Seachem reef build and advantage calcium

[cghunter39]

I recently switched from Red Sea dosing products to Seachem products.

I emailed Seachem and they were nice enough to send me a calculator excel sheet on how much to mix with RO water to make a stock solution…

this is where I’m struggling I am now almost double the daily dose of the Seachem products than I was the Red Sea products and my ALK and Calcium are still falling.

im using reef builder mixed 67grams per 2000ml
And reef advantage calcium mixed at 400 grams per 2000ml
For comparison

system is 100 gallon total water

seachem:
ALK 8.55 dosing 90ml a day and dropping
Calcium 442 dosing 50ml a day and dropping

Red Sea:
ALK 9.0-9.5 dosing 50ml a day and stable
Calcium 450-460 dosing 10ml a day and stable

thoughts? I switched because I though the Seachem products were more potent.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Why is potency a goal?

Red Sea Foundation B alk supplement at 50 mL per day to a random assumed 100 gallon aquarium adds about 1.4 dKH per day.

You are adding the equivalent of 90 mL x 67 g/2000 mL = 3 grams of reef builder. In that same 100 gallons, that amount of reef builder boosts alk by 0.27 dKH.

Thus, the seachem solution you made is much less potent and is why the alk is dropping.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

This calculator will help you compare products:

Reef Chemistry Calculator

 

[cghunter39]

Why is potency a goal?

Red Sea Foundation B alk supplement at 50 mL per day to a random assumed 100 gallon aquarium adds about 1.4 dKH per day.

You are adding the equivalent of 90 mL x 67 g/2000 mL = 3 grams of reef builder. In that same 100 gallons, that amount of reef builder boosts alk by 0.27 dKH.

Thus, the seachem solution you made is much less potent and is why the alk is dropping.

Thank you for the explanation. The goal of potency is to dose less ml per day. I have used the calculator. I have a hard time with understanding which product to use because I mix both into a solution.
The 67 grams per 2000 ml and the 400 grams per 2000 ml were both put as a max I can dissolve in the much water on the Seachem’s calculator that is where those numbers come from.

 

[NormanB]

I use a different Seachem product for alkalinity dosing. Instead of Reef Builder I use Reef Buffer. I had a long conversation with Seachem when moving toward using Builder in my alk dosing container. The final outcome for me was 100.2 g of Reef Buffer in 1.5L of RODI water and dose 180ml each day and that maintains an Alk level of 3.75 meq/l in my 80 gallon system.

Seachem's advice was I could get more to stay in solution, how much more I don't recall. I'm OK with the volume I'm dosing, so I didn't push for a more concentrated solution.

Yes, Seachem says use Builder when pH is not an issue, however for me using Buffer does not push pH up as it stays between 8.0 and 8.1

Just my 0.02

Hope it helps.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I use a different Seachem product for alkalinity dosing. Instead of Reef Builder I use Reef Buffer. I had a long conversation with Seachem when moving toward using Builder in my alk dosing container. The final outcome for me was 100.2 g of Reef Buffer in 1.5L of RODI water and dose 180ml each day and that maintains an Alk level of 3.75 meq/l in my 80 gallon system.

Seachem's advice was I could get more to stay in solution, how much more I don't recall. I'm OK with the volume I'm dosing, so I didn't push for a more concentrated solution.

Yes, Seachem says use Builder when pH is not an issue, however for me using Buffer does not push pH up as it stays between 8.0 and 8.1

Just my 0.02

Hope it helps.

Yes, higher pH alk additives are more soluble and hence can be made more concentrated.

 

[NormanB]

I recently switched from Red Sea dosing products to Seachem products.

I emailed Seachem and they were nice enough to send me a calculator excel sheet on how much to mix with RO water to make a stock solution…

this is where I’m struggling I am now almost double the daily dose of the Seachem products than I was the Red Sea products and my ALK and Calcium are still falling.

im using reef builder mixed 67grams per 2000ml
And reef advantage calcium mixed at 400 grams per 2000ml
For comparison

system is 100 gallon total water

seachem:
ALK 8.55 dosing 90ml a day and dropping
Calcium 442 dosing 50ml a day and dropping

Red Sea:
ALK 9.0-9.5 dosing 50ml a day and stable
Calcium 450-460 dosing 10ml a day and stable

thoughts? I switched because I though the Seachem products were more potent.

Have you decided on how to address your needs?