Low alkalinity low calcium low ph low nutrients help

[vpustovoytov]

Why I have split fins on my fish
Is this a vitamin deficiency or something else?
Thanks

 

[vpustovoytov]

What type of tubing u using for dosing like vinegar

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

What type of tubing u using for dosing like vinegar

I use a normal airline type of tubing. The part down inside my vinegar container is getting cloudy after a few years so the vinegar is impacting it and maybe taking out plasticizers, which isn't optimal.

 

[vpustovoytov]

Hi randy !
Where do u get silicate solution

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You can buy it online at many places. Just use google shopping for "sodium silicate solution".

 

[vpustovoytov]

Thanks
But can u tell me which source u used to get it please

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks
But can u tell me which source u used to get it please

I think this is where I got it years ago, but I did not buy a whole gallon. It lasts a long time.

http://www.chemistrystore.com/Chemicals_S-Z-Sodium_Silicate.html

 

[vpustovoytov]

And how much should I dose a day

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I discuss it here:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/1/aafeature1

from it:

How much and what to dose?
I’d suggest dosing sodium silicate solution, as it is a readily soluble form of silica. It is very inexpensive. I initially used a high quality laboratory grade, but I’d expect the bulk grades sold to the world at large to be good enough (and I use it now). Remember, you aren’t dosing much, and the solutions available are very concentrated. You may find “water glass’ in certain stores because it is used by consumers for things like preserving eggs. Buying chemicals can be problematic for many people, however, and this hobby chemistry store 43 sells to individuals. Ten dollars (+ shipping) gets you enough to last 150 years of dosing with a 100-gallon tank, so cost is not an issue. I just ordered some from them myself and it came broken open, unfortunately. Some of you may have gotten Christmas presents that had ¾ of a gallon of sodium silicate solution coating them as they passed my package in the mail. Nevertheless, I still have enough for several years!).

Many “water glass” or sodium silicate solutions are sold with the concentration indicated by “° Baume”. Degrees Baume is a measure of the specific gravity, and values in the 40’s are typical of these concentrated solutions.44 A concentration of 41° Baume equates to 29% SiO2 by weight. Note that the density is high (1.38 g/mL for 41° Baume), so volume measurements should take this into account. Maybe eventually, some of the hobby supplement manufacturers will provide a supplement.

Safety note: Sodium Silicate solution is very basic (high pH). In fact, the pH can be substantially higher than limewater, so it is very corrosive to tissue and to metal devices. Be careful to not spill it on yourself, wear some eye protection, and if you spill it on something metal, wash it. In all cases, extensive washing with water is recommended in case of spills or exposure.

Based on my dosing experience, aquarists are probably safe dosing the equivalent of 1 ppm SiO2 once every 1-2 weeks. That is based on the fact that my tank used that much in less than 4 days without having any sort of “bad” reaction. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with starting at a tenth of that and ramping up. And, of course, if you do get too much in the way of diatoms, just back off on the dosing. I presume that all that I added to my tank went into various organisms that us it (sponges, diatoms, etc), but perhaps I have more sponges than other aquarists, and diatoms consequently may be more of a concern in some tanks than in mine.

I’d also advise occasionally checking the soluble silica concentration in the water, in case the demand in your tank is substantially less than mine. If the concentration started to rise above 3 ppm SiO2, even in the absence of diatoms, I’d probably reduce the dose rate because that is close to the maximum concentration that surface seawater ever attains.

Here’s how to determine dosing amounts. I’ll assume that you want 1 ppm SiO2) dosing, and you can scale from there. If the concentration of the supplement is 29% silica by weight (41° Baume), then it is 290,000 ppm silica. To get to 1 ppm silica, you then need to dilute by 290,000 fold. If you add 1.3 grams of this supplement (0.96 mL) to a tank with 100 gallons (378,500 mL), then the final concentration will be about 1 ppm SiO2. I’d disperse the concentrated silicate solution into some fresh water before adding it to the tank, and then add it to a high flow area. Because the pH is high, you likely will see some cloudiness that is mostly magnesium hydroxide. The magnesium hydroxide will dissolve without a problem, but to be safe, add the supplement in a high flow area.

 

[vpustovoytov]

And how much should I dose a day

 

[vpustovoytov]

Thank u so much
This is very important to know before I use it

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The last paragraph describes how much to dose once every 1-2 week, so dose 1/10 that amount each day, if you want to dose daily.

 

[vpustovoytov]

Ok

 

[vpustovoytov]

Hi randy !
Happy new 2016!
I have a question for u.
I have rtn/ stn on my coral
And I'm doing water changes so far do u think because my corals old or I have some chemical problem
Tests at ok and I'm using nopox as a carbon source

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It can sometimes be hard to diagnose coral problems. The NOPOX, like any carbon dosing, might be driving the growth of a pathogenic species of bacteria. That seems to be a rare result, but could be happening. It might also relate to other things that are stressing the coral, like changes in alkalinity or any number of other things.

 

[vpustovoytov]

Soft corals are fine though

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, things that cause RTN and STN in SPS corals often seem to leave soft corals (and even LPS) just fine.

 

[vpustovoytov]

Thank u

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You're welcome.

Happy Reefing.

 

[vpustovoytov]

Randy I ordered silicate and I don't think it's working! When I test with salient test kit it doesn't detect any silicate at all and I don't know what I'm adding than. But liquid looks like silicate
Thanks