Reef Chemistry Question of the Day #214 Two Part Additive Systems

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Reef Chemistry Question of the Day #214

When using ANY two part calcium and alkalinity additive system, such as B-ionic by ESV or C-Balance by Two Little Fishies, which ion is added to the aquarium in the highest ppm concentration?

A. Calcium
B. Magnesium
C. Sodium
D. Carbonate
E. Chloride
F. Sulfate


Good luck!










































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[Mal11224]

I use ESV and will say B. Magnesium.

 

[Macdaddynick1]

Sodium bi-carbonate alk calcium chloride CA . My guess is D

 

[joeyhatch11]

Taking a stab, saying B

 

[Scarybo]

E

 

[JimWelsh]

The exact numbers may depend a bit on the exact formulation and also the concentration of the balanced two-part additives, but a typical recipe will contain PPM values that might look something like this, relative to one another:

It helps to remember that in terms of either molarity or PPM, the chloride ion is by far the most abundant ion in seawater, and the goal of a balanced two-part is to leave a residual, after calcification occurs, that closely resembles seawater ratios of the ions. I'm going with "E", Chloride.

 

[Keiffer the reefer]

I'm going to guess carbonate assuming bicarbonate counts the same or more than carbonate. B & F are not options since mag is low consumption. Calcium is slightly lower use since Mag and strontium replaces it sometimes. That leaves sodium and carbonate and I'm assuming some of the mixture is sodium bicarbonate. Which I'm unscientifically interpreting as two individual carbonates.

 

[UpNorthTom]

I'm going with E - Chloride. I believe it's in my Calcium and Magnesium solution.

 

[UABsleeper]

I'm going with E chloride.. mainly because I know calcium is frequently supplied as calcium chloride magnesium is also frequently supplied as magnesium chloride.. and bicarbonate frequently comes as sodium bicarbonate NaHCO3 which is one of the reasons you have to watch your salinity when dosing.. when those dissociate you get NaCl

 

[Ghxst]

E, for in everything

 

[Orm Embar]

Hmm . . . Calcium chloride is CaCl2, so there's twice as much chloride as calcium (calcium can't be right, maybe chloride). Sodium bicarbonate/carbonate is NaHCO3 or NA2CO3; by process of elimination, if it doesn't matter what type of 2-part you use, then that rules out sodium. Carbonate isn't as concentrated, and magnesium isn't even a major component of 2-part (I look at it as a bit of icing on the Ca/alkalinity cake). Same for sulfate, which isn't a major additive compared to the above.

I'm voting for E (chloride).

 

[Mindi]

E because it is the most abundant before and that will be maintained

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

And the answer is...

E. Chloride

The main ingredients in a two part are sodium carbonate/bicarbonate and calcium chloride.
The carbonate/bicarbonate and the calcium are consumed by organisms to make skeletons and shells.
That leaves sodium and chloride.
So why chloride and not sodium?

Simple answer is the numbers of the two are about the same, but chloride weighs considerably more per atom than sodium. So in a weight based measurement there is a lot more chloride in a two part than sodium.

 

[beaslbob]

a

 

[beaslbob]

LOL