Originally posted this in the sps forum. Another member suggested I post the question here.
Hello all,
How much two part is being wasted?
I have an SPS dominated reef system around 400 gallons in total. Some very large sps colonies. 1' to 2’ in size. Around one month ago I switched to sodium hydroxide from soda ash to get a pH bump. Fast forward, I am now able to maintain a stable pH at 8.3 +- 0.05 and a dKH of 7.4 +-0.20. What I have seen however is an increased precipitation of calcium chloride on the walls of the aquarium and increased sps growth. Definitely does not look like I'm precipitating out pounds of calcium carbonate. Yesterday in total I used around 2700dkh from a combination of sources. I dosed 5000ml ml of fully saturated kalkwasser, 950ml sodium bicarbonate solution and 1350ml of sodium hydroxide solution.
Solutions.
302 grams of BRS sodium bicarbonate per gallon of rodi water.
283 grams of sodium hydroxide per gallon of rodi water.
11 teaspoons of calcium hydroxide per gallon of rodi water.
2.5 cups of BRS calcium chloride per gallon of rodi water.
Before asking, the sodium hydroxide is being delivered to the sump directly in front of a power head.
Back to the question, how much two part am I wasting?
Using this much two part seems like a recipe for water chemistry issues. I do use tropic marin part c.
Should I just turn on the calcium reactor and add a large refugium to help with the pH? The tank is only half way full, I can’t imagine the two part requirements at 100% capacity.
Also, what is the saturation limit for two part additives? Can I double or tipple the amount of calcium chloride, sodium hydroxide or sodium bicarbonate being used per gallon of rodi water? It would be nice to go a few months without mixing new solutions.
Hello all,
How much two part is being wasted?
I have an SPS dominated reef system around 400 gallons in total. Some very large sps colonies. 1' to 2’ in size. Around one month ago I switched to sodium hydroxide from soda ash to get a pH bump. Fast forward, I am now able to maintain a stable pH at 8.3 +- 0.05 and a dKH of 7.4 +-0.20. What I have seen however is an increased precipitation of calcium chloride on the walls of the aquarium and increased sps growth. Definitely does not look like I'm precipitating out pounds of calcium carbonate. Yesterday in total I used around 2700dkh from a combination of sources. I dosed 5000ml ml of fully saturated kalkwasser, 950ml sodium bicarbonate solution and 1350ml of sodium hydroxide solution.
Solutions.
302 grams of BRS sodium bicarbonate per gallon of rodi water.
283 grams of sodium hydroxide per gallon of rodi water.
11 teaspoons of calcium hydroxide per gallon of rodi water.
2.5 cups of BRS calcium chloride per gallon of rodi water.
Before asking, the sodium hydroxide is being delivered to the sump directly in front of a power head.
Back to the question, how much two part am I wasting?
Using this much two part seems like a recipe for water chemistry issues. I do use tropic marin part c.
Should I just turn on the calcium reactor and add a large refugium to help with the pH? The tank is only half way full, I can’t imagine the two part requirements at 100% capacity.
Also, what is the saturation limit for two part additives? Can I double or tipple the amount of calcium chloride, sodium hydroxide or sodium bicarbonate being used per gallon of rodi water? It would be nice to go a few months without mixing new solutions.