BRS 2-part dosing prices

[Beau_B]

There was some similar discussion a couple years ago: Calcium chloride for Randy's 2 part

 

[BigMax]

Below is a possibility I would be more confident in, food grade for brining. If I could get the local fish club members to jump in the cost drops in half when you buy 4 - 50 bags. But even 1 bag with shipping is $1.94 per pound vs BRS at $5.72 per pound. They also have a very clear SDS sheet making me very comfortable with the content.

BRS 35lbs $199.99 ($5.72 / lb). BRS 7lbs $39.99 ($5.72 / lb)
Below product 50lbs $97.26 (1.94 / lb. - $69.55 a bag + $27.71 shipping )
1/3 the cost.

Also, per Randy's Recipe #1 you use 20% less in the mix as it's anhydrous calcium chloride. There's another 20% savings.

Calcium Chloride Pellets, Briners Choice | 50 lbs Bag

Briners Choice Anhydrous Calcium Chloride is manufactured and packaged by OXY / Occitental Chemical Corporation in 50 pound bags Anhydrous Cal

ingredi.com

 

[BigMax]

There was some similar discussion a couple years ago: Calcium chloride for Randy's 2 part

Thanks for posting the link. I see someone went down the same path as me.

 

[drukkosz]

Below is a possibility I would be more confident in, food grade for brining. If I could get the local fish club members to jump in the cost drops in half when you buy 4 - 50 bags. But even 1 bag with shipping is $1.94 per pound vs BRS at $5.72 per pound. They also have a very clear SDS sheet making me very comfortable with the content.

BRS 35lbs $199.99 ($5.72 / lb). BRS 7lbs $39.99 ($5.72 / lb)
Below product 50lbs $97.26 (1.94 / lb. - $69.55 a bag + $27.71 shipping )
1/3 the cost.

Also, per Randy's Recipe #1 you use 20% less in the mix as it's anhydrous calcium chloride. There's another 20% savings.

Calcium Chloride Pellets, Briners Choice | 50 lbs Bag

Briners Choice Anhydrous Calcium Chloride is manufactured and packaged by OXY / Occitental Chemical Corporation in 50 pound bags Anhydrous Cal

ingredi.com

Thank you very much for your help. Any idea how much to mix in order to get 1gallon?

 

[FREAKINRICAN69]

Thank you very much for your help. Any idea how much to mix in order to get 1gallon?

+1 on this and following along.

 

[BigMax]

Thank you very much for your help. Any idea how much to mix in order to get 1gallon?

In accordance with Randy Holmes-Farley Recipe #1 (I'm using 400 grams of Briners Choice pellets, as it is anhydrous calcium chloride). You will reduce from 500 to 400 grams of pellets, as noted for a 1 gallon solution.

Recipe # 1, Part 1: The Calcium Part (Randy Holmes-Farley)

Dissolve 500 grams (about 2 ½ cups) of calcium chloride dihydrate (such as Dowflake 77-80% calcium chloride or ESV calcium chloride; see below for substitutes and sources) in enough water to make 1 gallon of total volume. You can dissolve it in about ½ gallon of water, and then pour that into the 1 gallon container and fill it to the top with more freshwater. This solution has about 37,000 ppm calcium.

If you use an anhydrous or monohydrate calcium chloride (such as Dow Mini-Pellets, Kent's Turbo Calcium, Prestone Driveway Heat or Peladow Calcium Chloride), then you should use about 20% (1/5) less solid calcium chloride by volume to make the recipe. Note that the solution will get quite hot when dissolving anhydrous calcium chloride.

I'm using Randy's recipe for alkalinity as well (below). Baking soda processed as outlined below creates soda ash, equivalent to BRS soda ash (the food grade equivalent). Looks like about $1.22 per gallon, or less. Start with 594 grams of baking soda after oven treatment it will yield about 375 grams of soda ash. Add this to your1 gallon mix

Recipe #1, Part 2: The Alkalinity Part (Randy Holmes-Farley)

Spread baking soda (594 grams or about 2 ¼ cups) on a baking tray and heat in an ordinary oven at 300°F for one hour to drive off water and carbon dioxide. Overheating is not a problem, either with higher temperatures or longer times. Dissolve the residual solid in enough water to make 1 gallon total. This dissolution may require a fair amount of mixing. Warming it speeds dissolution. This solution will contain about 1,900 meq/L of alkalinity (5,300 dKH). I prefer to use baked baking soda rather than washing soda in this recipe as baking soda from a grocery store is always food grade, while washing soda may not have the same purity requirements. Arm & Hammer brand is a fine choice. Be sure to NOT use baking powder. Baking powder is a different material that often has phosphate as a main ingredient.

The link below contains the all the above information (I've pulled excerpts). Randy Homes-Farley had written it in 2004 and updated 2006. He was using 'Dow-Flake' as an example. The calcium chloride from my post is food grade for brining and 2022 likely more available, and it's food grade, see SDS. I would say now a better choice, although more expensive. Again, it is anhydrous calcium chloride.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

I'm not a chemist so I found the link directly below as just as little more information on the baking soda to soda ash reactive process.

How to Make Washing Soda From Baking Soda

These easy instructions make sodium carbonate, also known as washing soda or soda ash, from baking soda or sodium bicarbonate.

www.thoughtco.com

Below is a link to Randy's newer thread in it he adds magnesium to the mix within the calcium solution to support magnesium requirements. But, FYI, the above calcium chloride briner pellets are the direct food grade replacement for BRS calcium chloride. And 'baked' Arm & Hammer baking soda creates a BRS food grade equivalent soda ash replacement. I will probably add magnesium as a 3rd part just as I do today with the BRS solutions rather than moving to the recipes in the below link. (My tank, with water changes, I have never needed to supplement magnesium). Also, with the newer recipes in this link (below) I was having difficulty finding inexpensive magnesium chloride hexahydrate as I'm primarily doing this for cost reasons I'll stick with Recipe #1 for calcium chloride and soda ash as in the above recipes and add magnesium as required.

