New DIY Two Part Recipes with Higher pH Boost

[Clownman727]

Why use a different recipe for half of the product? Because you already have it in liquid form?

Jim's recipe is designed to be balanced for equal parts dosing. Using a different concentration of sodium carbonate is fine, you just need to dose more or less if the concentration is different.

Because I really don’t need a ph boost and I like the alk solution I’m using now.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Because I really don’t need a ph boost and I like the alk solution I’m using now.

Then use Jim's exact recipe in the first post.

 

[Clownman727]

I would prefer to use the soda ash. Will it work? Or will it create issues?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Sorry, maybe I didn't clarify. Sodium carbonate is soda ash:

Jim's recipe (with some text added by me):

Part 1 - The Calcium and Magnesium Part
Dissolve 500 g of calcium chloride dihydrate plus 261.2 g of magnesium chloride hexahydrate in enough water to make a total volume of one gallon.

Part 2 - The Alkalinity and Sulfate Part
Dissolve 374.7 g of sodium carbonate (594 g of baking soda that has been baked; = 3.535 moles of sodium carbonate) plus 68.7 g of sodium sulfate in enough water to make a total volume of one gallon.

This recipe is the same strength as Randy's Recipe #1 (e.g., BRS). To make these two parts with the same strength as B-Ionic, then multiply the amounts of the salts by 1.5 (but note dissolving the carbonate can become challenging).

 

[Clownman727]

Thanks for the help. I guess I’m just not smart enough to figure this out. I will just stick to the old recipe. The only thing I like about this new recipe is that I can add magnesium to the calcium solution. I have no desire to try a new alk product at this time.

 

[WWIII]

Someone was asking about a scale earlier, this is the one I have been using for about a year and it works very well so far. Even comes with a tray...

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks for the help. I guess I’m just not smart enough to figure this out. I will just stick to the old recipe. The only thing I like about this new recipe is that I can add magnesium to the calcium solution. I have no desire to try a new alk product at this time.

OK, let me try once again. Soda ash (a common name) is the same chemical as sodium carbonate (the chemical name). If you bought dry soda ash from BRS, it is the exact alk ingredient that Jim's original recipe uses:

Part 1 - The Calcium and Magnesium Part
Dissolve 500 g of calcium chloride dihydrate plus 261.2 g of magnesium chloride hexahydrate in enough water to make a total volume of one gallon.

Part 2 - The Alkalinity and Sulfate Part
Dissolve 374.7 g of sodium carbonate (this is soda ash) plus 68.7 g of sodium sulfate in enough water to make a total volume of one gallon.

This recipe is the same strength as Randy's Recipe #1 (e.g., BRS recipe).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Someone was asking about a scale earlier, this is the one I have been using for about a year and it works very well so far. Even comes with a tray...

Wow, that's either one tiny scale or two giant cherries.

 

[WWIII]

Wow, that's either one tiny scale or two giant cherries.

Haha! Very observant! Giant cherries apparently... (Scale Dimensions: 8.46" x 5.31" x 1.18". Platform Dimensions: 9"x 6"). The 500 grams of calcium easily fit on the tray.

I started dosing the new 2 part last night at the same strength as your original Recipe #1. So far, so good! I do need to check my ghl ph probe, as this is the first morning I've woken up to see ph still at 8.2. Previously, my ph would dip to 7.8 overnight.

Dosing equal parts 120 ml per day. Alkalinity every hour on the hour, calcium every half hour on the half hour. System is approximately 250 gallons. Will keep updated here on results and also I plan on increasing the strength to at least ESV levels.

 

[Clownman727]

OK, let me try once again. Soda ash (a common name) is the same chemical as sodium carbonate (the chemical name). If you bought dry soda ash from BRS, it is the exact alk ingredient that Jim's original recipe uses:

Part 1 - The Calcium and Magnesium Part
Dissolve 500 g of calcium chloride dihydrate plus 261.2 g of magnesium chloride hexahydrate in enough water to make a total volume of one gallon.

Part 2 - The Alkalinity and Sulfate Part
Dissolve 374.7 g of sodium carbonate (this is soda ash) plus 68.7 g of sodium sulfate in enough water to make a total volume of one gallon.

This recipe is the same strength as Randy's Recipe #1 (e.g., BRS recipe).

What is the reason for adding the sodium sulfate?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

What is the reason for adding the sodium sulfate?

To keep chloride from rising too much, displacing and lowering the sulfate every time you correct the salinity.

My original recipe uses magnesium sulfate for that purpose, but you cannot mix that into the calcium part, hence the reason the original was a three part.

