New DIY Two Part Recipes with Higher pH Boost

[trmiv]

Just ordered the chemicals for Randy’s version. I’ll be dosing it through my Neptune DOS from an acrylic Simplicity Aquatics dosing container. I’m currently dosing b-ionic so this is to replace that. I was going to try dosing kalk for the ph boost but I didn’t want to change how I’m dosing so hopefully this accomplishes what I’m looking for without having to change around my setup.

I’m a little nervous about mixing and handling the sodium hydroxide, but I’ll go slow.

 

[trmiv]

FYI for anyone looking to make this, don't order this stuff. Not only is it not food grade as it claims, it's not even pure sodium hydroxide. I ended up having to order different stuff that won't be here until next week now. Oh well, I guess I can make sure all my drains are clean with this stuff.

Amazon.com: Lye for Soap Making, Sodium Hydroxide for Soap Making, Pure Lye, Food Grade Lye, Caustic Soda, Drain Cleaner and Clog Remover, High Test Lye Food Grade, 2lbs.: Arts, Crafts & Sewing

 

[brendan2u]

Anyone have suggestions of brands of various ingredients?

I haven't dosed for a long time...

Side story, after I got my wisdom teeth taken out in high school, I had my stepfather drive my to 5 different hardware stores where I read all of the ingredients of various products until I found a calcium anhydride that fit the bill that was meant for swimming pools.

I don't see how everyone was loopy, I was Lazer focused! Must have gave me Adderal on accident!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Anyone have suggestions of brands of various ingredients?

I haven't dosed for a long time...

Side story, after I got my wisdom teeth taken out in high school, I had my stepfather drive my to 5 different hardware stores where I read all of the ingredients of various products until I found a calcium anhydride that fit the bill that was meant for swimming pools.

I don't see how everyone was loopy, I was Lazer focused! Must have gave me Adderal on accident!

You found something actually labeled calcium anhydride?

Food grade sodium hydroxide for the alk part:

 

[trmiv]

Anyone have suggestions of brands of various ingredients?

I haven't dosed for a long time...

Side story, after I got my wisdom teeth taken out in high school, I had my stepfather drive my to 5 different hardware stores where I read all of the ingredients of various products until I found a calcium anhydride that fit the bill that was meant for swimming pools.

I don't see how everyone was loopy, I was Lazer focused! Must have gave me Adderal on accident!

I already had calcium chloride from BRS so I used that.

For the other parts I used

sodium hydroxide

Sodium Hydroxide - Pure - Food...

Sodium Sulfate

Duda Energy 1ssf Natural Sodium...

Magnesium

Fritz Aquatics Magnesium Chloride Bulk Reef Chemical

I probably could have gotten magnesium cheaper elsewhere but I was impatient and it was on Prime so I got that.

 

[Isaac Alves]

FWIW, the white powder that forms is likely magnesium hydroxide.

I’m curious about this Apitasia killing solution @Tmmste mentioned in this thread. I have used this method a few times now. And it does work well. My curiosity is on the Magnesium Hydroxide precipitate that is left behind once the initial blast of high pH and heat subsides. Is it harmful to Marine fish at all? I’ve seen my cardinal take a chunk of the white material into his mouth and spit it out. I’ve not seen any issues that would cause me concern — But I am curious if an animal was to swallow a pea sized amount of this precipitate will it be as harmless as us taking a standard dose of Milk of Magnesia?

I just read through your article on precipitates from an old reef central post. Very good article still. But the focus was not on the interaction of Magnesium Hydroxide bing ingested by marine life.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I’m curious about this Apitasia killing solution @Tmmste mentioned in this thread. I have used this method a few times now. And it does work well. My curiosity is on the Magnesium Hydroxide precipitate that is left behind once the initial blast of high pH and heat subsides. Is it harmful to Marine fish at all? I’ve seen my cardinal take a chunk of the white material into his mouth and spit it out. I’ve not seen any issues that would cause me concern — But I am curious if an animal was to swallow a pea sized amount of this precipitate will it be as harmless as us taking a standard dose of Milk of Magnesia?

I just read through your article on precipitates from an old reef central post. Very good article still. But the focus was not on the interaction of Magnesium Hydroxide bing ingested by marine life.

Yes, it is essentially milk of magnesia. It raises pH a bit as it dissolves. I don't suspect it is an issue for animals with a stomach where the pH is reduced, but it might be for an filter feeder that digests other ways.

 

[brendan2u]

Any suggestions for the calcium?

Sorry, the pool stuff I found was about 7 years ago and it took forever to find (once again, I was technically on drugs, but still lol).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Any suggestions for the calcium?

Sorry, the pool stuff I found was about 7 years ago and it took forever to find (once again, I was technically on drugs, but still lol).

