New DIY Two Part Recipes with Higher pH Boost

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

All of those look good, with the possible exception of the calcium products:

I do not know if Sno-Jo is adequately pure.

Prestone Driveway Heat used to be adequately pure. Not sure now. The old safety data sheet did not have the same impurities listed. It now lists strontium chloride and calcium hydroxide, instead of potassium and sodium chloride that it used to list. Not sure if the material source changed, or if they just report it differently.

If you use the Driveway heat, you need to use less than the stated recipe since it is not a dihydrate. Maybe use 20% less by weight.

 

[WWIII]

Hi all, since I am going to implement to the Sodium Hydroxide version to boost PH, please help me to confirm the list items below before I order. Since the primary purpose of the revised true 2-part dosing is to saving cost and improved the effect, i am trying not only to gather all items at lowest cost, but also achieve the best result.

Calcium Chloride Dihydrate:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Snow-Jo...-Pellets-Ice-Melter-Jug-MELT10CCP-J/206403605 .

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Prestone-Driveway-Heat-9-5-lb-Concentrated-Ice-Melt-95J-HEAT/202353200?keyword=prestone+heat&semanticToken=21050+++>++++st:{prestone+heat}:st++cn:{0:0}++prestone+{brand}+heat+{rest}+

Is the Snow Joe Melk here Calcium Chloride Dihydrate or the Prestion Driveway Heat OK to use?

Magnesium Chloride:
I think BRS has good price. Do you guys have other places to shop for cheaper?
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-bulk-magnesium-chloride-aquarium-supplement.html


Sodium Hyroxide and Sodium Sulfate:
Is amazon only place we can shop for this? any other places?

https://www.amazon.com/Sodium-Hydroxide-Grade-Caustic-Pound/dp/B0735CK8WT/ref=sr_1_5_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1520858376&sr=8-5&keywords=sodium+hydroxide&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Sulfate-Granular-Anhydrous-Crystals/dp/B00L4L73CM

Thanks.

Drs foster smith and/or BRS calcium chloride can be purchased for nearly the same cost as ice melt products from home depot. You just have to look for sales sometimes, but at least you can have some confidence in it being reasonably safe/pure. I bought 35 lbs. From drsfostersmith for $55. BRS has their 7 lb. Containers right now for $14 I think. For me, for a few cents difference per gallon of solution it's probably a better idea to go with a known source.

 

[WWIII]

Having said all that, I'm using all pharma grade and/or food grade materials for my display tank currently and it still is less than $6 per gallon of solution.

 

[Long Tran]

Hi Randy and WWIII, thanks for the replys. Will order from Drs Foster Smith and BRS to be peace of mind for calcium chloride.

 

[WWIII]

Hi Randy and WWIII, thanks for the replys. Will order from Drs Foster Smith and BRS to be peace of mind for calcium chloride.

I just checked drsfostersmith again. The sale isn't currently running anymore, but keep an eye out for it. They do 30% off their supplements occasionally. BRS I think is moving to all pharma grade, but their in stock of the "original" calcium chloride is on pretty good sale!

Basically I don't think these options were available when Randy made the original recipe years ago. We have more options now. I just would hate for something to be in one of these icemelts that ruined all my hard work on the tank to save a few bucks. Randy tested a bunch back years ago, but without constantly testing batches of the products we truly don't know the entire makeup. While that can be said for the BRS and Drsfostersmith too, I have more confidence in them personally. Nice to have options these days!

 

[Long Tran]

Agree

 

[nanomania]

How about using Sodium Carbonate (NOT Bi carbonate) only for alk part? Howmuch to add in 1g? If using the old metod of your 3part?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

How about using Sodium Carbonate (NOT Bi carbonate) only for alk part? Howmuch to add in 1g? If using the old metod of your 3part?

The original DIY two part (Recipe #1) used baking soda (594 grams, 2 1/4 cups) and then had you bake it to make sodium carbonate (results in about 375 grams when complete. If you wanted to use that same recipe starting with commercial sodium carbonate, you should use 375 grams.

