mix. Good luck.
I take Calcium and alkalinity readings for a week and calculate the average per day that it drops. Then I use the chart from my previous post to find out how much
baked baking soda and calcium to add per day. I multiply each amount by 30, add that amount to three litres of filtered water and dose 100ml per day.
After dosing the entire amount I test the water to figure out how much to alter my formula on the next batch. I also add the magnesium from BRS.
baked baking soda and calcium to add per day. I multiply each amount by 30, add that amount to three litres of filtered water and dose 100ml per day.
After dosing the entire amount I test the water to figure out how much to alter my formula on the next batch. I also add the magnesium from BRS.
Randy Holmes Farley, the premier reef chemist (in my opinion), has been doing this for years. That's why I'm not nervous about the baking soda portion.
The calcium part makes me nervous because you never know if they are using ammonia in the manufacturing process. Same goes with mag chloride and magnesium hexahydrate.
If it's on his list of approved products I'd feel better but I can never find the products that he has tested.
The calcium part makes me nervous because you never know if they are using ammonia in the manufacturing process. Same goes with mag chloride and magnesium hexahydrate.
If it's on his list of approved products I'd feel better but I can never find the products that he has tested.
No reason to be nervous about using 2-Part, it's a tried and tested method these days. I got tired of mixing, so switched to a reactor, but it is very easy to dose and very hard to screw up unless you are pouring it into your tank. You can still precipitate a snowstorm with it though, so measure your levels everyday for the first week. The dosage amounts in the Holmes-Farley article in Table 1 ended up very close to what I needed. Use the calculator to find out your initial dose to get the CA/Alk levels where they need to be, then dose per the Table.
I've used Prestone Driveway Heat with no ill effects, but these days, with Bulk Reef as reasonable as they are, I'd just order from them and be done with it. Their large package will make enough to last you 6-8mos with 150gals for $63. But you could buy the same amount of A&H, Epsom Salts, and Mag Chloride for half that probably if you are comfortable with it. You can get 50lbs of the Driveway Heat with FS to an Ace for $24, that's hard to beat.
I've used Prestone Driveway Heat with no ill effects, but these days, with Bulk Reef as reasonable as they are, I'd just order from them and be done with it. Their large package will make enough to last you 6-8mos with 150gals for $63. But you could buy the same amount of A&H, Epsom Salts, and Mag Chloride for half that probably if you are comfortable with it. You can get 50lbs of the Driveway Heat with FS to an Ace for $24, that's hard to beat.
So question,
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5
Ammonia 0
PH 8.0
Salinity 1.025
Calcium 500
KH 9 - 10
These are with no dosing of nothing just doing regular water changes that were neglected for 1 month with sand and crushed coral substrate in yalls opinions would I benefit from dosing. I know its a tough question to answer without more info I'm sure but, whats yalls general opinions.
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5
Ammonia 0
PH 8.0
Salinity 1.025
Calcium 500
KH 9 - 10
These are with no dosing of nothing just doing regular water changes that were neglected for 1 month with sand and crushed coral substrate in yalls opinions would I benefit from dosing. I know its a tough question to answer without more info I'm sure but, whats yalls general opinions.
