Correcting salt mix parameters - what order to dose?

[Skydvr]

My salt mix doesn’t match my desired tank parameters and I need to dose Mangesium, Alkalinity, and Calcium before water changes. I know that things like Calcium and Alkalinity are tied together and that if alkalinity drops, calcium will start precipitating out.

When bumping parameters back up, or dosing in general, does it matter what order chemicals are added?
Is it more critical with large changes like correcting a salt mix than with automated dosing where there are more frequent, smaller doses?

 

[Big G]

Bump

 

[Mastiffsrule]

A few thoughts. I was not sure, but would it not be better to locate a salt better suited to your needs.
When you do dose you want to leave some time between various chemical to give them time to disperse before puttin in the next. If you are dumping all of them into freshly mixed water I would think there is a great chance of precipitation.

I cannot say what order, I would personally attack ph/alk. Then work on mag and the Calc. But that is not scientific, just me.

 

[Martin Kuhn]

„Pimping“ salt mixes parameters works nicely
- recommended order: Mg, Ca, Alk
- you can switch from one to the next once the former one was mixed in (optical check, water not cloudy). This goes faster once you mix with a pump inside your container
- water can be used right afterwards

Our software (AquaCalculator) is able to calculate you the exact amounts that you need depending on the a) the salt mixture you use AND b) your targeted Ca/Alk/Mg values... independently from which manufacturer you bought your Ca/Alk/Mg raising salts

Best rgds
Martin

 

[Hemmdog]

I say mg, alk, cal. But I also +1 buying the salt with the parameters you want. It’s cheaper to do it that way anyways. Your not saving much money by buying cheaper salt with low macro parameters.

 

[Skydvr]

It’s not a cheaper salt mix, I prefer running certain parameters a little bit higher. ESV mixes super clean and is ready to go in less than 15 minutes. I’ve got a small place and prefer not tripping over buckets for a couple of days while I wait for water to be ready. It has multiple components and I am working on adjusting each component to hit the numbers I want.

When the mix is new, I only need to add a couple of grams of Mg and Ca and a couple ml of Alk to hit my targets. Larger adjustments are only needed when I get towards the end of the batch when the mix has absorbed a significant amount of moisture, so the dry components weigh out heavier. Single component salts are a brick that are useless by that point. Parameters are bottomed out and the salt mixes up with beads of precipitate that woun’t disolve after a week of mixing and I end up tossing 1/3 of a bucket or more.