Water Glass

[stumpyid]

Looking back at these old posts. Just purchased a 4oz Loudwolf sodium silicate. Would I be ok to make up a one gallon solution ahead of time? I am currently using Brightwell SpngeExcel as it is the only solution that I could find locally. What would be the mix ratio of the Loudwolf to end up with approximately the same strength solution?

Thanks for whomever may have this information. Potentially @Randy Homes-Farley

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Looking back at these old posts. Just purchased a 4oz Loudwolf sodium silicate. Would I be ok to make up a one gallon solution ahead of time? I am currently using Brightwell SpngeExcel as it is the only solution that I could find locally. What would be the mix ratio of the Loudwolf to end up with approximately the same strength solution?

Thanks for whomever may have this information. Potentially @Randy Homes-Farley

I have no idea what the concentration of Brightwell’s product is, but I do have a recommended dose of typical water glass:

Feature Article: Silica In Reef Aquariums ? Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog

How much and what to dose?​

I’d suggest dosing sodium silicate solution, as it is a readily soluble form of silica. It is very inexpensive. I initially used a high quality laboratory grade, but I’d expect the bulk grades sold to the world at large to be good enough (and I use it now). Remember, you aren’t dosing much, and the solutions available are very concentrated. You may find “water glass’ in certain stores because it is used by consumers for things like preserving eggs. Buying chemicals can be problematic for many people, however, and this hobby chemistry store 43 sells to individuals. Ten dollars (+ shipping) gets you enough to last 150 years of dosing with a 100-gallon tank, so cost is not an issue. I just ordered some from them myself and it came broken open, unfortunately. Some of you may have gotten Christmas presents that had ¾ of a gallon of sodium silicate solution coating them as they passed my package in the mail. Nevertheless, I
still have enough for several years!).

Many “water glass” or sodium silicate solutions are sold with the concentration indicated by “° Baume”. Degrees Baume is a measure of the specific gravity, and values in the 40’s are typical of these concentrated solutions.44 A concentration of 41° Baume equates to 29% SiO2 by weight. Note that the density is high (1.38 g/mL for 41° Baume), so volume measurements should take this into account. Maybe eventually, some of the hobby supplement manufacturers will provide a supplement.

Safety note: Sodium Silicate solution is very basic (high pH). In fact, the pH can be substantially higher than limewater, so it is very corrosive to tissue and to metal devices. Be careful to not spill it on yourself, wear some eye protection, and if you spill it on something metal, wash it. In all cases, extensive washing with water is recommended in case of spills or exposure.

Based on my dosing experience, aquarists are probably safe dosing the equivalent of 17 uM (1 ppm SiO2) once every 1-2 weeks. That is based on the fact that my tank used that much in less than 4 days without having any sort of “bad” reaction. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with starting at a tenth of that and ramping up. And, of course, if you do get too much in the way of diatoms, just back off on the dosing. I presume that all that I added to my tank went into various organisms that us it (sponges, diatoms, etc), but perhaps I have more sponges than other aquarists, and diatoms consequently may be more of a concern in some tanks than in mine.

I’d also advise occasionally checking the soluble silica concentration in the water, in case the demand in your tank is substantially less than mine. If the concentration started to rise above 50 uM (3 ppm SiO2), even in the absence of diatoms, I’d probably reduce the dose rate because that is close to the maximum concentration that surface seawater ever attains.

Here’s how to determine dosing amounts. I’ll assume that you want 17 uM (1 ppm SiO2) dosing, and you can scale from there. If the concentration of the supplement is 29% silica by weight (41° Baume), then it is 290,000 ppm silica. To get to 1 ppm silica, you then need to dilute by 290,000 fold. If you add 1.3 grams of this supplement (0.96 mL) to a tank with 100 gallons (378,500 mL), then the final concentration will be about 17 uM (1 ppm SiO2). I’d disperse the concentrated silicate solution into some fresh water before adding it to the tank, and then add it to a high flow area. Because the pH is high, you likely will see some cloudiness that is mostly magnesium hydroxide. The magnesium hydroxide will dissolve without a problem, but to be safe, add the supplement in a high flow area.

 

[naveed.chodhary]

I am seriously considering dosing water glass. Is any water glass ok to use? I want to make sure I'm dosing the right stuff. I see it advertised online as glue. I would think it would thin out enough in a total system volume of 80 gallons give or take to not coat heaters, etc. Still I want to make sure I don't screw up. I finally have my dinos under control and pretty much eradicated. That took about 8 months. I don't want to end up with a whole new bunch of problems because I bought the wrong thing.

Needless to say I intend to test for silicon once I start dosing. I have limpets and a Mexican turbo snail, and at some point I hope to have feather dusters and sponges. Thank you.

Hi. Can you please let me know how did you get rid of dino?

 

[naveed.chodhary]

I am seriously considering dosing water glass. Is any water glass ok to use? I want to make sure I'm dosing the right stuff. I see it advertised online as glue. I would think it would thin out enough in a total system volume of 80 gallons give or take to not coat heaters, etc. Still I want to make sure I don't screw up. I finally have my dinos under control and pretty much eradicated. That took about 8 months. I don't want to end up with a whole new bunch of problems because I bought the wrong thing.

Needless to say I intend to test for silicon once I start dosing. I have limpets and a Mexican turbo snail, and at some point I hope to have feather dusters and sponges. Thank you.

Hi. Can you please let me know what did you do to get rid of dino?

 

[Fishy888]

Hi. Can you please let me know what did you do to get rid of dino?

You need to take a multi-pronged approach! Dosing sodium silicate is just one thing you need to do. You need to test for nitrates and phosphates. One is close to or at zero. You need to get your levels above zero. You also need good bacteria. Adding well established live rock from another system helps. Understand that it takes time. There are no magic cures!