New DIY Two Part Recipes with Higher pH Boost

Here's a first crack at what may end up being multiple possible recipes for a DIY two part that either has a higher pH or can be made more concentrated than traditional two part recipes. This one has about twice the pH raising effect compared to a carbonate based two part, per unit of...

www.reef2reef.com

Randy is in a way different league than me. I'm an electrical engineer, but must have fallen asleep in my chemistry classes.

 

[DancingShark]

I can see it now.
This week on brs investigates.
We are comparing ice melt with our pharma grade calcium. Results are shocking.

 

[rtparty]

I can see it now.
This week on brs investigates.
We are comparing ice melt with our pharma grade calcium. Results are shocking.

They already did this video years ago

 

[DancingShark]

They already did this video years ago

Lol. Let me guess. Was it when they labeled it pharma grade.

 

[131696]

Make your own it's a lot cheaper do research it what the big guys do anyway.

 

[131696]

200 dollars no aquacave has it for 109 for 4 gallons ESV 2 part buy from smaller companies and you get cheaper ,big companies take advantage of us and that's that excuses we got to go higher but smaller companies stay at same price. Get away from big companies they have to many employees and put higher prices on us. Aquacave 4 gallons 109 dollars. Get it there save money start shopping around and get lower prices on radions also well on everything

 

[Beau_B]

Uhh… that makes 4 gallons, if I’m reading it correctly. We’re talking about buying powder that will make 40+ gallons.

 

[131696]

Even better..lol

Uhh… that makes 4 gallons, if I’m reading it correctly. We’re talking about buying powder that will make 40+ gallons.

 

[BigMax]

I can see it now.
This week on brs investigates.
We are comparing ice melt with our pharma grade calcium. Results are shocking.

You can go with ice melt, but like you, I would personally have a problem with that. Or you can use food grade product which should be much more than acceptable for 1/3 to 1/4 the price. If one only needs to spend $ 100 a year on BRS 2 part, or similar product, I would stick with that, but at $300+ a year I can think of better places to spend my money.

 

[Beau_B]

Even better..lol

I think you are confused. $109 for 4gal of each is not a deal; 8gal of product total. Roughly $13/gal.

Even BRS product will make somewhere around 5x that for 2x price. Or about $5/gal of prepared solution.

Collectively we are sourcing alternatives for the $2/gal mark or better, sometimes much better with concessions on purity.

These are bar napkin numbers, but the point remains.

 

[rtparty]

This will sound rude but I mean it sincerely...I'm not sure how anyone can be in this hobby if $100/year makes or breaks you being in the hobby.

That goes for any hobby. Hobbies are disposable income and if you are so strapped that $100/year is that serious, it's time to take a closer look.

Again, I mean this sincerely. Tone is hard in text.

 

[Beau_B]

I agree, $100 shouldn’t completely disrupt anyone in this hobby, however if all supplies doubled or more in cost, I know I would be reconsidering my involvement.

A penny saved is a penny earned. My ability to pay for something does not trump it’s value.

 

[BigMax]

This will sound rude but I mean it sincerely...I'm not sure how anyone can be in this hobby if $100/year makes or breaks you being in the hobby.

That goes for any hobby. Hobbies are disposable income and if you are so strapped that $100/year is that serious, it's time to take a closer look.

Again, I mean this sincerely. Tone is hard in text.

Understood, each situation is different.....I personally spent over $5000 last year alone (lighting change etc.). I started with a FOWLR tank over 2 decades ago. I would say all totaled I'm probably $45k+ into the hobby, but that's the problem a couple hundred here, a couple hundred there and before you know it you're talking real money. I'm currently looking at a Red Sea Dose 4 and the savings over a year, for me, by making the change will pay for it.

I have several other hobbies as well so it's nice to contain costs where possible. I was once asked by a LFS owner if I wanted the receipt from a purchase, I said yes and he laughing said he was surprised. He said no one wants to really understand what they spend on this hobby. Many people wait for sales to buy things, so it seems odd to wait for a sale but not control your operating costs...but that's me, each to their own.

 

[Joe31415]

I'm not sure how anyone can be in this hobby if $100/year makes or breaks you being in the hobby.

But the problem is the cumulative effect. This is hardly the first time people have complained about a price increase. If you're suddenly paying $100/yr more for 2 part and a price increase in salt and a price increase in versa pumps and a price increase in Neptune gear and a price increase on lights and a price increase in tanks and a price increase in shipping costs and a price increase in livestock (how many times do you buy something at the LFS to hear the owner/employee say 'wow, $50? These were $10 a few years ago').

So, the $100/yr on 2 part might be part of an extra $1000/yr on the hobby as a whole.

Plus, keep in mind, a lot of people aren't going to get evicted because of an extra $100 a year, but it's just a hobby and at some point it gets to the point where it's simply not worth it to you. Not that you're out of money, just that the amount of money you're putting into it isn't worth the enjoyment you're getting out of it.

 

[HuneyBear]

All of you that are mad about them raising prices better buckle up. Everything is going to go up substantially in price. You don’t like those prices you should try buying farm fertilizer or weed killer…. If you can even get it.