Two part dosing ... a question.

HuduVudu

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I am curious if this way of dosing two part will have any pitfalls or draw backs.

I want to pull out a container of water from my main aquarium. Let's say into a 5 gallon bucket. I want to dose the two part into this bucket, and raise the levels in the bucket to well above the values in my aquarium. Then I want to dose the water in the bucket back into the tank while removing the compliment of the water back to another bucket so that I have a new bucket of water to dose. Bonus if I could use the powdered reagents to dose into the bucket without problems.

Feedback welcome. Thank you in advance. :)
 

MnFish1

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I am curious if this way of dosing two part will have any pitfalls or draw backs.

I want to pull out a container of water from my main aquarium. Let's say into a 5 gallon bucket. I want to dose the two part into this bucket, and raise the levels in the bucket to well above the values in my aquarium. Then I want to dose the water in the bucket back into the tank while removing the compliment of the water back to another bucket so that I have a new bucket of water to dose. Bonus if I could use the powdered reagents to dose into the bucket without problems.

Feedback welcome. Thank you in advance. :)
This (depending on the levels you're talking about) - will not work. It will precipitate. Curious though, were you planning on using a dosing pump? And why did you want to do it?
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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The high alk (and pH if dosing a high pH additive) will make preciptiation of calcium carbonate pretty likely.

Suppose you remove 5 gallons in a 100 gallon aquarium to boost alk in the tank by 1 dKH.

The 5 gallons will need to boost alk by 20 dKH. That greatly risks precipitation.

Calcium can likely be added by itself if you want, depending on the amount. To match the 1 dKH, you'd add about 7 ppm of calcium to the tank, so that would mean adding 135 ppm of calcium to the 5 gallon bucket. By itself, that isn't likely to cause rapid precipitation.
 

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I am curious if this way of dosing two part will have any pitfalls or draw backs.

I want to pull out a container of water from my main aquarium. Let's say into a 5 gallon bucket. I want to dose the two part into this bucket, and raise the levels in the bucket to well above the values in my aquarium. Then I want to dose the water in the bucket back into the tank while removing the compliment of the water back to another bucket so that I have a new bucket of water to dose. Bonus if I could use the powdered reagents to dose into the bucket without problems.

Feedback welcome. Thank you in advance. :)
Technically you can do this to a certain extent, but why? As others have mentioned, there will be precipitate. Are you using Randy's 2 part recipe (BRS 2 part was designed by him)?

It is much easier to dose via a cheap dosing pump and it's much more stable. It sounds like you're either trying to not buy a dosing pump or you've got a sumpless tank. If it's the latter, I also have a sumpless tank that I dose directly into with a doser. It's dosed in high flow, so it dissipates quickly and I have zero issues.
 
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HuduVudu

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This (depending on the levels you're talking about) - will not work. It will precipitate. Curious though, were you planning on using a dosing pump? And why did you want to do it?
The problem that I have with two part is that very difficult to get dosing pumps to accurately move the two part in the right amounts. Especially in low quantities with small water volumes.

My thought is that by having salt water pre-mixed I have better control of the balance of the two part in the aquarium water.

Yes, I would using a dosing pump to move the mixed two part back into the tank to ensure a constant stable addition. This way if the pump drifts or fails then I only have to deal with the balance of the compliment output and the damage is muted considerably.
 
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The high alk (and pH if dosing a high pH additive) will make preciptiation of calcium carbonate pretty likely.

Suppose you remove 5 gallons in a 100 gallon aquarium to boost alk in the tank by 1 dKH.

The 5 gallons will need to boost alk by 20 dKH. That greatly risks precipitation.

Calcium can likely be added by itself if you want, depending on the amount. To match the 1 dKH, you'd add about 7 ppm of calcium to the tank, so that would mean adding 135 ppm of calcium to the 5 gallon bucket. By itself, that isn't likely to cause rapid precipitation.
What do you think I could push the solution to that would keep the precip. to a minimum? Would 25dKh work?
 

MnFish1

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The problem that I have with two part is that very difficult to get dosing pumps to accurately move the two part in the right amounts. Especially in low quantities with small water volumes.

My thought is that by having salt water pre-mixed I have better control of the balance of the two part in the aquarium water.

Yes, I would using a dosing pump to move the mixed two part back into the tank to ensure a constant stable addition. This way if the pump drifts or fails then I only have to deal with the balance of the compliment output and the damage is muted considerably.
Curious - why not do water changes - with a higher alkalinity salt? If its small volumes. And - I guess the accuracy of dosing pumps depends on the pump you're using. Its an interesting discussion
 
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HuduVudu

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Curious - why not do water changes - with a higher alkalinity salt? If its small volumes. And - I guess the accuracy of dosing pumps depends on the pump you're using. Its an interesting discussion
I have medium-high demand SPS. I don't just need alk.

This is for me at the cerbral level right now. I am currently using a CaRx to accomplish additions, but it is hard because of the demand levels. I am looking for other options.

As to the dosing pump issue I have tried many many dosing pumps. Some are better than others, but they are all at then end of the day prone to failure and drift at some level. Sadly the more slickly marketed they are is inversely proportional to their functionality. Perhaps if I kick up the quality that I am buying, and move into hospital or lab grade I could minimize this but it is still an issue but at a much diminished amount.

The key for me to dose two part is that doesn't move the main ionic balances around. Maybe this is an issue maybe not. I don't feel comfortable with the current implementation of dosing two part.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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The problem that I have with two part is that very difficult to get dosing pumps to accurately move the two part in the right amounts. Especially in low quantities with small water volumes.

My thought is that by having salt water pre-mixed I have better control of the balance of the two part in the aquarium water.

Yes, I would using a dosing pump to move the mixed two part back into the tank to ensure a constant stable addition. This way if the pump drifts or fails then I only have to deal with the balance of the compliment output and the damage is muted considerably.
You can dilute them with RO/DI if you want to make pumping easier, up to your evaporation limit.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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What do you think I could push the solution to that would keep the precip. to a minimum? Would 25dKh work?

Not Sure. You'd have to try and I'd definitely use a low pH alk part to do it.

Red Sea Coral Pro at about 12 dKH is supposedly quite prone to it. So much so that they recommend to use it right away. Used tank water the effect may be substantially lessened due to organics and such, but 25 seems quite high. Only way to know is to try it. :)
 
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HuduVudu

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Not Sure. You'd have to try and I'd definitely use a low pH alk part to do it.

Red Sea Coral Pro at about 12 dKH is supposedly quite prone to it. So much so that they recommend to use it right away. Used tank water the effect may be substantially lessened due to organics and such, but 25 seems quite high. Only way to know is to try it. :)
ROFL ... yup. Empirical ftw.
 

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