Trisodium phosphate

[Cory]

Can I use this to dose phosphate to my tank?

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.trisodium-phosphate-powder---400-g.1000130976.html

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It's a fine chemical for this purpose, but I cannot tell how pure it might be.

 

[miyags]

I just saw this on facebook then saw your post.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Maybe it's all in the green clovers.

 

[Cory]

Well if it' good enough for lucky charms it' good enough for my tank! Lol

Purity was my concern too, and that it's a liquid, I don' know how much is in it. Could I just boil it down to the salt and dose grams?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The description says it is a powder.

"T.S.P. in powder form is a versatile, effective cleaner that works on everything from laundry to garage floors."

 

[Cory]

The description says it is a powder.

"T.S.P. in powder form is a versatile, effective cleaner that works on everything from laundry to garage floors."

I wonder how much I should dose to raise my po4? Small dose

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Use this calculator for potassium phosphate and use 77% as much (so if it says 1 gram, use 0.77 grams).

http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/calculator.htm

 

[Cory]

Does this seem right?

For 200 gallons if I add .05 grams of potassium phosphate this will give my tank .05ppm of po4? Or roughly .03ppm of po4 from sodium phosphate

Seems so tiny the amount

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Does this seem right?

For 200 gallons if I add .05 grams of potassium phosphate this will give my tank .05ppm of po4? Or roughly .03ppm of po4 from sodium phosphate

Seems so tiny the amount

0.05 ppm is tiny.

Sounds right.

 

[Cory]

0.05 ppm is tiny.

Sounds right.

Perfect I'l start with tiny amount and hopefully the Hanna po4 checker will not read 0.00 anymore lol.

I don' water Change so should I be worried about an increase in sodium from using it? Or would it take like 10 years of daily dosing to get any appreciable rise in sodium?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

There's no concern about sodium accumulating. It would likely take more than 10 years.

 

[Cory]

I added .05 grams and my Hanna still read 0.00

So I added another .10 and the Hanna still read 0.00

Whats going on? That quantity should have added more po4.

So I added a grain of sodium phosphate directly to the Hanna and it said 1.15ppm. The water turned blue suggesting po4.

So this Hanna isnt very accurate.

Anyhow I added 110 grams to 3 liters. I' dosing 1 ml per day this way. Should be .03ppm per day of po4.

 

[Cory]

I' curious why it says something about phosphoric acid? Does it have that?

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&sour...44ChAWCCAwAg&usg=AOvVaw2t5WQK2D_hqqoKNWfS0Te5

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I added .05 grams and my Hanna still read 0.00

So I added another .10 and the Hanna still read 0.00

Whats going on? That quantity should have added more po4.

So I added a grain of sodium phosphate directly to the Hanna and it said 1.15ppm. The water turned blue suggesting po4.

So this Hanna isnt very accurate.

Anyhow I added 110 grams to 3 liters. I' dosing 1 ml per day this way. Should be .03ppm per day of po4.

Folks often find it is rapidly consumed. How soon did you test?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I' curious why it says something about phosphoric acid? Does it have that?

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&sour...44ChAWCCAwAg&usg=AOvVaw2t5WQK2D_hqqoKNWfS0Te5

You mean this?

"Phosphoric acid, trisodium salt, dodecahydrate"

That's just a way of naming the compound. A stupid way, IMO, but just a name for Na3PO4 x 12 H2O.

That said, I do not know if what you are using is the dodecahydrate (12 water molecules per phosphate), but if you are, it is less potent than we assumed.

 

[Cory]

Folks often find it is rapidly consumed. How soon did you test?

I tested roughly 20- 30 minutes after dosing.

I tested again later at night like 4 hours later, and the Hanna checker read the tanks water as 0.08ppm. However i noticed the reagent expires in 2017 so maybe thats partly why.

 

[Cory]

You mean this?

"Phosphoric acid, trisodium salt, dodecahydrate"

That's just a way of naming the compound. A stupid way, IMO, but just a name for Na3PO4 x 12 H2O.

That said, I do not know if what you are using is the dodecahydrate (12 water molecules per phosphate), but if you are, it is less potent than we assumed.

Yes thats it! That is a very stupid way of naming a chemical lol. What a way to confuse someone. I think its probably less potent then no? Which imo is better because my scale had a hard time reading .05g but read .15 just fine.

How much less potent I wonder?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes thats it! That is a very stupid way of naming a chemical lol. What a way to confuse someone. I think its probably less potent then no? Which imo is better because my scale had a hard time reading .05g but read .15 just fine.

How much less potent I wonder?

A little less than half as potent as expected (43%).

Check this thread for another doser's experience:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/phosphate-dosing.338590/

 

[CircleCityBill]

According to the msds for the Savogran product, it contains 20-25% sodium sesquicarbonate.