DIY chemicals Ca, kh and Mg

This is how I mix up in 5 litre containers using DIY
CA 15 teaspoons
Alk 23 teaspoons
MG 24 teaspoons
You will have to work out how much is being consumed to determine your dosing rate.
 
Hello blue reefer , how did you get to your DIY formulation of the teaspoons to be added in 5 Litre
 
Through trial and error. Been dosing like this for 10 months and works for me. It doesn't help you dose more coz it wont all dissolve and will just pressipitate.
 
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Hey Guys, I know this is an old thread but was hoping to find out from you guys if these dry chemicals have a "shelf life" .... I bought some quite a while ago (probably 8 months) and have not used them yet but wanted to start using them soon. Will that be a problem ?
 
how do you know how much to mix ... I need to raise (and then maintain) my Ca from 340 to 400 and my Alk from 6.5 to 8 .... my full system volume is 420 litres. When I use the reef chemistry calculator it says I must use 18.5 teaspoons of Calcium Chloride Flakes and 2.5 teaspoons of Sodium Bicarbonate respectively .... is that the amount I must mix in the 5 litres .... then dose it slowly ... a few ml per day using my dosing station ?
 
Instead of teaspoons use the grams. That will be much more accurate. I mix 1kg of powder to 10L of RO at a time. So if the calculator says I need 90grams, I know I have to dose 900ml of my solution.

The rate of dosing is determined by how quickly you want to raise the values. If I was you I would raise the values over 3 days in as many doses as you can. So make a solution, then divide it by 3 ( for the days) and then divide by the number of times you are able to dose. Dose the ca and alk 30mins apart if you can.
 
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so if my calculations on the Reef Calculator say 92g, and I mix 500g in 5 litres, then I will need to dose .... 5000ml/500g = 1g in every 10ml of solution ... so would need 920ml of solution.

Then 920/3 = (about) 305ml per day = approx 25ml every 2 hours

AWESOME ! I think I got that ....

Then it will be a lower daily dosage to maintain the consumption right ?
 
Correct. Once you get you values up, stop dosing for 2 days and test to see what the drop is. Then divide by 2 to get daily average. Dose to get the values up again and then stop again for 2 days and test. Then you have a very good idea what your daily consumption is. Dose for your daily consumption and then after a week test and see how to tweak the dosing. It takes a but of testing and fine tuning to get it right but worth the effort. I actually test once a month at this stage and my alk changed by 0,3dkh and ca by 15ppm. Thats a slow swing is my books
 
@mariusmeyer I mixed my first batch of chemicals on Friday afternoon and did as suggested. I left it to dissolve over the weekend and have just decantered some into my dosing bottles. I noticed that the Sodium Bicarbonate does not dissolve nicely and tends to settle at the bottom of the container .... is this a problem ? Should I give the bottle a shake every day or two ?
 
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@mariusmeyer I mixed my first batch of chemicals on Friday afternoon and did as suggested. I left it to dissolve over the weekend and have just decantered some into my dosing bottles. I noticed that the Sodium Bicarbonate does not dissolve nicely and tends to settle at the bottom of the container .... is this a problem ? Should I give the bottle a shake every day or two ?
 
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Also, when I run the individual pumps on manual for a bit until the pipes are filled with solution so as to clear the air from the tubes. When I do this I let the solution flow out into a small cup. I did this for both the Calcium and Alkalinity solution and noticed that the combination of the two solutions when mixed in the cup started to fizzz quite a bit .... anything to be concerned about here ?
 
Without trying to derail the thread - does anyone know if there is an issue with throwing your 2 part and Mg into your ATO tank? To me it is logical to do it this way if you don't have a auto dosing pump.
 
Yea its an issue, it will cause precipitation of insolluble CaCO3, rendering your two part a waste of $$.
Unless you have two top up tanks, one for ca (and Mg) and one for carbonates, each run on diff floatswitches and at different times, a definite no.
 
VicZA said:
Also, when I run the individual pumps on manual for a bit until the pipes are filled with solution so as to clear the air from the tubes. When I do this I let the solution flow out into a small cup. I did this for both the Calcium and Alkalinity solution and noticed that the combination of the two solutions when mixed in the cup started to fizzz quite a bit .... anything to be concerned about here ?
Click to expand...

yes they must not be added together, and atleast 20min apart
 
VicZA said:
@mariusmeyer I mixed my first batch of chemicals on Friday afternoon and did as suggested. I left it to dissolve over the weekend and have just decantered some into my dosing bottles. I noticed that the Sodium Bicarbonate does not dissolve nicely and tends to settle at the bottom of the container .... is this a problem ? Should I give the bottle a shake every day or two ?
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yes a shake is cool, its saturated so will precipitate out, top up with RO and shake and it should dissolve, but after a week i would make new stock solution
 
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irie ivan said:
Yea its an issue, it will cause precipitation of insolluble CaCO3, rendering your two part a waste of $$.
Unless you have two top up tanks, one for ca (and Mg) and one for carbonates, each run on diff floatswitches and at different times, a definite no.
Click to expand...

Thanks for thw advice. So just to clarify - I can mix my Ca and Mg in one tank but not Ca and Alk or all three since the Alk will cause precipitation?
 
Dont mix Ca & alk additives... Its why two part is sold as two parts.
I dont use a doser and dont use diy chemicals. Calcium reactor & kalk... set forget and i know exactly what I'm putting in, no mixing.
 
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