Lowering high salinity with TM Part C (Balling)

[Vested]

Could Tropic Marin Balling Component - Part C be used as a way to safely bring salinity back to normal levels? Say a tank has rose to 38 ppt, could you make a 5 gallon solution of ro and part c for example and water change with that to bring it down until you get back to 35 ppt?

BRS put out a video yesterday that to me seems to be inferring that? Or I'm completely mis-understanding.

 

[Ron Reefman]

If salinity is too high, why not just add some RO/DI water (maybe over a day or two) and get it back in line?

 

[Vested]

If salinity is too high, why not just add some RO/DI water (maybe over a day or two) and get it back in line?

That will work if your water changing with it but you're also lowering every other element in the water unnaturally so you will be deficient once back to 35ppt. The theory is that adding part c to the RO/DI water you replace it should have traces to make up for it?

 

[Ron Reefman]

How much RO/DI water would you need to add? And to how big a system?

 

[Reefering1]

You are supposed to remove tank water to compensate. Part c keeps everything in balance and is mixed with rodi anyways. Try running the skimmer a little wetter to remove more water(in skimate) without salinity swings, a balance is not hard to find

 

[Vested]

You should both watch the video before you try to answer a question about it I understand how to lower salinity thats not the question.

 

[TokenReefer]

How much part c would you use? Probably alot is my guess. Then what balance are you left with? Balance being the key term in my mind that's what it's for...

 

[Ron Reefman]

Then maybe your question isn't exactly clear enough for us.

 

[Vested]

I guess this is also in reference to a tank using 2 part dosing if that helps clarify the problem. Ryan explains it a lot better then I can lol

 

[Vested]

I guess actually why couldn’t you do it with a salt mix like captiv8 or esv that separates the sodium chloride. So mix everything to instructions minus the chloride and water change with that

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Could Tropic Marin Balling Component - Part C be used as a way to safely bring salinity back to normal levels? Say a tank has rose to 38 ppt, could you make a 5 gallon solution of ro and part c for example and water change with that to bring it down until you get back to 35 ppt?

BRS put out a video yesterday that to me seems to be inferring that? Or I'm completely mis-understanding.

If you knew that the only reason salinity was high was due to the use of a two part that was not ionically balanced (how would you know that was the only reason?) , then yes, one needs to both lower salinity and ideally use some amount of balling part C.

How much Balling Part C one would need could be figured out, but it’s not a trivial determination.

 

[Vested]

If you knew that the only reason salinity was high was due to the use of a two part (how would you know that?) , then yes, one needs to both lower salinity and ideally use some amount of balling part C.

How much Balling Part C one would need could be figured out, but it’s not a trivial determination.

Not doing water-changes and dosing 2 part, would not using sodium chloride on a salt like esv accomplish the same goal without a crazy calculation? Just make it for 5 gallons for example minus the chloride

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Not doing water-changes and dosing 2 part, would not using sodium chloride on a salt like esv accomplish the same goal without a crazy calculation? Just make it for 5 gallons for example minus the chloride

Balling Part C is just sodium chloride free salt mix. ESV without sodium chloride is presumably similar, and one could do water changes until you got to the target salinity.

IMO, the whole effort is likely unnecessary overkill relative to just lowering salinity and using then using a balanced method going forward.

 

[Vested]

Balling Part C is just sodium chloride free salt mix. ESV without sodium chloride is presumably similar, and one could do water changes until you got to the target salinity.

IMO, the whole effort is likely unnecessary overkill relative to just lowering salinity and using then using a balanced method going forward.

Agreed! Thank you

 

[MrPike]

IMO, the whole effort is likely unnecessary overkill relative to just lowering salinity and using then using a balanced method going forward.

By balanced additive do you mean an additive that provides traces as well as macro elements like potassium/calcium/magnesium ect? Or do you mean your two part recipe that is balanced between chloride and sulfate?

I have a similar problem as the OP, salinity flirting with 40ppt, ro water change every week then depletes all the traces, potassium, ect, basically everything that I don’t dose. Obviously ca/kh/mg can be boosted with your three part recipe but the remaining elements are heavily depleted.

If the only realistic solution is water changes then I’ll just have to deal with it. However, if one could just add an all in one recipe like esv salt mix sans sodium chloride, or captiv8, again without adding sodium chloride to each 5 gallon bucket of Ro that is added after pulling extra salty water, then that seems much easier. Sounds like part C from balling would not be an easy calculation, unfortunately.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

By balanced additive do you mean an additive that provides traces as well as macro elements like potassium/calcium/magnesium ect? Or do you mean your two part recipe that is balanced between chloride and sulfate?

I have a similar problem as the OP, salinity flirting with 40ppt, ro water change every week then depletes all the traces, potassium, ect, basically everything that I don’t dose. Obviously ca/kh/mg can be boosted with your three part recipe but the remaining elements are heavily depleted.

If the only realistic solution is water changes then I’ll just have to deal with it. However, if one could just add an all in one recipe like esv salt mix sans sodium chloride, or captiv8, again without adding sodium chloride to each 5 gallon bucket of Ro that is added after pulling extra salty water, then that seems much easier. Sounds like part C from balling would not be an easy calculation, unfortunately.

By balanced additive I mean on that does not boost sodium and chloride over other ions. Many methods fit that, such as ESV B-ionic, TM Balling, my diy using balling Part C for the third part, limewater/kalkwasser, AFR, Salifert all in one, etc.

 

[Vested]

By balanced additive I mean on that does not boost sodium and chloride over other ions. Many methods fit that, such as ESV B-ionic, TM Balling, my diy using balling Part C for the third part, limewater/kalkwasser, AFR, Salifert all in one, etc.

Ok so say im using magnesium chloride and calcium chloride for part 1, sodium carbonate and sodium sulfate part 2, no water changes. Is that not a balanced dosing method? Do I need to include something else?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Ok so say im using magnesium chloride and calcium chloride for part 1, sodium carbonate and sodium sulfate part 2, no water changes. Is that not a balanced dosing method? Do I need to include something else?

That’s not what I meant by fully balanced. It may certainly be adequate, but ions such as potassium can still become depressed by salinity corrections.

 

[Vested]

That’s not what I meant by fully balanced. It may certainly be adequate, but ions such as potassium can still become depressed by salinity corrections.

Sweet just wanted to make sure we are on the same page, thank you

 

[Reeferbadness]

why not just use lower salt mix % on next water change - and gradually bring down salinity.