Help dosing sodium hydroxide

[Reef Management]

Im currently dosing 6000 ml of fully saturated kalkwasser during lights off and 150 ml or brs soda ash and calcium chloride during light period.

Can someone help me figure out how much sodium hydroxide to dose instead of the kalkwasser at night. I think ill continue the 2 part during light period. Also is there an update sodium hydroxide recipe?

Thanks so much

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Sure.

My sodium hydroxide two part recipe has the same potency as my sodium carbonate recipe (such as BRS uses). So use 150 mL of that recipe to balance this source.

That recipe is also 46 times as potent as fully saturated kalkwasser. So use 130 mL to balance the kalk.

This is the recipe:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/second-new-diy-two-part-recipe-with-higher-ph-boost.357080/

Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)

Add 283 grams of food-grade sodium hydroxide to enough RO/DI to make a total volume of 1 gallon. It will get quite warm. Make sure it doesn't soften your container. This solution will contain about 1,900 meq/L of alkalinity (5,300 dKH). There is no alkalinity additive that has a greater pH boost than hydroxides.

Hydroxide is caustic. Be cautious during usage. Keep out of reach of children. Be sure to not get the liquid or dust in your eyes or on skin.

This thread has more details on a full 2/3 part recipe:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-balling-method-recipe.1098905/

 

[Reef Management]

Sure.

My sodium hydroxide two part recipe has the same potency as my sodium carbonate recipe (such as BRS uses). So use 150 mL of that recipe to balance this source.

That recipe is also 46 times as potent as fully saturated kalkwasser. So use 130 mL to balance the kalk.

This is the recipe:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/second-new-diy-two-part-recipe-with-higher-ph-boost.357080/

Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)

Add 283 grams of food-grade sodium hydroxide to enough RO/DI to make a total volume of 1 gallon. It will get quite warm. Make sure it doesn't soften your container. This solution will contain about 1,900 meq/L of alkalinity (5,300 dKH). There is no alkalinity additive that has a greater pH boost than hydroxides.

Hydroxide is caustic. Be cautious during usage. Keep out of reach of children. Be sure to not get the liquid or dust in your eyes or on skin.

This thread has more details on a full 2/3 part recipe:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-balling-method-recipe.1098905/

Thanks so much randy!

 

[Reef Management]

Thanks so much randy!

One more question how much brs calcium chloride would 6000 ml of kalkwasser equal?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Same amount as the alk part, basically, since it is 1:1 dosing. There are minor deviations from that, but the moisture level in all of the ingredients likely gives a bigger margin of error than the theoretical issue where kalk slightly overdoses calcium relative to alk due to magnesium and other ions swapping in for some of the calcium in coral skeletons.