Do dowflakes add pottasium as well in a balanced amout
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Randy Holmes-Farley
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Last time I analyzed Dowflake (many years ago now), it did contain substantial potassium, and was just about enough to add an appropriate amount into a DIY two part to keep the method itself from lowering potassium.
What I mean by that statement is this: If you add just pure sodium carbonate and calcium chloride, sodium and chloride accumulate, raising salinity. When you remove some salt water and replace it with fresh to bring the salinity back to normal, everything is reduced in concentration (except the sodium and chloride, which you added). Thus, potassium would decline from simple use of the method, not from any consumption.
Dowflake coincidentally had about the right amount of potassium to stop this effect, but I do not know if it still does.
Whether there is any more demand in a reef aquarium for potassium depends on your husbandry practices and what organisms you keep. Mine never did. It was presumably balanced between import with foods and exports of various sorts. I don't think water changes played a big role in my tank for potassium, but I did do them.
This has more:
An Improved Do-it-Yourself Two-Part Calcium and Alkalinity Supplement System by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php
Aquarium Chemistry: Purity Of Calcium Chloride ? Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2004/chem.htm
What I mean by that statement is this: If you add just pure sodium carbonate and calcium chloride, sodium and chloride accumulate, raising salinity. When you remove some salt water and replace it with fresh to bring the salinity back to normal, everything is reduced in concentration (except the sodium and chloride, which you added). Thus, potassium would decline from simple use of the method, not from any consumption.
Dowflake coincidentally had about the right amount of potassium to stop this effect, but I do not know if it still does.
Whether there is any more demand in a reef aquarium for potassium depends on your husbandry practices and what organisms you keep. Mine never did. It was presumably balanced between import with foods and exports of various sorts. I don't think water changes played a big role in my tank for potassium, but I did do them.
This has more:
An Improved Do-it-Yourself Two-Part Calcium and Alkalinity Supplement System by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php
Aquarium Chemistry: Purity Of Calcium Chloride ? Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2004/chem.htm
