Post your DIY additives here!

[Bohemian Waxwing]

Just ordered some calcium nitrate based on an older post by Randy. The idea of paying for mostly waterweight from the store bought nitrate products didn't sit well with me, and I wasn't quite ready to try ammonia.

Are there any considerations of cal or alk when using calcium nitrate to raise nitrates? I use AFR and am wondering if sodium nitrate will raise cal. If so, I may need to rethink AFR and switch to some kind of AFR+bicarb mix until my AFR powder runs out.

Product page - I chose this brand of cal nitrate only because I've used it in planted tanks and trust it's purity over some of the others I've found listed on Amazon. Ran a planted tank with this for a long time, never had any issue with sensitive fish so I felt that it likely didn't contain ammonia impurities.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Just ordered some calcium nitrate based on an older post by Randy. The idea of paying for mostly waterweight from the store bought nitrate products didn't sit well with me, and I wasn't quite ready to try ammonia.

Are there any considerations of cal or alk when using calcium nitrate to raise nitrates? I use AFR and am wondering if sodium nitrate will raise cal. If so, I may need to rethink AFR and switch to some kind of AFR+bicarb mix until my AFR powder runs out.

Product page - I chose this brand of cal nitrate only because I've used it in planted tanks and trust it's purity over some of the others I've found listed on Amazon. Ran a planted tank with this for a long time, never had any issue with sensitive fish so I felt that it likely didn't contain ammonia impurities.

Calcium nitrate is a balanced calcium and alk additive just like AFR.

 

[Clownreef]

Be careful with fluoride. It can be fairly toxic.

NaF is 45% fluoride by weight, so to add 1 mg/L to 100 liters takes

(1 mg/L x 100 L ) / 0.45 = 222 mg, or 0.2 grams.

You can dissolve up to about 30 grams in a litter of RO/DI.

If you dissolve 10 grams in 1 L, then it is 10 mg/mL NaF and it takes 22 mL of that solution to boost 100 L by 1 mg/L F.

Mr. Holmes,

Is this correct? My tank is 984 liters

(1 mg/L x 984 L ) / 0.45 = 2,186 mg, or 2.18 grams.

Im going to dissolve 10g into a 1 liter of RO. I think the 500ml bottle Reef Moonshine sells are 5g per 500ml.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Mr. Holmes,

Is this correct? My tank is 984 liters

(1 mg/L x 984 L ) / 0.45 = 2,186 mg, or 2.18 grams.

Im going to dissolve 10g into a 1 liter of RO. I think the 500ml bottle Reef Moonshine sells are 5g per 500ml.

Yes, that math is correct. :)

 

[Clownreef]

Yes, that math is correct. :)

As always.... you're the man. The math maths..

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

As always.... you're the man. The math maths..

lol thanks and Happy Reefing. :)

 

[14 foot reef]

Be careful with fluoride. It can be fairly toxic.

NaF is 45% fluoride by weight, so to add 1 mg/L to 100 liters takes

(1 mg/L x 100 L ) / 0.45 = 222 mg, or 0.2 grams.

You can dissolve up to about 30 grams in a litter of RO/DI.

If you dissolve 10 grams in 1 L, then it is 10 mg/mL NaF and it takes 22 mL of that solution to boost 100 L by 1 mg/L F.

@Randy Holmes-Farley

Randy, can I use your mixing formula above with this Fluoride product ?

https://www.carolina.com/specialty-chemicals-s/sodium-fluoride-powder-laboratory-grade-100-g/889308.pr?question=Sodium+Flouride

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes. I’m not certain how pure it is, but it may be fine.

 

[14 foot reef]

Yes. I’m not certain how pure it is, but it may be fine.

Do you have a better example you would choose.

I know the fluoride addition is a bit unknown in its value in the reef.

My ICP came back at .78 and I want to raise it to 1.5. My system is 1000 gallons of saltwater.

What would my total addition be ? I will spread the addition over 5-7 days.

 

[KStatefan]

Do you have a better example you would choose.

I know the fluoride addition is a bit unknown in its value in the reef.

My ICP came back at .78 and I want to raise it to 1.5. My system is 1000 gallons of saltwater.

What would my total addition be ? I will spread the addition over 5-7 days.

I use the loudwolf brand.

Sodium Fluoride

www.loudwolf.com

 

[ravi197699]

I use the loudwolf brand.

Sodium Fluoride

www.loudwolf.com

I use the same, but I make it less strong, too much of this can cause tips to burn on corals,

 

[14 foot reef]

Using the Loudwolf brand what would be my DIY amounts, grams to 1 liter of RODI ?
Then if my ICP test came back at .78 and I want to raise it to 1.5 over 4-5 days, what would be my dosage in 1000 gallons of tank water ?
Thanks for your help guys the amount and cost of the Reef moonshiners formula was wanting me to add 6 bottles over 8 days at $20.00 per bottle.

Thank you

 

[KStatefan]

Using the Loudwolf brand what would be my DIY amounts, grams to 1 liter of RODI ?
Then if my ICP test came back at .78 and I want to raise it to 1.5 over 4-5 days, what would be my dosage in 1000 gallons of tank water ?
Thanks for your help guys the amount and cost of the Reef moonshiners formula was wanting me to add 6 bottles over 8 days at $20.00 per bottle.

Thank you

2.21 grams of Sodium Fluoride to make 1 liter of 1000 ppm solution. I am sure that is the same concentration of the RM bottle so you can use that calculator.

Edited to add my spreadsheet values

 

[KStatefan]

I have not looked up the solubility of NaF but I am sure you could mix stronger

 

[14 foot reef]

2.21 grams of Sodium Fluoride to make 1 liter of 1000 ppm solution. I am sure that is the same concentration of the RM bottle so you can use that calculator.

This is great help !!!! Thanks

I'll see if I can track down the concentration of RM as I thought I read a couple threads saying it was a really weak solution compared to Randy's DIY formula

You saved me a ton of money because I dose a lot of Hydroxides, Sodium and calcium Hydroxide and Andre says that's why I go through so much Fluoride, because of the amounts of hydroxides I dose.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You saved me a ton of money because I dose a lot of Hydroxides, Sodium and calcium Hydroxide and Andre says that's why I go through so much Fluoride, because of the amounts of hydroxides I dose.

Since fluoride is incorporated into calcium carbonate, I certainly think the F- demand will depend on alk and calcium demand, but I cannot see a way that it would depend, or even know, whether you supplement alk as bicarbonate, carbonate, or hydroxide.

 

[14 foot reef]

Since fluoride is incorporated into calcium carbonate, I certainly think the F- demand will depend on alk and calcium demand, but I cannot see a way that it would depend, or even know, whether you supplement alk as bicarbonate, carbonate, or hydroxide.

Randy, I'll dig up his response I received in an email. Would love to know your thoughts on it.
Thanks as Always

 

[14 foot reef]

Since fluoride is incorporated into calcium carbonate, I certainly think the F- demand will depend on alk and calcium demand, but I cannot see a way that it would depend, or even know, whether you supplement alk as bicarbonate, carbonate, or hydroxide.

Randy I found the email, can I send it to you privately and not on the open forum ?

Eric

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Randy I found the email, can I send it to you privately and not on the open forum ?

Eric

Ok, I’ll start a pm.

 

[scoty254]

My calculations are different ‍

If you dissolve 10 grams in 1 L, then it is 10 mg/mL NaF

The above makes 4.5 Mg/ml NaF

and it takes 22 mL of that solution to boost 100 L by 1 mg/L F.

Indeed takes 22 ml