 

[Mindi]

NaOH recipe 2 week update

Alkalinity...3.6 -3.6- 4.0.....just dosing a little more than I need
Mag 1150..... extra dosing ...now 1290...another week to hit the right maintenance spot about 1350
pH...consistent 7.9 midday now consistent 8.1..exactly the desired result

Thanks Randy

ps...the Mag Hydroxide is still depositing in the sump but I am ignoring it.

 

[WWIII]

NaOH recipe 2 week update

Alkalinity...3.6 -3.6- 4.0.....just dosing a little more than I need
Mag 1150..... extra dosing ...now 1290...another week to hit the right maintenance spot about 1350
pH...consistent 7.9 midday now consistent 8.1..exactly the desired result

Thanks Randy

ps...the Mag Hydroxide is still depositing in the sump but I am ignoring it.

I'm having similar results in regards to ph, only a couple days in. My ph would drop to 7.8 at night and rise to 8.25 during the day (approximately) with the "old" recipe. With this new recipe my ph is going down to 8.25 at night and up to 8.4 during the day. Alkalinity remains the same as with the previous recipe and the same dosing levels. I am not experiencing any of the white deposit that Mindi has described. I dose automatically into a somewhat high flow area that is the return pump section, so it gets mixed into the main 200 gallon display fairly quickly.

Love how this recipe mixes and the effect it has on ph so far! I would like to raise at least to ESV levels after this gallon has been used, as I'm sure I will need to dose more and more as corals continue to grow. I will update any observations and/or results here.

 

[Servillius]

I’v been using the recipe for two weeks now and my pH was starting to climb over 8.6. There were some very slight signs that may be stress in corals.

In order to drop my pH, I started bubbling CO2 into the sump. After 30 seconds of thinking it through, I started bubbling it upstream of the refugium to feed chaeto.

I’m pretty sure the CO2 is not going to change the alkalinity of the system. Is it going to have other deleterious effects? I quite like the ability to keep my pH rock solid stable with a controller using the CO2, but not if it’s counterproductive.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I’v been using the recipe for two weeks now and my pH was starting to climb over 8.6. There were some very slight signs that may be stress in corals.

In order to drop my pH, I started bubbling CO2 into the sump. After 30 seconds of thinking it through, I started bubbling it upstream of the refugium to feed chaeto.

I’m pretty sure the CO2 is not going to change the alkalinity of the system. Is it going to have other deleterious effects? I quite like the ability to keep my pH rock solid stable with a controller using the CO2, but not if it’s counterproductive.

If pH is really 8.6, adding CO2 will have no deleterious effects. As long as the pH does not get too low, there's no issue.

 

[Servillius]

If pH is really 8.6, adding CO2 will have no deleterious effects. As long as the pH does not get too low, there's no issue.

Yeah, I double checked with a hand held and recalibrated my probe. It all seems to be bang on. I’m really liking the stable pH and I may be seeing signs of more polyp. Only problem is now I have to adjust my dosing from all day to primarily night dosing. Wah!

 

[WWIII]

Quick update with new recipe at "normal" BRS (Randy's) original levels. All parameters remain stable as with the previous recipe besides ph. Ph is up .2 to .3 on average (8.25 to 8.44 throughout the day/night). Very happy with the results so far, no ill effects and water is crystal clear.

One word of caution, I was using thin gallon water jugs to hold the 2 part. Well that didn't work so well as a hole developed in the bottom of the alkalinity part. I waited till it cooled some to transfer from mixing bucket to old water jug, but after a few days I noticed the leak and when I lifted the jug up, the solution came pouring out. Dumb mistake by me, but just thought I'd give a heads up!

 

[pwilliaml]

I'm not following what the difference between Jim's Version and the Sodium Hydroxide version. Is one better than the other, or is one raising pH more? Which one is everyone testing? Thanks.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I'm not following what the difference between Jim's Version and the Sodium Hydroxide version. Is one better than the other, or is one raising pH more? Which one is everyone testing? Thanks.

Sodium hydroxide versions raise pH about twice as much as sodium carbonate versions.

Jim's carbonate version allows a true two part vs my carbonate version which is a 2/3 part system.

The only hydroxide one described here is Jim's, but hydroxide can also be swapped into mine (e.g, BRS).

 

[WWIII]

New dosing containers showed up tonight! Hopefully they can take the heat! Although I will probably provide more time to cool and add the lye a little slower this time. I've now taken kalkwasser offline (previously in ato) and strictly dosing this new recipe. Ph stays between 8.25 and 8.4. Might mess with dosing times a little to see if I can keep the ph range even tighter. Regardless, very happy with this new 2 part so far!