The BRS material is good. I do not know what is the cheapest acceptable material these days.

 

[trmiv]

so thus far with this I haven’t noticed any significant ph boost over the b-ionic I was using. I’m only dosing about 22ml per day in my Reefer 350 though so maybe I’m just not dosing enough to see much of a boost.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

so thus far with this I haven’t noticed any significant ph boost over the b-ionic I was using. I’m only dosing about 22ml per day in my Reefer 350 though so maybe I’m just not dosing enough to see much of a boost.

Whatever pH boost folks get, it will be about twice as much from this recipe as normal B-ionic.

That said, you are only dosing about 0.33 dKh per day, which is very low. The pH boost from all at once dosing is only about 0.17 pH units, and if spread out through the day, will be lower.

 

[trmiv]

In BRS’s Tropic Marin/BRS hybrid they mention you can add Tropic Marin Trace A- to the Alk portion of the two part and Tropic Marin Trace K+ to the calcium portion of the two part. Can I do that with the calcium hydroxide recipe here? I know the calcium portion is pretty much the same so that would work, but not sure if the sodium hydroxide mixed with some of the Tropic Marin A- would be an issue?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

In BRS’s Tropic Marin/BRS hybrid they mention you can add Tropic Marin Trace A- to the Alk portion of the two part and Tropic Marin Trace K+ to the calcium portion of the two part. Can I do that with the calcium hydroxide recipe here? I know the calcium portion is pretty much the same so that would work, but not sure if the sodium hydroxide mixed with some of the Tropic Marin A- would be an issue?

You mean sodium hydroxide recipe, right? Not calcium hydroxide.

I expect you can mix the TM A- into the hydroxide part, but am not 100% sure since I am not sure how much of what is in that product.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, since BRS now sells Tropic Marin Balling Part C, I think that the "best" recipe to use is the DIY using just sodium hydroxide and calcium chloride , then Balling Part C to balance everything else.

 

[trmiv]

You mean sodium hydroxide recipe, right? Not calcium hydroxide.

I expect you can mix the TM A- into the hydroxide part, but am not 100% sure since I am not sure how much of what is in that product.

Sorry yea sodium hydroxide.

FWIW, since BRS now sells Tropic Marin Balling Part C, I think that the "best" recipe to use is the DIY using just sodium hydroxide and calcium chloride , then Balling Part C to balance everything else.

So in that case remove the sodium sulfate from the alk part and the magnesium from the calcium part? Would you keep the same amount of sodium hydroxide and calcium chloride in each or replace the amount of sodium sulfate and magnesium in each with what you removed?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

So in that case remove the sodium sulfate from the alk part and the magnesium from the calcium part? Would you keep the same amount of sodium hydroxide and calcium chloride in each or replace the amount of sodium sulfate and magnesium in each with what you removed?

Yes, just start with the simple recipe:

Second New DIY Two Part Recipe with Higher pH Boost

In a previous thread, I posted a true two part DIY recipe: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/new-diy-two-part-recipes-with-higher-ph-boost.344500/ But some folks may want to just swap the new ingredient into my 2/3 part recipe (as used by BRS, for example). Here's the original recipe link...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[trmiv]

Yes, just start with the simple recipe:

Second New DIY Two Part Recipe with Higher pH Boost

In a previous thread, I posted a true two part DIY recipe: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/new-diy-two-part-recipes-with-higher-ph-boost.344500/ But some folks may want to just swap the new ingredient into my 2/3 part recipe (as used by BRS, for example). Here's the original recipe link...

www.reef2reef.com

Great thank you.

If I already have a gallon of the recipe with the sulfate and magnesium mixed up can I use part c along with that, or would I need to toss that and use the simple recipe if I want to start dosing part c?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Great thank you.

If I already have a gallon of the recipe with the sulfate and magnesium mixed up can I use part c along with that, or would I need to toss that and use the simple recipe if I want to start dosing part c?

I would wait. You'd be doubling up on the main ingredient in Balling Part C: magnesium sulfate.

 

[GoVols]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

In version 2, is there a part that consumes C02 that makes you be able to reach a higher ph?

Thank you

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

In version 2, is there a part that consumes C02 that makes you be able to reach a higher ph?

Thank you

Alkalinity supplements that contain carbonate take up one half of an H+ per unit of alk added carbonate added because most of the carbonate is converted into bicarbonate:

CO3-- + H+ --> HCO3-

which raises pH.

You can think of that as consuming CO2, since CO2 will "try" to replace the lost H+ and be consumed:

CO2 + H2O + CO3-- --> 2 HCO3-


Alkalinity supplements that contain hydroxide take up almost one H+ per unit of alk added added because most of the hydroxide is converted into bicarbonate:

CO2 + OH- --> HCO3-