Balanced Alkalinity Supplement?

[rtparty]

Read this and wanted to get Randy's take it really anyone that is scientifically gifted with this stuff:


"Alk buffers that do not consist of sodium carbonate, sodium Bicarbonate, sodium tetra borate and sodium sulfate blended in the correct ratios will ultimately lead to this exact issue.
It is basic science and unfortunately most ALK buffers are not mixed correctly because they cost more.
Using just sodium carbonate (soda ash) or Sodium Bicarbonate or evening a blend of these 2 ingredients will just mean more dosing.
Without the blend of these 2 plus the others correctly, ultimately Alk is being added but also falls out of solution and then you have to dose again.
Eventually ionic imbalance takes place, it is inevitable and then you have to dose more calcium and ALK with little movement or none on Calcium and then and only then concrete starts binding in your sand and will also bind to your plumbing restricting flow and then it gets worse.

Soda ash + Calcium = concrete"

Is there truth to this? If so, can we make our own balanced alkalinity supplement somehow?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Where did you read that?

There's a nugget of truth and a lot of exaggeration, presumably designed to sell a specific product.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW, my DIY two part adds all of these (including the sulfate from the magnesium part) as needed expect borate, which I do not think its needed, especially not in an alkalinity supplement.

 

[rtparty]

Where did you read that?

There's a nugget of truth and a lot of exaggeration, presumably designed to sell a specific product.

Over on the AskBRStv group. I won't post their name publicly. They don't sell any products though and said they moved all their systems to Calcium Reactors for this reason.

I asked for the correct ratios but they weren't known. I figured if anyone could shed light on this, it would be you

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Over on the AskBRStv group. I won't post their name publicly. They don't sell any products though and said they moved all their systems to Calcium Reactors for this reason.

I asked for the correct ratios but they weren't known. I figured if anyone could shed light on this, it would be you

I'd say the whole comment is nonsense in terms of the effect on a reef tank.

We can go point by point:

" Using just sodium carbonate (soda ash) or Sodium Bicarbonate or evening a blend of these 2 ingredients will just mean more dosing. "

Nonsense. Yes, high pH in the reef tank, and possibly high pH where pure sodium carbonate is added can accelerate precipitation of calcium carbonate, especially if not mixed in fast enough.

But sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) will have less likelihood of this happening than sodium carbonate or the mixture they mention. Some folks do get precipitation issues and switching from sodium carbonate to sodium bicarbonate helps them.

Sulfate (and chloride) lay a role in reducing the precipitation of calcium carbonate. But it takes a long time of not dosing any sulfate for it to decline significantly since it is present at 2700 ppm in seawater and is not consumed. It only declines because it gets replaced with chloride over time of calcium chloride dosing. The Epsom salt in my DIY recipe has the right amount of sulfate.

Borate will have no significant effect on calcium carboante precipitaiton one way or the other.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I discuss borate in detail here and do not think it is typically useful as a supplement:

Chemistry And The Aquarium: Boron In A Reef Tank

This article also discusses the sources and sinks for boron in reef tanks, and shows that while typical tanks may be slightly depleted in boron with respect to natural levels, most are not so significantly depleted that any correction is required. Nevertheless, how to test for and supplement...

reefs.com

In my tank with ZERO supplemental boron and alk calcium and alk from calcium hydroxide, and normal water changes with IO (1% daily), my borate was actually a tad above NSW levels when I had an ICP test after running the tank this way for many years. It is not needed in an alkalinity supplement, IMO.

Using a two part without boron will eventually allow borate to decline by displacement and salinity readjustment, but if if gets low, and if one cared about it, it is easy to add some.

 

[rtparty]

I'd say the whole comment is nonsense in terms of the effect on a reef tank.

We can go point by point:

" Using just sodium carbonate (soda ash) or Sodium Bicarbonate or evening a blend of these 2 ingredients will just mean more dosing. "

Nonsense. Yes, high pH in the reef tank, and possibly high pH where pure sodium carbonate is added can accelerate precipitation of calcium carbonate, especially if not mixed in fast enough.

But sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) will have less likelihood of this happening than sodium carbonate or the mixture they mention. Some folks do get precipitation issues and switching from sodium carbonate to sodium bicarbonate helps them.

Sulfate (and chloride) lay a role in reducing the precipitation of calcium carbonate. But it takes a long time of not dosing any sulfate for it to decline significantly since it is present at 2700 ppm in seawater and is not consumed. It only declines because it gets replaced with chloride over time of calcium chloride dosing. The Epsom salt in my DIY recipe has the right amount of sulfate.

Borate will have no significant effect on calcium carboante precipitaiton one way or the other.

Thank you Randy!