Chlorides Buildup

[Sangheili]

So I am heading down the path of purchasing a fancy doser and moving to zero water changes backed up by Triton testing. (I'd prefer not to argue about zero water changes as it can be contentious to people for some reason).

I have read a bit about the possibility of a "Chlorides" build up when using 2-Part dosing. I don't have a background in chemistry so i'm trying to understand this, but doesn't the buildup of chlorides simply mean higher salinity? Or is there some other chemical reaction going on? Will this buildup show up on my refractometer or will it be hidden in some way?

If the build up is simply raising the salinity of the water, this seems easy to fix by just using one of my dosing pumps to remove a small amount of saltwater daily (and that is exactly what Triton suggests).

Now, given all of that which additives should I use for dosing? Would it be best to use Recipe 1, Recipe 2, or use Kalk instead? Should I used combined Magnesium Sulfate and Magnesium Chloride or just one of those?

Any information is greatly appreciated :xd:

(I am still reading through as much of your information as I can Randy so thanks for all the writing you have done).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Chloride (and sodium) can accumulate at the same salinity by first raising salinity, and then a salinity correction will bring everything down with them.

So, for example, chloride will rise relative to sulfate (and all other negatively charged ions), and sodium can rise relative to magnesium, potassium, and all other positively charged ions.

This will happen, for example, if you use only sodium carbonate and calcium chloride.

If you use limewater (kalkwasser) or a CaCO3/CO2 reactor, none of this happens.

If you use a good quality two part in equal parts, the salinity rises, but the ratios stay unchanged.

With my "improved" DIY (with both Epsom salt and magnesium chloide), either recipe is OK, but you should add the third part as directed rather than by magnesium testing to keep chloride and sulfate properly balanced.