An Improved Do-it-Yourself Two-Part Calcium and Alkalinity Supplement System by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

 

[WWIII]

Would there be any way for the alkalinity portion to settle out and become more potent towards the bottom of the container? That is if all materials are completely dissolved.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Would there be any way for the alkalinity portion to settle out and become more potent towards the bottom of the container? That is if all materials are completely dissolved.

No. Chemicals dissolved in water do not settle by ordinary gravity. Even at tens of thousands to a million times normal gravity, ions like these will not settle, but huge molecules like proteins can.

 

[GlassReef]

Any updates from users?

 

[zachxlutz]

Any updates from users?

I'm on my second batch of this recipe. Stable, higher pH. Consumption rates compare equally with the original 2-part recipe and now I don't have to worry about Mag consumption. I'd 100% recommend this recipe to those who use two part and want a bump to their pH. It's not a fix for a super low pH, but it definitely helped bump mine up a little higher, which is a benefit, in my experience.

 

[WWIII]

I'm on my 4th gallon of this recipe. I am very happy with it, as is my tank. Corals all look great and seem to be growing at a faster rate in many cases. My ph before would run below 8.0 without running an airline to skimmer and using kalk. Now I don't use either, just this new recipe and my ph runs 8.05 to 8.4. Usually 8.1 to 8.3. Here's a graph to give an idea of how my tank runs...

Edit - forgot to say, I'm dosing 140 ml of each solution per day in a 250 gallon system.

 

[Fábio Cruz]

I'm sorry if I missed any explanation of my doubt but would like to know what the best recipe for my case.
My system has 180G and I have few coral frags, now my KH is around 5.6dKH and my pH does not exceed 8.1 (Reefkeeper) usually 7.9. Im dosing nothing...
I am in doubt if I try this new recipe or the old Two parts recipe #1.
thanks

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'm sorry if I missed any explanation of my doubt but would like to know what the best recipe for my case.
My system has 180G and I have few coral frags, now my KH is around 5.6dKH and my pH does not exceed 8.1 (Reefkeeper) usually 7.9. Im dosing nothing...
I am in doubt if I try this new recipe or the old Two parts recipe #1.
thanks

Either is fine. :)

 

[WWIII]

I'm sorry if I missed any explanation of my doubt but would like to know what the best recipe for my case.
My system has 180G and I have few coral frags, now my KH is around 5.6dKH and my pH does not exceed 8.1 (Reefkeeper) usually 7.9. Im dosing nothing...
I am in doubt if I try this new recipe or the old Two parts recipe #1.
thanks

I just used kalkwasser in my ato for the first 2 years of my tank. That with an airline on my skimmer did fairly well for a long time. With smallish frags and low demand kalkwasser is hard to beat imo. Having said that, some like to have a little more control and/or have the equipment to implement a 2 part system from the start.

 

[Fábio Cruz]

Interesting, but as I need to correct my alk, I intend to adapt myself to the 2 parts method. initially there should not be much consumption but I think of finding this adjustment asap to meet a greater future demand. I think this is the time for some mistakes... Thx!

I just used kalkwasser in my ato for the first 2 years of my tank. That with an airline on my skimmer did fairly well for a long time. With smallish frags and low demand kalkwasser is hard to beat imo. Having said that, some like to have a little more control and/or have the equipment to implement a 2 part system from the start.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Interesting, but as I need to correct my alk, I intend to adapt myself to the 2 parts method. initially there should not be much consumption but I think of finding this adjustment asap to meet a greater future demand. I think this is the time for some mistakes... Thx!

To make a substantial one time correction (more than 1 dKH), I'd use bicarbonate. The pH rise is too large using hydroxide and may be too large using carbonate unless you go slow in both cases.

 

[Fábio Cruz]

That's what I thought too. But in the original formula #1 the bicarbonate is heated to make carbonate, right? Is this solution #1 still the best option to make this ~2.5dKH correction?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

That's what I thought too. But in the original formula #1 the bicarbonate is heated to make carbonate, right? Is this solution #1 still the best option to make this ~2.5dKH correction?

It is OK, but not better than bicarbonate (unbaked). The carbonate will instantly raise pH by about 0.6 pH units or more if added all at once. So go slow. :)