Homemade Two Part Buffer and Mg supplement. (1 Viewer)

[Guest]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/april2004/chem.htm

Its a good read for those of you who doubted my strategy of adding Turbo Calcium for Ca Baking Soda for Alk and Epson Salt for Mg.

Apologizies will be accepted,
Tom

 

[Guest]

any idea where to get the DOW Ca in Houston?

Dietsip

ps. I've used pickling lime, baking / washing soda, and epsom salt for 6+ years. They work great and are much cheaper!

 

[Guest]

We can order it because swiming pool companies use it. I'll stick to using Turbo Calcium as a substitute described in the article because its readily available and purer than the dow product.

 

[Guest]

There are as many sources of marine chemicals as there are hairs on our heads ( knowing how to use them and in what concentration is the trick). Many of these chemicals are used in the formulation of artificial marine
salts (knowing the proper proportions is the trick). Here are just a few sources: the expected beneficial ion is in bold type.

Marine Chemical Substitutes

Buffer Calcium Hydroxide CaOH2

Epsom Salts Magnesium Sulfate Mg SO4 . 7 H20

Povidone Iodine polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP-I) + I2

Potassium Iodide K I

Tincture of Iodine 2% iodine/2.4% sodium iodide/50% ethanol

Red Slime Algae Potassium Permanganate KMnO4

Potassium peroxymonosulfate (4.3% O2)

Hydrogen Peroxide H2O2 Kills some bacteria and some fungid

pH Add (up) Sodium Carbonate (Soda Ash) Na2CO3 . H2O pool

pH Decrease (down) Sodium Bisulfate NaH SO4 . H2O pool ph down

Alkalinity Plus Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate pool supply

Bicarbonate of Soda NaHCO3

Calcium Carbonate C CaCO3

Kalk Calcium Hydroxide Ca(OH)2

Potassium persulphate K2S2O8

Potassium Sulphite K2SO3

Potassium hydrogen sulphate KHSO4

Potassium hydrogen carbonate KHCO3

Potassium Iodate KIO3

Sodium Hydroxide NaOH

Sources of various ions:

Magnesium Sup Magnesium Chloride MgCl2

Strontium Sup Strontium Chloride SrCl2 . 6H2O

Buffer Sodium Carbonate

Sodium bicarbonate

Sodium Borate

Calcium Chloride CaCl2. 2H2O

Potassium Chloride KCl

Hope this will give you something to think about. All of these substance are easily available without license, advertising, cost of liability (biggest
cost in the marine industry and general retail markup. These substances are generally as pure if not purer than the supplements that we add to our tanks and we are probably adding to much of those (Simek, Borneman, et al.

 

[fins]

Tom,
I have read this article several times and still I am quite unsure how to dose. How is it you are dosing? Thanks.

 

[Guest]

That was the biggest problem with the article. That is why I don't pre mix it. I test my water once a week for calcium and alk. Then I go to this calculator http://www.kademani.com/reefchem.htm plug in the numbers for turbo calcium and baking soda and I am set.

 

[fins]

Tom,
Thanks for the link this will help rather than trying to shoot in the dark, on dosing. When using baking soda does this help raise your PH as well? Thanks, Richard

 

[Guest]

When making a large adjustment to Alk it could have the effect of pulling the PH closer to 8.0.